You first should decide which network is best your you.



If your computers are in the same room,the Wireless

network should not be considered.The wired by cable

network should work just fine.

Computer that may be close to each other but cannot

be seen may and have phone jacks close by can easily

be networked with the HomePNA Network.While PCs

that are far from each other can be connected with the

powerline network,assuming wall outlets are nearby.

And when there are computers in different rooms and you

want the convenience of moving the systems from room

to room,the more expensive Wireless Network is the way

to go.After you decide on the type of network that is best

for you,knowing what components you'll need to purchase

will be a great help.Let's take a look at each network and

the components needed to get it up and running.

The WIRED ETHERNET NETWORK

If your computers are in the same room,the basic network

kit can wire your systems together.Be sure to carefully open

any kit or component you purchase and do not damage the

box it came in.The purpose for this is to make it easy to

return the component if needed.

Basic kits will have instructions and software for the network

as seen as two NICs.Better known as Network Interface

Cards,these NICs are installed in empty slots in the system

unit.The PCI slot is where the card is installed and there are

the USB adapters as well.The network will need cabling to

connect the computers and the CAT 5 or Category 5 cable

is the one to look for.

Ethernet networks come in two speeds,which are 10 and

100mbps or megabits per second.The wired network will

also need a Hub or a Switch to direct traffic from each

system.If you want fast traffic,and who don't,you will want

to connect a Switch instead of a Hub.If you want all PCs

to connect to the Internet,most kits come with Special

Bridging Software which links the systems together.

The WIRELESS HOME NETWORK

Wireless networks rely on radio frequency to transmit

and receive data.Wireless network equipment will offer

you the choice of both wired and wireless connections.

If your computers are in direct line of each other,the IR

or Infrared frequency can be used.But most wireless

networks now use the Radio Transceiver technology

with computers being located just about anywhere.

You will need a Wireless Router to connect each PC

to the network.Wireless NIC Cards must be installed

in each computer in the network.When you purchase

your wireless kit,take note of the indoor range.

As you can see when looking at the wireless Router,you

have the option to wire your computers together should

something go wrong with any wireless component.Take

note of the difference between the wired nic and the

wireless nic cards.

The POWERLINE NETWORK

The powerline network uses the electrical wiring in your

home to transfer data to and from each computer.Present

powerline networks run between 50kbps or Kilobits Per

Second and 350kbps.

This network has a drawback in back it will have lots of

electrical noise which will cause the network to lose

speed.And other PC users can snoop in your computer

if they know how.

This network will need a Router for data transfer and nic

cards for each system.A Bridge will be needed for access

to the internet.These Bridges can be used with your

Router.

The PHONELINE NETWORK

The components you will need in the Home Network are

close to that of the Wireless network.In most cases,the

10mbps speed network is fast enough for home users.

The computers are connected with a Switch,a gateway,or

Router to share Internet access and to send data to each

computer through the phone line network.This network is

considered the easiest to setup.

Phoneline Network adapters are installed in each PC.

The USB or Universal Seriel Bus port connection is the

most commonly used adapter for Phoneline networks.To

reduce line noise,a Phone Filter may be needed.If you plan

to connect a phone and line in one phone jack.you will

have to invest in a Line Splitter.Be sure each computer

in the network are close to a phone jack.

The Phoneline Network is thought to be less expensive

.more dependable and faster when compared with the

Powerline network.

In a nutshell,all networks will need some type of adapter

inserted in the computer.Each network will need a hub,

switch,or router to transfer data.Windows 98,Me,and

XP will have the needed software to make everything

work together.Adapters and and other hardware will

come with device driver software which enables the

hardware to talk to the computer.

We have taken a brief look at the hardware needed

to network two or more computers.Connecting the

hardware was rather simple when we networked our

computers using the wireless technology.Learn all

you can about PC networking and you will be grateful

in having this knowledge should you experience

computer problems.

Since we have seen basic network components,its

time to see how each component is installed and

connected.Then we're going to see how to move

data from one machine to the other and share the

internet using broadband with a DSL or a Cable

modem.Remember to enjoy learning about your

computer by performing as many tasks as you

can without causing damage to your system.