A good home network setup needs to be fast, secure and flexible so it can be expanded or changed as your requirements change, it need not be expensive and as long as you follow a few simple tips it’s easy to achieve this.
A router is the centre or hub of any home network setup, a network can only be as fast or secure as the router allows, your router should ideally support 100mbs wired connections, or if you really need more speed consider a 1Gbps model, these are more expensive and you need to ensure that any network cards in devices do support 1Gbps or it will only connect at 100Mbps meaning an unnecessary cost; its supported wireless type should be N which not only offers backward compatibility for older wireless devices while allowing newer hardware to make the most of the speed it can offer.
Even if you do not currently any wireless computers or wireless other devices the chances are you will in the future as everything thing now seems to have wireless compatibility, in light of this it’s still better to go for a wireless router than a wired (Ethernet). A wireless router will also allow you to connect wired devices as well; most wireless routers also have 5 wired ports.
A Good Home Network Setup
If using wireless networking its essential you implement good wireless security, currently the best choice for a home network setup us WPA (without any wireless security anyone can connect to your home network and browse the internet from your wireless connection)
Ensure you change your wireless routers default password, out of the box many home routers passwords are set to credentials such as Username = admin, Password = admin, which are very easy to crack.
If you have an internet connection which runs from a phone line (ADSL) ensure cable lengths are kept to a minimum, and line filters are fitted to all other phone connection points as this can be a bottle neck when it comes to internet speed. (The longer the cable the greater the signal interference and data drop)
If possible use a wired connection instead of wireless; it will be faster and more resilient.
If not using your router power it off, this not only offers the best possible security, but also allow it to cool down and save you a little on your electricity bill.
Check with your routers manufacturer to ensure you are using the latest version of the firmware they offer (firmware is the software that the router uses, firmware updates help to make sure your router runs the best it can)
To get the most from your router if using wireless networking place the router centrally within your property this should give you a good connection no matter which room you are connecting from.
Bear in mind that your home network setup has multiple speeds some of which are out of your control, for example..
Your internet connection speed is 5mb, you’re wired connection speed from the router to your pc could be either 100Mbps or 1Gbps, your wireless connection speed could be between 54Mbps – 300Mbps.
This all means that any local network tasks such as copying files will be between 10-100 times faster than your internet connection transfer speeds.