Home network harmony

How many PCs have you got? Chances are it’s more than one, quite possibly running different flavours of Windows or, maybe, a Linux distro such as Mandriva or Ubuntu. You might also have an Apple Mac and perhaps a PDA or a smartphone, all of which could potentially be connected to a home or small-business network to share internet access, files and printers.

In theory, there’s nothing to it. Network interfaces will either be built in or can be added to just about anything. All you need is a network switch to connect everything together - you’ve probably got one of those already. And just about everything now supports Wifi wireless networking so you don’t even need cables. If we believe all we’re told, the widespread adoption of common networking standards and protocols means that problems should be rare.

In practice, however, getting a disparate collection of desktop PCs, notebooks, handhelds and other devices to talk to each other is rarely plain sailing, if our PCW Hands On Networks mailbox is anything to go by. Yes, great strides have been made in operating system interoperability over the years, but all kinds of problems still crop up, from simply getting devices to see each other on the local area network (Lan) to being able to access shared resources they were never designed to use.

More and more of us are having to address these issues, so in this feature we’ll look at what you might need in the way of network hardware and software and how best to configure it. We’ll also highlight some of the more common pitfalls and how to avoid them in order to achieve some kind of harmony on your network.

It’s a network, stupid
Don’t worry too much about networking hardware, as a network is a network no matter what you attach to it and the same kit can be used whether you’re using Windows PCs, Apple Macs, PDAs or whatever. That includes traditional Ethernet network hubs, switches and routers and Homeplug products where networking signals are carried over the AC mains. All can be used to support a mix of operating systems and network devices.

A bonus here is that on most home networks a cable or ADSL broadband router will be the most important, and sometimes the only component. Most of these now incorporate a network switch into which you can plug all your PCs, printers and other devices. Some may also incorporate a Wifi access point, enabling wireless devices to be connected to the Lan to surf the web and share data and peripherals with other systems. On a small network, therefore, your broadband router may be all you need. But even if it isn’t and you need more ports, or it doesn’t support Wifi, for example, that’s not a big problem.

To connect more devices than you have ports for, simply plug a separate network switch in to your router with enough ports for your needs. Similarly, to add Wifi all you have to do is cable in a wireless access point. They will all talk to each other and needn’t cost the earth, with small switches and Wifi access points both available for well under £50 each.

Wireless networking is well worth having and not just because of the freedom from cables it confers. Size constraints mean that smaller devices, such as PDAs and mobile phones, won’t have a fixed network interface, but may be able to connect to the Lan via Wifi. Nokia’s popular N95 mobile, for example, has Wifi built in making it possible to connect to the internet via a wireless router or access point. The alternative is to connect your mobile or handheld to a PC using USB, which isn’t difficult but does put an extra system in between the device and the Lan, and that can lead to problems.