Setting up a Home Network with Computer Network Cables:

Computer and home network is becoming an essential part of everyone’s life these days. More and more homes now have more than one PC and for this reason they like to connect them with each other. This gives you the freedom to share files, printers, scanners and other such devices. To share files and for exchange of data you need at least two computers that are connected to each other through a LAN connection via computer network cables.

With the rise in usage of internet, homes these days are pre-wired for internet and due to this every room has cables coming out of jacks at various points. This makes the process of setting up the network even easier otherwise you can run the computer network cables neatly under the carpet. A typical network needs the following:

  1. DSL or modem for broadband connection

  2. Router, hub, switches, or bridges: The main purpose of all these networking components is to provide a medium through which the computers can connect to each other. They receive data from one computer and help send it to its final destination. One of the major problems faced in networking is that data signals tend to get weaker as the distance between the two computers increase but with the help of these devices this can be minimized. In fact, one of the major purposes of these devices is to make the data signal stronger as well as to ensure that they are not lost before reaching their destination.
  3. CAT-5E computer network cables for computers and modems: All computer network cables fall under one of the three categories of cables depending upon their performance rating. The three categories are Cat 5, Cat 5E, and Category 6.
    1. Cat 5 is used to support 10/100 Mbps network speed.
    2. Cat 5E is most commonly used and the newer version of Cat 5. It is used to support 10/100 Mbps as well as Gigabit Ethernet with 1000Mbps speed.
    3. The Category 6 is the most recently launched and is known to be able to handle the bandwidth twice the speed of Cat 5E.
  4. Network Interface card: The job of a network interface card is to send and receive data between two computers. However this is not as easy a job as it seems. It is very important that the two computers are using network interface cards that are compatible with each other so that the data sent and received is decoded easily. Usually these cards come with software which allows the two computers to communicate with each other.

Planning Out Your Home Network:

The next step to setting up your own home network is planning out the length and layout of the computer network cables so that they fulfill your needs. Now connect the cables at the back of your computers and “Internet” port at the back of the router. This will complete the connection between the router and the computers and create a network in the process. The main purpose of this type of network is to enable multiple computers to use the same internet connection.

 

Turning on the DHCP:

  • For computers with Windows OS: Go to the “Network Connections” in the control panel and right click the connection. This will open a new window for you. In this window, go to the properties of the Internet protocol (TCP/IP) where you have the option to “Automatically obtain IP address” and “Automatically obtain DNS Server address”. In Windows 2000 OS you can also click the “Advance” option and enable the DHCP
  • For computers with Mac 10.2: Go to the system preference section and click the TCP/IP tab in the Network section. Now change the configuration to using DHCP and delete any DNS server settings manually.
  • For computers with Mac 10.3: Go to the system preference section and click the TCP/IP tab “Built-in Ethernet” in the “Show” option of the Network section. Configure the settings to use the DHCP and delete any Server setting name manually.

Sharing Files, Folders and other resources:

Sharing files and folders over a network is extremely easy. All you have to do is allow the resources to be shared over the network. In the windows operating systems you will need to right click the resource and in the “Sharing and Security” option allow it to be shared. In the Mac OS, you will need to go to the system preference section and click “Sharing” to select “Personal Sharing”. This will make the folder “Public” in your home folder.

With the passage of time, home networks are proving to be much beneficial than ever. Computer network cables play a big role. People are not only using it to share files with other computers in the network but they are also able to restrict access to the internet. Just imagine the benefit a father can have of having a home network. He can offer internet connection to his child within the privacy of their room yet restrict the access of certain websites all through the main computer in the home network.
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