How To Install A Network Hub

home-networking Today almost every habitation and modest role has a local network, and an Net connection.

The home network or pocket-size area network enables multiple devices e.g. PCs,tablets etc to connect to each other, and too to connect to the internet.

In this tutorial you will learn how you to build and setup a home or small area network and connect information technology to the Cyberspace.

Quick Links

Choosing a Wired or Wireless Network
Setting up a Home Network -Components and Structure
Extending Your Home Network
Home Network IP Addresses
Firewall Configuration on Home Networks
Checking Network and Cyberspace Speeds
Dwelling house Network and Cyberspace Connexion Problems
Quiz

Choosing a Wired or Wireless Network

Do You lot Build a wired or Wireless Network? which is best?

Early on (pre 2008) home networks were predominately wired networks.

Wired networks use Ethernet over UTP cable and tend to exist faster than wireless networks, which is an important consideration if you lot are a gamer. The elementary wired abode network diagram below shows a minimum setup with a switch and broadband router.

Simple-Wired-Home-Network-Diagram

Wired Network Advantages

Fast typically 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps
Secure and reliable.

Wired Network Dis-Advantages

Doesn't work with devices that don't have an Ethernet port e.g. tablets and smart phones.
Not so easy and fast to setup every bit it requires running cables. Notwithstanding Homeplug or powerline adapters can exist used instead.
Not so easy for visitors and mobile devices (laptops) to connect to.

Primary Uses

It Is best used for network backbone i.e. connecting betwixt router,network switches and wireless access points on dissimilar levels (floors).

Meet How to Wire your Home Network

Abode Wireless Networks

Wireless networks use Wi-Fi. and are quick and piece of cake to install, but are generally slower than wired networks. See Wi-Fi and Wireless networks for more than details.

Wireless Network Advantages

Easy to setup from an finish user perspective.
Allows easy access to smart phones, Tablets and mobile devices.
No cables to run.

Wireless Network Dis-Advantages

Not as Secure every bit wired networks without proper configuration, and piece of cake to setup insecurely.
Not as fast as wired networks.
Non equally reliable equally wired networks.

Principal Uses

Connecting peripheral devices like computers,smart phone,tablets etc.

Nearly home networks will use a mixture of wired and wireless.

Setting upwards a Dwelling house Network -Components and Structure

Today however almost home and small domicile office networks volition use a wireless network or mixed network, equally nearly people use Smart phones, and tablets which don't accept Ethernet support.

The primary components required to build a typical dwelling/small office network are:

Router or Wireless router – Connects the network to the Cyberspace.
Wireless Access Point – Used to Connect Wi-Fi equipped devices to the network.
Ethernet HUB or Switch -Used to Connect Ethernet equipped devices.
Cable cat 5, cat5e or true cat vi with RJ45 connectors.
Telephone Cablevision with RJ 10 connectors.
Broadband Filters.

The dwelling network diagram beneath shows the construction of a typical small home network home-networking-diagram

For most domicile networks the Wireless Router or Hub which connects the network to the Cyberspace volition be the primary component of the dwelling house or pocket-size home role network, and in many cases it will exist the just component.

The Wireless router usually incorporates a Wireless access bespeak,Ethernet switch, DSL modem and Router in a single box.

This brusque video shows how to use a Wireless Home Hub ( BT) or router to create a home network that is continued to the Net.

Video Notes:

DSL Modem– converts digital signals into counterpart signals that are suitable for sending over a telephone line. It is unremarkably built into the Internet/broadband router and is not normally purchased as a separate component.

DSL/Broadband Filter– Used to filter out DSL signals from telephone signals so that you tin access the net and use the telephone simultaneously. Ofttimes included as part of the connection socket.

Run into How to Setup and Configure your Abode Router

Wireless Router Location

The Wireless router will need to connect to the telephone line, cablevision or fibre network admission signal in your home.

Therefore most people locate the Wireless router near to the main telephone socket.

However you can usually change the location by using telephone extension cables or longer WAN cables.

Notation: WAN cables utilise the same connectors (RJ45), and cables equally Ethernet cables.

Considering the Wireless Router provides the Wireless access point then you should place it in a fundamental location, if possible, to get the best wireless reception.

Don't

Hide it in a closet
Install it behind the sofa
install next to motors,microwaves,cordless telephones

Testing Your Wireless Signal

The easiest way of testing you signal force in various locations is to utilize the inSSIDer Wi-Fi checker which is an App that you can install on your Android Tablet or phone.

The full general thought is to place the Wireless router in its preferred location and then move around the house with the inSSIDer Wi-Fi checker, and check the indicate forcefulness, and then arrange the location if necessary.

Extending Your Home Network

In large homes/offices it may not be possible to connect all devices directly to the Wireless router and so you will demand to buy additional networking components.

