Home network design
is easy with these
free tips and tools!
Let's face it: computer networks can be complicated. But honestly, home network design doesn't have to be. There's nothing magical going on and a full understanding of the TCP/IP protocol is definitely not required to design and build a home network (heck, I certainly don't have one).
Understanding a computer network is much easier IF it's well designed and well documented. If the network is poorly designed or poorly documented, even the most learned network administrators can have trouble sorting things out.
Deciding what your network is going to look like ahead of time is always better than just letting it grow on its own. Here are the two biggest tips for ensuring good home network design: A firm idea of what will be expected of the network is key. And here's the secret of every good network engineer - draw a diagram! Home network design is much easier with a diagram.
If you follow these tips you are sure to have a solid home network design that will be safe and do exactly what you want it to do.
Determining your home network requirements
Let's start with deciding what you will expect of your home network by answering a few simple questions:
- Will you want to connect to the internet?
- Will you have more than one computer on the network?
- Do you want to be able to connect without cables (wireless)?
- Will you be sharing large files between computers such as pictures, music and videos?
- Will the computers use the network to print to a printer?
- Do you want your home video (television) or home audio (stereo) system to be part of your network?
- Will you want your home phone system to be included (VOIP)?
Got your answers? Great, let's see how your answers will design most of the network for you.
Will you want to connect to the internet?
Did you answer "Yes" to this question? Then your network will need a router, preferably one with a built-in firewall. If you are connecting with a dial-up modem through a telephone line, you won't need a router but a software firewall instead. If you answered "No" to this one, then you probably won't need to include a router or a software firewall in your home network design.
Will you have more than one computer on the network?
If you will have more than one computer on your network, then you will need a switch or hub of some kind to allow multiple computers to communicate. Many home routers have switches built in to make things easy or if you have many network devices, stand alone switches are available.
Do you want to be able to connect without cables (wireless)?
Wireless network adapters (aka WIFI) allow network devices to communicate without cables. They use radio transmitters and receivers to send the same signals that would normally require network cabling but at slower speeds. If you want to include wireless capabilities in your home network, you will need a wireless access point or a router with built-in wireless capabilities.
Will you be sharing large files between computers such as pictures, music and videos?
This question lets us know about what kind of speed our home network design will have to deliver. Transferring large files over the network will go faster if you have more bandwidth (the speed at which data moves over the connection). Some networking technologies are faster than others. Traditional wired networks are the fastest (fiber optic cables are faster but usually too expensive for home use). Wireless connections are about half as slow and phone line networks are the slowest. If you will be transferring large files between computers in your home, keep these facts in mind.
Will the computers use the network to print to a printer?
This question also tells about how fast our network needs to be able to move data and also about where we might locate the network printer. Print jobs can grow very large and they benefit from higher network speeds. If you plan on printing large jobs such as photos or presentations choose a fast network and locate the printer closest to the computer that will be doing the majority of printing.
Do you want your home video (television) or home audio (stereo) system to be part of your network?
If you would like to include video and audio capabilities into your home network, you will need a fast network. In addition to a network cable near the system, you will also need to connect the video or audio system to the network with an appropriate interface device.
Will you want your home phone system to be included (VOIP)?
VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) allows you to leverage your existing high speed internet connection to make phone calls, both local and long distance, at a greatly reduced rates. If you plan on including VOIP capabilities you should plan to locate a network cable near where you would like to use the phone.
Now that you have a firm idea of what elements your network will need to include, you can begin creating a basic network layout.
