How to Set up Home Local Area Network

Today most people use numerous devices at home including desktop computers, laptops, and a variety of modern portable devices. This means that there is a need to have a way of sharing limited resources such as printers, scanners and even an internet connection as well between all these devices. It is also great to have a means of sharing data and media between these devices as well. A home Local Area Network (LAN) is the best way of maintaining a connection in between all the devices and facilitating the necessary sharing.  

Home owners can benefit a lot from a LAN. There are two ways of setting up a LAN i.e. using a hard line or wireless connection. A hardwired LAN is preferable for its high speeds, it is however harder to set up but once done it will serve you well.

For this simple network set up you will need Ethernet cards and network cables.

Begin by running cables to all devices in the network. Every computer in the house should be connected to the network. Note that the cables should not run over 250 feet to maintain perfect functionality for CAT-5 cables while CAT-6 can support twice that distance.

Once all the cables are fixed into the walls and floors as necessary you should then get down to configuring the network. Here we will assume you are running Windows XP, Vista or any other recent versions of Windows OS.

• To configure that network, go to the Start button, open Control Panel and then the Network Setup Wizard. This wizard will be used to take you through the procedure.  
• You will be prompted by a dialog box to ensure that everything is set up as needed.
• Once you are sure everything is as it should be proceed on to select “Set up a home or small office network”.
• You will be prompted to set up a connection method at this time.
• Name the computer to give it a distinct identity in the network. Proceed by clicking “Next”.  
• You will also have to name your network as well for identity purposes. Proceed by clicking “Next”. You system will now display your settings, confirm all the details and then proceed.
• If everything is setup correctly, the wizard will proceed and set up the network for you. Once it is done, you will be able to share data and files between the computers in the network.

If you want the network connected to the internet you should buy a router and connect it to the network so that every computer gets a distinct IP address.