If you were installing a network for a corporation with hundreds of computers, you could expect a huge and difficult job. Installing a home network, however, is much easier. If you’re planning to connect two to ten computers in your home, you can do it with little hassle and with great success. You can connect two to ten computers in a small office as well as in your home, but you may want to connect more than ten computers in the office. If that is the case, you may want to use a network that involves one large server computer and multiple smaller workstations, or client computers. See Chapter 4 for more information.

Many Windows, Macintosh, and Linux computers include the networking software you need; you can purchase the networking hardware and install it all yourself. Alternatively, kits are available that include all the hardware you need to put together a home network. You can choose the features that are important to you, whether you desire speed, shared Internet access, security, or all these features. If you’re hesitating about installing a home network, consider the following advantages.

Sharing files

Share files with everyone on the network. You can write a letter and let your partner take a look at it before you send it. Take some digital photographs and share them with your family. Your son or daughter can complete a homework assignment, and you can check it over before he or she takes it to school. If you have a personal accounting program, you and your spouse can access the records for bills, checks, and investments. Below Image shows Sue’s computer on the network with a set of digital photographs in the Windows Explorer. Molly can take a look at the pictures and see which one she wants to use for this year’s Christmas cards.

It’s quicker to transfer files across the network than saving them to a disc and copying them from that disc onto another computer. You might want to copy a large file, such as an application file, to your hard drive. You can copy it over the network instantly. Copying files is also an excellent method of backing up files; you can save extra copies of pictures, letters, and other valuable files on another computer on the network.