Today's networking technology has greatly changed the way we live our lives, both at work and at home. The advent of the Internet and low cost computing has made the multiple computer, high-tech household commonplace, with 30% of Australians now confessing to having more than one computer in their household. More and more Australians are now also choosing to work from home, as an alternative to travelling to their office every day. This can reduce costs and efficiency in many ways.

Home networking, when implemented correctly can open up new worlds for the entire family!

Cottage industry in Australia is also booming as small office/home office equipment has become more available through a reduction in costs.

Unfortunately for many people, a lack of knowledge or access to the best information regarding appropriate solutions is still out of their grasp, disadvantaging them from harnessing the full power of technology in their homes.

Some of the advantages of home networking are:

Share a high-speed internet connection (Cable or ADSL)
Access one printer and other hardware devices from any computer on the network
Play multiple-player computer games from different rooms in your home
Access to your files from any computer on the network
Back-up your files on multiple computers
Provide expansion for your growing family of computer users

Decreased Internet Cost & Increased Access.

"I need to use the computer to pay a bill", says one. "I'm in the middle of something" says the other. Sound familiar? If you only have one system connected to the Internet, chances are this is a point of contention in the home.

Why pay for a second telephone line and extra access costs when you can share a modem between computers? We can configure 2 or more computers to access the Internet simultaneously through a single telephone line, ADSL or Cable connection.

There are several ways that you can configure your home network, depending on the hardware that may already exist, or what your new investment may contain.

Here is a typical example of a basic home network setup, where a high-speed Internet connection is being shared between two (or more) computers within a household:

In this setup, the high-speed internet connection is being shared between the two computers via an Internet Router, which like your ISP's ADSL/Cable modem, never needs to be turned off. The router accepts the incoming connection from the modem, and directs it onto to your computers. The two computers can be in the same room, or different rooms within your household.

In the example below, using the latest yet affordable technology, the same high-speed Internet connection can easily be shared with your wired computers, as well as with your laptops via "wireless" network cards:

The kids can be in their room researching their latest school project whilst conferencing with their school mates, while Dad is in his office paying the bills on-line, and Mum can be in the kitchen with the laptop searching for her latest favourite recipes... all at the same time from the same Internet connection.

Having an Internet Router manage your high-speed internet connection has many advantages, some of these being:

	Becomes a "set and forget device". Once it's set to your ISP's settings, you never need to worry about it
	Automatically logs into your ISP connection for you
	Share your internet connection amongst multiple computers
	Acts as a security firewall, denying access to the growing number of "hackers" who are an increasing concern to your internet security
	Allows you to better manage the internet content that your children can access

A typical exampel of a wireless network user... more comfortable by not being tied to a desk!

To read more about what goes into forming a home network, read this page.

Learn more about the benefits of home networking by contacting us to tailor your total home networking experience.