Setting up a home network involves connecting devices like computers, printers, routers, and modems to interact with each other. The devices can communicate via cable or wireless connection, and a router can give each computer an address on the network. A network switch can expand the network to connect more devices. The Internet Protocol Suite is the standard protocol for communication.
Many families are interested in setting up a home network for their children or for themselves. A home network is set up in which two or more devices, such as a computer, printer, router, and modem, are connected to each other so that they can interact with each other. Someone might want a home network to connect a computer and router together to get Internet access, or to connect two computers together to share information. Setting up a home network involves deciding which devices should be connected and how those devices will talk to each other.
How devices can communicate with each other often goes hand-in-hand with what those devices are, so it’s a good idea for the person setting up the network to know what will be connecting to the network before they start setting it up. If the user wants to connect a router for Internet access to one or more computers, for example, this can be done via a network cable or a wireless connection. You will likely find that most modern routers will help establish the network and protocols that your computers will use to communicate.
The easiest way to connect devices is via cable, as there is a physical connection and security is less of a concern. In this example, the computer would be connected to the router by simply plugging one end of a network cable into the computer and the other end into the router. Once the physical connection is established, a light on the router should indicate that the port the cable is plugged into is active.
Once the link is up, the router should talk to the computer and give it an address on the network. This step is repeated for each computer to be networked. Once each computer has a network address, it will be able to communicate with the router and other computers. Setting up such a home network is now complete.
If a person wants to connect two or more computers together but doesn’t have a router, the computers can often be connected directly to each other. If only two computers are connected, a crossover network cable can be used. One end of the cable is simply plugged into the first computer and the other end into the second computer. However, such a network cannot be expanded in any way, since there are no more ends on the cable.
To grow this type of network, you need a network switch. Switch is a device that has multiple ports, allowing more devices to connect to it. A different cable from each computer is connected to the switch, so each computer is configured with a protocol to communicate with each other. The de facto standard is the Internet Protocol Suite, also known as TCP/IP, and it will most likely already be installed on every computer. This simple way of setting up a home network should allow each computer to talk to each other using the basic operating system installation.
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