Home Networking

For a long time Computer Networks were usually only installed in the business world. Due to the onslaught of technology though they’re now extremely popular in the home too

Why do I need a Home Network?

20 or so years ago very few people had home networks but now they are common place in many households and becoming an ever-more important part of our everyday lives. People who already have existing home networks are now upgrading them to take advantage of newer technology, like network storage servers, media centres, home automation and also to share internet broadband.

Having been early adopters of home networking, we’ve had many years of enjoying the benefits it brings and are happy to share our experiences so that you can choose from the most up-to-date technology available.

Our 2 Tier Service

Standard Service – covering a fixed service delivery with certain exclusions
Premium Service – where we provide a fixed quotation for work that may include supplying additional equipment

Both services involve visiting your home but we DO NOT charge a call out fee within our standard coverage area.

Our Standard Service

This comes as a fixed package and includes :

Coming to your home at a time that suits you
Configuring the broadband router or network switch to share the internet connection. You’ll need to supply the credentials for your Internet Service Provider
Configuring up to 4 devices to use the home network, including Broadband Routers, Desktop Computers, Laptops, Printers, etc.
Enabling device passwords
Providing full documentation of the Network and Security Settings after the visit

Exclusions

The following exclusions apply to our standard service :

Supplying additional hardware required to network your home
Supplying any cables for wired networking
Resolving existing hardware and software issues
Business or Commercial installations
Ongoing support

Our Premium Service

This service covers everything contained the Standard Service but without the ‘exclusions’. For the Premiun Service we’ll always provide a fixed quotation before we start any work.

So, if you do need your home fully networked or require us to supply any network equipment then this is the service for you, so why not contact us today to find ot more!

What is Home Networking?

Home Networking connects multiple devices within the home, allowing them to communicate with each other. An important part of home networking is that it allows these devices to share resources, such as internet access.

We’re able to draw from 30 years of experience working in the business side of networking, from when it was in it’s infancy to the present day and have a wealth of knowledge on how best to configure these technologies for the home.

There are two main types of networks frequently used in the home and each has its pros and cons :

Wired network – each device is physically connected with a wire, usually an Ethernet cable
Wireless network – each device must have a wireless adapter, such as WiFi or Bluetooth. This is built into many laptops but less common on a desktop computer

These networks can also work together, so you’re not limited to having one or the other.

What are the benefits of a Home Network?

A Home Network allows all sorts of different equipment to communicate with each and share data. Home Networking isn’t just about computers, many diffrernt things can be connected, such as climate control, lighting automation, appliances, telephones and much more.

Sharing Files – share files between computers without the need for removable storage, such as USB memory sticks. You can easily share photos, music, movies and documents

Backups – this is one of the tasks most often critically overlooked in home computing. With a home network you can save copies of all of your important data on a different computer or network storage server

Printing – with a home network it’s easy to set up all of the computers to share a single printer. There’s no need to move your printer between computers – just click ‘Print’!

Other Devices – external devices, such as network scanners, backup drives, appliances, CCTV, door entry systems and even DVD burners can all be shared

Broadband Connection – with a home network, multiple family members can access the Internet simultaneously. We can also install secure firewalls that allow this connection to be shared fairly

Multi-Player Games – many popular home computer games, including those on the XBox and Playstation, support LAN mode where friends and family can play together with a home network

Internet Telephones – Internet based telephone calls, known as Voice over IP (VoIP) services, allow you to make and receive phone calls through your home network across the Internet, saving you money

Home Entertainment – products such as streaming boxes and Media Centres have support for wired or wireless home networking. By networking these products you can share all your documents, video, music and much more

So, which is better, Wireless or Wired?

As with any realistic comparison it mainly depends on what you want from your home network, as wired or wireless networks each have their pros and cons. The answer is that in most cases it’s best to have a combination of the two, as each performs better indifferent areas. The key factors are :

Convenience -

Wireless network – the freedom to move untethered around the home without losing connection
Wired network – needs to be connected back to a central location. This may mean putting cables into the walls and feeding them back to your broadband router

Ease of Installation -

Wireless network – can be difficult to set up
Wired network – usually works as soon as the cable is plugged in, however, the installation can look messy if the cables aren’t hidden

Cost -

Wireless network – most computer equipment (laptops, printers) have wireless built in so it doesn’t cost too much to add the additional equipment required to create a wireless network
Wired network – additional cost for cables, and labour if they need to be fed back to a central location

Reliability -

Wireless network – wireless signals can sometimes get affected by other wireless devices
Wired network – wired networks are VERY reliable and don’t suffer from congestion in the same way wireless networks do

Performance -

Wireless network – on a wireless network this varies greatly and depends on signal strength as well as the number of devices connected
Wired network – wired networks give constant and stable connections with very high speeds

Security -

Wireless network – always less secure than wired networks but configured correctly are hard to break into
Wired network – due to the nature of wired networks. a physical connection means they are more secure from external access. However, if someone does gain physical access then potentially your data will be at risk

Speed -

Wireless network – slower than wired networks but this won’t be a problem if you require simple internet access, as the broadband speed is normally the slowest part
Wired network – fast, as they give a dedicated connection for each device and are the preferred choice for sharing and watching video

If you’d like to find out more, please feel free to get in touch!