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Networking basics
What you'll need, what to do, and how expensive?
Need to connect some computers so that they can share files, a printer, or perhaps a high-speed Internet connection? Wondering if you'll have to invest in expensive software or additional equipment? Read on for an overview of what's involved and how much it'll cost.
The task of networking your computers can seem daunting, especially because of the overwhelming slew of technical jargon to wade through. So to make it easy, I'll outline the most conventional, simple, and cheap way to connect your computers to a network, also referred to as a LAN (for Local Area Network).
I'll make the following assumptions about your networking needs:
- You have PCs running Windows 98 or a more recent version
- You'll be connecting fewer than 10 PCs
- You'll use Ethernet "twisted-pair" network cables
- The cables will connect to a central device called a hub or router
- The PCs are relatively close to each other (less than 100 meters from the central device)
Network cards
Check each PC for an opening that looks similar to what a phone jack plugs into. The network cable you'll be using has connectors called RJ-45s, which are just a little larger than phone jacks.
If you see an RJ-45 opening then your PC already has a network card. By the way, they're also called network adapters and NICs (for Network Interface Cards).
If you don't see an RJ-45 opening, and you have a desktop PC (vs. a laptop), you'll need to buy a network card that plugs into one of the PC's expansion slots. They're cheap – under $20, and adding them to the PC is (usually) as simple as opening the PC's case and sliding the card into an expansion slot, then installing the software for it.
If you have a laptop, you can buy a PC-Card version of a network adapter that simply slides into one of the laptop's PC-Card slots. These are slightly more expensive than standard network cards, starting at around $30.
A final option is to use an Ethernet adapter that plugs into a standard USB slot. These cost around $30. The downside is that if you have an older (version 1.1) USB port, it only works at 12 megabits per second (mbps), which is much slower than the 100 mbps speed of a standard Ethernet network (even if the Ethernet adapter itself is rated for 100 mpbs it's still limited by the USB port itself).
Cabling
These days, standard networks use Ethernet twisted-pair cables with RJ-45 connectors. Be sure to buy "patch" cables, not "cross-over" cables. Cross-over cables look the same, but the wires are reversed from one end to the other (hence the name "cross-over").
Portal devices
A portal device is the piece of equipment at the center of your network that all the PCs connect to (the tech term you might see for this arrangement is "star topology"). Make sure that the portal device (along with all network adapters and cables) has a 100BaseT rating, which supports communication at 100 mbps.
The simplest and cheapest device is a hub. A 4-port hub costs around $45; an 8-port hub around $70.
The other common portal device is a broadband router. These have the additional capability of sharing a high-speed Internet connection (a DSL or cable "modem") with all the PCs on the network. Be sure to look for a router that also has at least some basic firewall capabilities to protect your network from intruders on the Internet. Prices start at about $60.
Wireless networks
Wireless networks, also based on Ethernet standards, are becoming more and more popular, but keep in mind that they're also more expensive, less secure (you have to take additional steps to prevent snoops from listening in on the wireless transmissions), and you're more likely to run into configuration problems. If you're really interested in wireless, however, consider first installing some of the network using cable-based Ethernet. Then when it's running reliably and you feel more confident, add the wireless portion later.
Software
Long gone are the days when you had to buy additional, expensive network software in addition to your operating system. Nowadays networking is considered a core part of the operating system, not an add-on.
For your purposes, you'll want to set up a peer-to-peer network (Windows also calls this a workgroup), using the TCP/IP protocol (the same protocol that the Internet uses).
The details of exactly how to do this vary from one version of Windows to another and are beyond the scope of what I can cover here. A good place to start is the built-in Windows help (from the Windows Start menu, click Help, and look for Networking).
If you're like me, though, you'll also want to pick up a good book to look through. Remember to simplify things by zeroing in on a peer-to-peer network using Ethernet twisted-pair cables, a hub or a broadband router, and the TCP/IP protocol.
Also, there are some helpful websites, such as:
Sneaky "gotchas"
Finally, there are two things to watch out for that will cause a properly setup network to have (seemingly) inexplicable problems: virus checkers and firewall programs.
Depending on how it's configured, a virus checker can monitor nearly everything that occurs on your computer. Firewall programs are similar to virus checkers, concentrating on the communication your PC has with others.
This means that they can conceivably interfere with normal network communications. If, your network doesn't function, try temporarily disabling one or both of these programs and see if that fixes the problem. If so, configure them differently, so that they still offer you protection but don't interfere with the network.