Home Data Networking

Are you tired of having to compete with a family member or roommate for access to the Internet or the printer? Well, problems like this are becoming common in North America. Currently, about 40 million households have some kind of Internet access.

High-speed Internet access is also spreading. It is estimated that over 10 million homes have cable modems or DSL and that number is continually growing. Homes that used to have little communication technology now have multiple computers and peripherals such as printers and scanners. Home networks link the many different electronic devices in a household by way of a local area network (LAN). The network can be point-to-point, this is connecting one computer to another, or point-to-multipoint where computers and other devices such as printers, scanners, and Media Centers are connected to each other and the Internet.

There are many different applications for home networking. This may be broken into five categories: resource sharing, communications, home controls, home scheduling, and entertainment/information

The ability to share your Internet, files and printers, is the goal of setting up your home network. While the kids are playing the latest online game, you can be emailing your boss or your customers. A successfully configured home network dramatically increases your productivity and gives you more free time. Consumers will require a system that manages everything within the home, including voice, data, and appliances.

Resource Sharing
Home networking allows all users in the household to access the Internet and applications at the same time. In addition, files (not just data, but also audio and video depending on the speed of the network) can be swapped, and peripherals such as printers and scanners can be shared. There is no longer the need to have more than one Internet access point, printers, scanners, or in many cases, software packages.

Communications
Home networking allows easier and more efficient information access between users within the household and better information management with outside communications. Phone, fax, and e-mail messages can be routed intelligently. Access to the Internet is attained at multiple places in the home with the use of terminals and Web pads.

Home Controls
Home networking allows controls within the house, such as temperature and lighting, to be managed though the network and even remotely through the Internet. The network is also used for home security monitoring with network cameras.

Home Scheduling
A home network would allow families to keep one master schedule that could be updated from different access points within the house and remotely through the Internet.

Entertainment/Information
Home networks enable a plethora of options for sharing entertainment and information in the home.

Digital video networking will allow households to route video from DBS and DVDs to different set-top boxes, PCs, and other visual display devices in the home. Networked multi-user games may be played as well as PC-hosted television games and streaming media such as Internet radio will be sent to home stereos and PCs. There are essentially two configurations of home networks, wired and wireless and these can be combined to provide full coverage of the home.

Conventional Ethernet
A home network using conventional Ethernet is just like the LAN at an office or school. This kind of networking requires special wiring called Category 5 wire and a server, hub, and/or router to direct network traffic. Each device on the network must be connected to the Ethernet.

Wireless
If the idea of having a flexible, mobile, and cable-free home network appeals to you, then wireless home networking is the answer.

A wireless home network or LAN uses low frequency radio and allows real-time instant access to the network without the computer having to be near a phone jack or power outlet.

• Share your DSL or cable Internet connection among up to 4 computers
• Share printers, scanners and other peripherals
• Share documents, MP3s, and other files instantly across computers on your network
• Help protect your network from Internet attacks with a built-in firewall protection
• Work from home and securely connect to your corporate network with VPN (Virtual Private network) technology
• Interact with other Computers on the network for multi-user games