What is a Home Network?

So, you've had a computer for a few years now. It's probably sitting on a desk in the den, or maybe in a corner of the family room or kitchen with a printer attached to it. And, it's plugged in to the wall, so you have to use it where it is.

You know how to email back and forth with your friends and family. You've gotten used to checking your bank balances online, transferring money now and then. And you know how to shop and order things from your favorite sites - that part is easy!

But summer's coming and maybe you'd like to be able to check that bank balance or send emails from your deck, or in a room away from the kids and the TV. And speaking of the kids, maybe you just want your own computer without having to worry about what the kids are downloading that could wipe away your family photos without warning. Then it’s time to get a laptop and get it connected to the Internet wirelessly. Once you do that, guess what? You’re the proud owner of a home network and you can surf the net anywhere you want! You won't be tied to that computer in the corner.

A home network is a fancy name for two or more computers sharing an Internet connection and a printer. Imagine having your desktop computer where it is (plugged in to the wall) and then having a laptop to take anywhere in the house or outside. On the laptop, if you want to view a picture or anything else stored on the desktop computer, you can just open it. It's called File Sharing. And, if you want to print something from your laptop while you're sitting on the deck, you can send it to the printer attached to the desktop computer. That's called Printer Sharing. So a home network isn't some scary thing that requires you to be a computer geek - it can be a simple way to have more than one computer sharing the Internet and a printer. (Home networks can also share lots of other types of devices, but for this introduction, I'm keeping it simple.)

To set up a home network, you need to purchase a router - a small device that connects between your modem and your desktop computer. (The modem is the device you got from your DSL or cable provider that connects to a telephone jack or cable TV wall outlet.) The router allows more than one computer to use your Internet connection at the same time. It also lets all of the computers in your home "see" each other and know they exist.

When you have your router in place, fire up the laptop. Most laptops today have wireless capability built in. (If you purchase a laptop that doesn't, you can get a wireless adapter that plugs in to your laptop and gives it wireless capability.)

If this all sounds complicated and you don't want to do it yourself, call us at 727-365-5985 and we will help.

Palm Harbor Graphics will come to your home and setup your shared wireless network (Unlimited Laptops, PCs & Printers) for a flat rate fee of $99.00 * including up to 10 miles of travel.

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