Is a Home Network Right for You?
Generally, people use home networks for a variety of reasons. First among them, though, is usually to facilitate communication between computers. Because of how it functions, a secure home network allows your computers and devices to talk to each other in ways that would be difficult otherwise, while locking out malicious communications. So, what are the benefits of secure home networking, and what do you need to set one up?
A secure home network is a good thing to consider if you'd like to do any of the following things1:
- Share files quickly and securely between computers or devices without using external protocols like File Transfer Protocol, Secure Socket Layer, and email services.
- Share a printer or another device between multiple computers
- Share an internet connection between multiple computers
- Play multiplayer games with friends or siblings
A home network generally involves four main things1:
- More than one computer or device
- Both hardware and software designed to facilitate the movement of data packets (information) around the network (this hardware, usually a router, is usually bought specifically for the purpose of setting up a home network, so if you don't have a network currently, you'll most likely need to purchase it)
- At least one pathway for these packets to travel along
- In cases where you want to connect multiple computers and devices to the internet, you'll almost always want a broadband (high speed) connection to share
If you think that setting up a secure home network is something that will help your computer experience and that you have or can get the capacity to do so, read on to our other pages, Home Network Basics and Designing a Home Network.
1Wilson, Tracy. "How Home Networking Works." How Stuff Works. 14 Apr 2007 <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/home-network.htm>.