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Home Networking 101
What is Home Networking? Why do we need it?
Today, more than ever, the idea of multiple PCs in a household is not uncommon. The dinosaur
age of having only one PC is not a viable mean to a successful life of a business. With the intro-
duction of high-speed Internet access, people demand information when and where they want it.
Nowadays, both children and adults conduct research for school and work through the Internet.
Thus, having multiple accesses to the Internet is pertinent in a household or business.
Recent studies have found that individuals who are purchasing PCs are not purchasing their first
PC nor are they purchasing to replace their old PCs. Instead, recent PC purchases are mainly
additions to ones already at home or office.
As a result of the introduction of multiple PCs in a household or business, sharing information
and resources became a necessity to save time and money. And that is when the term, "Home
Networking," was born.
In a nutshell, Home Networking allows you to share information and resources such as docu-
ments, mp3s, videos, games, printers, scanners, even Internet access. Sure, many computer
accessory manufacturers and ISPs (Internet Service Providers) would like you to purchase their
products and services for each computing device, but that only help companies generate profits
and leave you with less money in your pocket. Not only can Home Networking save you money,
but also time. Just think, with a Home Network, you can send print jobs to a central computer-all
with a click of a mouse-without having to save on a disk and moving it to the only computer con-
nected to the printer.
What are the options to Home Networking? What is Powerline Networking? Why
should I choose Powerline over other Home Networking solutions?
There are four options on how to create a network in your home or office and they are:
1) Ethernet Networking - is the most common method to create a LAN (Local Access Network).
It uses a CAT5 (Category-5 or RJ-45) cable to connect multiple computing devices together.
Ethernet Networking is the most reliable method to network. However, it is also the most time
consuming and labor-intensive method. It requires intermediate to advance knowledge of com-
puter and computer networking.
2) HPNA(Home Phoneline Networking Alliance) - was the first no new wires approach intro-
duced to the marketplace. It uses the existing phone lines as the wires to network. Simply plug a
computing device to a regular phone jack and share information and resources instantly. Though
the concept of using phone lines to transmit data seem convenient, the lack of phone jacks and
the increase of multiple phone lines in a home or office create an onset of problems for con-
sumers.
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