Home Network Instructions

By: Joaquin Ruiz Jr.

As technology rapidly grows, there is a need to become familiar with new types of technologies. These technologies can help in your everyday life, school, or personal business.

A type of technology that is becoming popular is computer networking. A computer network is a connection between 2 or more computers through a cable or wireless connection, which enables users to share devices and information.

In this instructional power point, I will be showing you how to setup a basic home network.

Before you begin setting up your network, there are a few things that need to be in place.

The instructions being provided will be for a Microsoft Operating system, such as Windows XP or Vista, as these are the most common Operating systems out today.

You must have an Active high speed Internet connection in place such as DSL from ATT, or Road Runner from Time Warner.

There are a few devices that will be needed in order to make this network work:

First of all, you will need a modem which gives you the Internet connection from the carrier. This is usually provided by the company which you get Internet service from. The modem connects to your computer and gives you the Internet service.

On the modem side, you usually have 3 connections. There is one for the power, one for the network cable which hooks up to the back of the computer (looks like a phone plug, except a bit bigger), and one used by the carrier to give you Internet service (usually connected to a cable wall outlet, or phone line).

The modem is usually installed by the company you have service with, so I will assume that you already have an active, working Internet connection.

In order to create a network, you will need one more essential device, a router. Routers allow you to create a network using your current Internet connection. This will allow you to share Internet, files, and devices between 2 or more computers.

Routers come in a variety of forms and manufactures. Some of the more well known brands include: Linksys, Netgear, Belkin, and D-Link. These can be purchase at Best Buy, Office Depot, CompUSA, or online.

Here are examples of what routers may look like:

You can either choose to purchase a wired or wireless router. It all depends on your needs and devices you have. If you want the best of both worlds, the best way to go is with a Wireless router with a 4 Port Switch. This allows you to share out your connection to your wireless components, and also lets you connect your wired devices to the router.

When choosing a wireless router, you will see 3 different speeds that are available: B, G, and N.

Wireless B is hardly used anymore, so don’t get one that has this. Wireless G is the standard used today, and wireless N will be the future standard. Either G or N will work. The main difference is in the speed and range. Wireless G gives you OK speed and range for within a house. Wireless N gives you better speeds and range, but it will cost you a bit more.

Overall, when purchasing a router, look for all of these things and also read customer reviews. You want to make sure you have a good, efficient router, as this will be the centerpiece of your network.

Now that you have a router and a modem in place, you will need to connect everything together to make it work.

The following set of instructions will show you how to hook up everything, configure it, share device/files, and troubleshoot the network.

The diagram shown below shows the basic layout of how everything will be hooked up:

http://www.thefuhrmans.com/images/network_wless_diagram.jpg

First, disconnect the cable going from the modem into your computer. Disconnect the end going into your computer, not the end going into the modem.

Next, connect the network cable that was going from the modem to the back of your computer to the router. The router should have a labeled port, usually called Internet or WAN, in which to connect the cable into.

There are 4 additional ports left over in the router. Connect any one of these ports to the back of your computer using a network cable. If the router didn’t come with an additional network cable, you may need to purchase one.

By now you should have the modem connected to the router, and the router connected to your computer.

Now that everything is connected, you need to configure the router so that way it recognizes your Internet connection.

Routers usually come with disks that contain files and a setup program. There is usually a wizard included that helps you configure the router.

The wizard will ask you to do a couple of things. The setup program is usually pretty straightforward and easy to setup.

It’s going to ask you who your Internet Service Provider is. This is the company who gives you Internet service (ex: Time Warner, ATT).There may be additional information you need to provide from your ISP, so you may need to contact them if you don’t have this information.

You will also be asked to name your wireless connection and password protect it for security reasons. I highly recommend you put in a password so nobody can access your Internet connection. Pick a good name for you wireless connection which you can easily recognize. You will use this name to pick up your wireless connection through your wireless devices.

Once you finish the wizard, you should be able to access the Internet on your computer. You will also be ready to connect your wireless devices and share files.

Now that you have the router configured, you are ready to add more computers/laptops and devices to your network.

Your wireless devices (Ex: PS3, Xbox, Iphone, laptop) can now pick up your Internet connection through the router. You can also share out a printer and folder on any computer that’s connected to the network.

If for some reason you cannot connect to the Internet or Network, look at the following things:

Make sure the router and modem are on. Make sure that lights on these devices are green not

amber. Turn off the modem and router for about 15 seconds, then

turn them back on. If you see amber lights on the modem, or no lights at all,

you may need to call your Internet provider, as their network may be down.

Make sure that all wires are connected securely to the modem, router, and computer.

There is no possible way of ruining your equipment or computer by hooking it up incorrectly. The worse thing that could happen is that something gets configured incorrectly and needs to be reset. In no way will you need to open up a computer or any other equipment. Please be careful when connecting power from the equipment to power outlets.

As a reminder, set a password on your network so that way nobody can get an Internet connection through you.

Congratulations!!! You have just finished setting up a home network using your current Internet connection. Now you are one your way to sharing files, printers, and Internet connection between multiple computers. You are now prepared to show your friends and family what you have accomplished. Happy Networking!!!