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.

The Binary Code: 1s and 0s

It’s well known that computers transmit information digitally, using binary code: ones and zeros. This translates well to radio waves, since those 1s and 0s can be represented by different kinds of beeps. These beeps are so fast that they’re outside the hearing range of humans.

Morse Code: Dots And Dashes

It works like Morse code, which is a way to transmit the alphabet over radio waves using dots (short beeps) and dashes (long beeps). Morse code was used manually for years via telegraph to get information from 1 place to another very quickly. More importantly for this example, though, it is a binary system, just as a computer system is.

Wireless networking, then, can be thought of as a Morse code for computers. You plug in a combined radio receiver and transmitter, and the computer is able to send out its equivalent of dots and dashes (bits, in computer-speak) to get your data from here to there.

Wavelengths And Frequencies

You might wonder how the computer can send and receive data at high speed without becoming garbled nonsense. The key to wireless networking is how it gets around this problem.

First, wireless transmissions are sent at very high frequencies, which allows more data to be sent per second. Most wireless connections use a frequency of 2.4 gigahertz (2.4 billion cycles per second) — a frequency similar to mobile phones and microwave ovens. However, this high frequency produces a wavelength that is very short, which is why wireless networking is effective only over short distances.

Wireless networks also use a technique called “frequency hopping.” They use dozens of frequencies, and constantly switch among them. This makes wireless networks more immune to interference from other radio signals than if they transmitted on a single frequency.

Internet Access Points

The final step for a wireless network is to provide internet access for every computer on the network. This is done by a special piece of wireless equipment called an access point. An access point is more expensive than a wireless card for 1 computer, because it contains radios capable of communicating with around 100 computers, sharing internet access among them. Dedicated access points are necessary only for larger networks. With only a few computers, it is possible to use 1 of them as the access point, or to use a wireless router.

Industry Standards

Wireless equipment from different manufacturers can work together to handle these complex communications because there are standards which guide the production of all wireless devices. These standards are technically called the 802.11. Because of industry compliance with these standards, wireless networking is both easy to use and affordable today.

Wireless Is Simple To Use

If all this talk of frequencies has you worried — relax. Wireless networking hardware and software handle all of this automatically, without need for user intervention. Wireless networking, for all its complicated ability, is far simpler to use than you might expect.