Have you ever watched those sci-fi movies and marveled at how advanced their houses
were?
Well that future isn’t too far-fetched!
Here’s how easy it is to set up your own home network of devices!
Before we dive into setting up your devices, let’s share the benefits of having a home
network first.
1.
Data can be communicated between all devices.
2.
Access files from any device connected.
3.
Print from multiple computers on a single printer.
4.
Much easier to manage security settings.
When it comes to setting up your network, you need a few items.
Router or wireless router.
This will be the hub that connects all devices in a single home network.
Access point or points.
A sub-device that adds another place for other devices to connect to the network.
Ethernet hub or switch.
You’ll need this to connect ethernet-enabled devices to the router.
Ethernet cables.
Without these, there’ll be no way to wire anything up to the router!
Broadband filters.
These will filter the DSL signals from your telephone line so it’ll be able to work
at the same time as your broadband.
The next step is a decision you’ll have to make.
Do you want your home network to be wireless or wired?
Don’t worry, we’ve got the pros and cons for both.
Let’s start with a wired network.
Wired networks will always be faster than wireless ones.
The device is directly connected to a router, and cables can support extreme levels of internet
speeds.
A hacker would need to physically interact with the wires if they wanted to tamper with
the data on your network.
While wireless networks and wired networks can achieve the same levels of security, it’s
easier to configure the security of wired networks.
And now for the cons of a wired network.
Due to the reliance on wiring, you’ll always be limited by the physical length of the cable.
Smaller handheld devices don’t have ethernet ports and thus won’t be able to connect
to your network.
Due to the additional equipment you’ll need (switches, hubs, cables) to increase your
network coverage, troubleshooting could quickly devolve into a tangled mess of wires and cables.
Now for the wireless network pros and cons.
First, a wireless network is simple to set up and non-disruptive.
You can easily set it up anywhere in your home without having to worry about having
enough cables for your devices.
Also, if your wireless router has a web-based interface, you can see and control who connects
to your network.
Due to the increased mobility of wireless devices, you can increase your network efficiency.
It’s much easier to share information between devices in the house.
Lastly, it’s cheaper!
You don’t need to fork out any extra cash for extensive cable work.
And now for the wireless network cons.
Wireless means that a cybercriminal with enough tech savvy could potentially piggyback onto
your Wi-Fi network.
Second, wireless networks are usually slower than wired ones.
They are also prone to interference.
The wall layout of your home could compromise the speed in some places, and other devices
could absorb Wi-Fi signals.
The more devices connected wirelessly to a router, the slower your connection could be.
If you can’t decide between the two, don’t forget that you could combine both wireless
and wired.
For the devices that need the security or higher speeds, hook them up to the internet
with wires.
Leave all the smaller, less important devices for the wireless network.
So you’ve decided on which network method you want to use.
Let’s talk about how you should set it up.
Let’s start with the most important part: the router.
For wireless networks, you’ll want to place it in the most central part of your house.
Remember, the closer a device is to the router, the better the connection.
For wired networks, you’ll want to use the highest quality ethernet cables.
An ethernet switch will increase your ability to connect more devices.
Make sure you install one as soon as possible!
Before you start connecting devices, it’s time to sort out your router’s security
settings.
Each router should have a set of instructions for how to achieve these three things: changing
the default SSID and password, enabling WEP security, and turning on firewall features.
Now for the access points.
You’ll need these to extend the range of your internet.
For wireless networks, a router should be sufficient enough to cover a home.
However, for larger buildings you’ll need to set up multiple Wi-Fi boosters/routers.
For wired networks, the same applies but with ethernet switches.
Place them accordingly around your home.
Connect the access points to your router and set up their wireless settings.
Now that the router and access points have been set up, you’re free to start connecting
all your other devices to the network.
We recommend you consider cybersecurity options next.
One of the best ways to secure your network is setting up a VPN on your router.
This will be a great catch-all for encrypting data from all devices that connect to the
router.
Luckily, we already have a video that instructs you how to do that, right here!
There you have it!
We hope this video helped shed some light on the requirements for setting up a home
network.
If you liked this video and want more cybersecurity and tech tips, subscribe to the NordVPN YouTube
channel!
Do you have tips for anyone setting up their own network?
Leave a comment down below and share the knowledge!