Home networking guide Networking benefits
A network is a system that connects multiple computers together, so they can swap information back and forth. And they're not just for offices – these days, many homes have more than one computer.
You can share all kinds of data over a network – from documents and emails to music, photos and video. If you have a broadband internet connection, this too can be shared so all the computers in your household can access the web at the same time.
Photos, music and more
Networking isn't just about computers either: with the right equipment you can also connect up your TV or link to your hi-fi so you can listen to your PC’s music library (see Music on tap).
Wired or wireless?
There are two types of network: wired or wireless.
Networking needn't be daunting
As the names suggest, a wired network requires you to physically connect each separate computer or device using cables, while wireless networks use a kind of radio wave to transmit data between machines without the need for leads. On a wired network, each device needs to have an ethernet (RJ-45) port – virtually all PCs have this.
Each computer is connected to a central router, switch or hub by special ethernet cables. It’s also possible – though much less common – to use serial, USB or firewire connections to link devices in a wired network.
Another option is special hardware, such as HomePlug, which makes it possible to use the network of electrical cabling and sockets that already exist in your home to transfer computer data between machines.
The wireless home
Thanks to wireless technology, networking is now more home-friendly than it used to be, not least because it means you no longer have to trail yards of ugly cabling from room to room in order to get connected.
Adaptors are easy to install
To set up a wireless (Wi-Fi) network you’ll need a central wireless router (see our Best Buy wireless routers) plus a wireless adaptor for each of the PCs or devices you want to connect. There are several different wireless standards that govern how devices communicate. The main ones are IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g – ‘b’ and ‘g’ for short.
The main difference between these two is speed. A wireless ‘b’ device can transfer data at a maximum speed of 11Mbps, while the newer ‘g’ standard can reach speeds of up to 54Mbps. Most of the wireless equipment now sold is 802.11g. The two standards can be mixed, although an 802.11g network may run more slowly if you connect a 802.11b device to it.
Stay within range
Range is another issue. Wi-Fi’s theoretical range is around 100 metres, though in practice it’s usually less especially as there are usually walls to pass through. Bluetooth, another wireless technology, isn’t suitable for networking – it has a much smaller range so can connect only devices that sit close together, such as keyboards and computers or mobile phones and earpieces.
New wireless technologies are on the way, too. By the time you read this, the first IEEE 802.11n devices should be available in the shops. Wireless ‘n’ is said to be roughly 100 times faster than version ‘b’ and ten times faster than version ‘g’.
Once again, 802.11n devices are supposed to be compatible with both ‘b’ and ‘g’ equipment, although we don’t yet know whether performance will be affected.
For more step-by-step advice on using your Windows 7 computer, see the Which? book Computing Made Easy for the Over 50s: Windows 7 Edition.