You lot can extend your home network by:

extending your Wi-Fi coverage by installing additional Wireless Access Points or a more powerful access betoken.
or you tin extend the Wired network past running cables into other rooms
or using your ability cables by installing home plug adapters. See How to extend a Home Network

Home Router Setup

To administer the home router you admission it via a web browser, and login using a username and password.

Earlier you let devices to connect to your home network you should make some basic changes to the default setup parameters of your router.

The two important one are the SSID used to access the Router and the router admin password every bit the default username/passwords are well known, and published on the Net.

Run into How to Setup and Configure your Home Router and Setting up a secure wi-fi home network.

Connecting Wi-Fi Devices

The standard style of connecting a Wi-fi device to a Wi-fi network is the connect to the network and enter the password when prompted.

However most modernistic Wi-Fi routers/hubs support a characteristic called WPS ( Wi-fi protected setup). Which usually involves pressing a push on the wi_fi router and a respective WPS connection button on the Device.

The devices so connect without requiring you to enter a password. Meet Wiki on WPS

Home Network IP Addresses

All of your devices will need an IP accost.

This is provided automatically by a service called DHCP which, past default, is provided by the home router.

IP accost provided past the DHCP server are known every bit dynamic addresses, every bit they can change. Yous can also assign addresses manually, and these are known as static addresses.

Static Addresses are not normally assigned only are often required when using Port forwarding.

They can be assigned on the network settings of the device, but preferably on the DHCP server using reserved addresses.

Additionally the addresses used on your home network are known every bit internal addresses.

When you connect to the Net your device will use an external IP address. This address is the IP address of the router/hub. See Internal vs external IP addresses for a more detailed explanation.

Finding Your DNS, IP, MAC Addresses and Router IP Addess

You may need to find out what DNS servers you are using or the IP or MAC address of:

Your Dwelling Router.
Your ain computer/tablet/phone

The master tool y'all employ is the ipconfig (windows) or ifconfig (linux) tool.

The screen shot below shows the ipconfig command utilize with the /all switch. i.e. ipconfig/all

ipconfig-command-example

Your home router is your gateway to the Net. When viewing your configuration some devices refer to it as the default router whereas other use the term default gateway.

In the screen shot higher up it is 192.168.1.254

Splitting Your Abode Network

For security reasons you may find the need to split your home network. This is especially true in small business networks like restaurants etc were customers are also given access to the network.

Many modern routers will provide guest networks for this purpose, and is easy to setup.

Some other common method, merely not as elementary is to utilize VLANs. See Understanding and using VLANs

Firewall Configuration on Home Networks

A Firewall functions like a router, and by and large what you use on pocket-size networks is firewall/NAT router combination in which a unmarried device acts every bit a NAT router and firewall.

A firewall protects your home or small business network computers and devices from intruders on the Internet.

It effectively acts like a one way digital gate blocking access to your network from devices on the Net, only at the same fourth dimension assuasive devices on your network to connect to devices on the Internet. (schematic diagram beneath)

Firewall-function-overview

For small home/office networks the firewall is built into, and is part of, the router that connects to the Internet.

By and large there is no configuration required as the default behaviour is only to allow connections from the local network to the Internet, and not from the Internet to the domicile network.

Notwithstanding if you lot do require devices on the Internet to connect into your network (often required by gamers) and then you can configure port forwarding.

You may also want or need to use dynamic DNS- see What is Dynamic DNS ? and Why Use Dynamic DNS Services?

Checking Network and Internet Speeds

On whatever network the speed is restricted by the slowest component.

A computer with a Gigabit network card talking to a calculator with a 100Mbit/s network carte du jour is restricted to 100Mbit/s.

Shared devices like switches and Wireless access points are network choke points just similar traffic lights and roundabouts on a road.

LAN Speed test is a very useful tool for testing your local network speeds. Run into understanding Dwelling house network speeds.

For Net speeds yous tin can use online speed test sites. See Understanding Net speeds and speed tests.

Dwelling Network and Internet Connection Problems

You will invariably have connection bug from fourth dimension to fourth dimension.

In my experience most problems are hands diagnosed, and fixed with a little patience and perseverance.

Having a good understanding of how your network fits together, and works is essential for successful troubleshooting.

Questions and Answers

Q- What is the difference between a router and a Wireless Access Indicate (WAP).

A- A router connects the home network to the Internet a WAP connects a device to a network.

Q-How practice I check mt home network Speed?

A- See Understanding home network speeds

Quiz

Home Networking Setup Quiz

0 of 10 questions completed

Questions:

1
2
3
iv
five
vi
vii
8
9
10

Information

Quick Quiz to test your knowledge of smart Home networking

You lot have already completed the quiz before. Hence you can non starting time it over again.

Quiz is loading...

Yous must sign in or sign upwardly to start the quiz.

You lot have to stop following quiz, to start this quiz:

0 of x questions answered correctly

Your fourth dimension:

Time has elapsed

You have reached 0 of 0 points, (0)

Boilerplate score
Your score