Often people are really fascinated with someone who may have more then one computer but only a single printer and are able to successfully print a document from either machine. Their first response is “how do you do that”?
This is basically a great cost reduction gimmick as why purchase two printers when one will do nicely for both computers. If you happen to have several computers in your home this would certainly be the smartest way to justify a home networking system.
By networking your computers in your home you will be able to share a single printer. Think of the advantages of this. Once you have the system up and running you will no longer need to copy any files onto a floppy and take it from one computer to the next. The beauty of networking is that you are able to print directly from either computer.
With a properly setup network you can share all your files with the other computers. This would include all the spreadsheets and documents as well as images so that they are able to be accessed from the other machine at any time.
The kids will particularly enjoy being able to indulge in multiple player games on the home network. If you have a dialup connection in place of the faster DSL or cable you will be able to also share a single internet connection. By dialing from one of the computers you would be able to connect the other machine to the internet as well. When you think about it the internet is actually nothing more then one huge, gigantic network that links up millions of computers from various locations around the world anyway.
There are basically two kinds of home network systems that you can install. One is the wired version and the other is the unwired. The unwired networks are actually the easiest to implement however they generally are the more costly of the two since the equipment is considerably more expensive.
When you decide to hookup a wired network you will need to obtain network interface cards that will be installed in each computer within the network system. In addition you will have to pick up some network cables and perhaps a hub. The hub will serve as the central connecting point for all the network cables that branch out to the computers. A hub will only be required in the event that you will be connecting more then several computers to the network.
If you happen to be one of those people who know very little about the operations of a computer but would still like to have a home computer network established you can purchase a home networking kit. These are complete kits and include detailed instructions on how to do the installation as well as the various settings that you will need to make to your computers.
