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Home Networking

Please note that due to travel costs, our home services only cover Basingstoke and the surrounding area.

For years Computer Network have existed in business but it is only in recent times that networks have become popular in the home. At the turn of the century very few people had home networks but now they are common place in many households. Even people with existing home network are upgrading them to take advantage of newer technology like network storage servers and media centres but also to share internet broadband.

Having been early adopters of home networking, we have had years of enjoying the benefits it brings.

Our Service

We offer two levels of service

Standard Service – covering a fixed service delivery with certain exclusions
Premium Service – where we provide a fixed quotation for work that may include supplying additional equipment

Both services involve visiting your house but we DO NOT charge a call out fee within our standard coverage area.

Standard Service

£70

Our standard service comes as a fixed package and includes:

Come to your house at a time that suits you.
Configure the broadband router or network switch to share the internet connection. You are required to supply the credentials for your Internet Service Provider.
Configure up to 4 devices to use the home network. Including Broadband Routers, Desktop Computer, Laptop, Printers,etc.
Enable Device Passwords.
Provide full documentation of the Network and Security Settings after the visit.

Exclusions

The follow exclusions apply to the standard service.

Supplying additional hardware required to network your home.
Supplying any cables for wired networking.
Resolving existing hardware and software issues.
Business or Commercial installations.
Ongoing support..

Premium Service

Our premium service covers the standard service offering but without the exclusions. In this instance we always provide a fixed quotation before we start work.

So if you do need your home fully networked or require us to supply any network equipment then this is the service for you so call us for a quotation today.

What is home networking?

Home Networking connects multiple devices within the home allowing them to communicate with each other. An important part of home networking is that it allows these devices to share resources, such as internet access.

We are able to take advantage of 20 years experience working in the business side of networking, when it was in it’s infancy, and seeing those technologies resized for the home.

There are two types of networks frequently used in the home and each has its advantages and disadvantage:

Wired network – each device is physically connected with a wire, usually an Ethernet cable.
Wireless network – each device must have a wireless adapter such as WiFi or Bluetooth. This is built into many laptops but less likely on a desktop.

These networks can also work together so you are not limited to having one or the other.

What are the benefits of a Home Network?

Home Networking isn’t just about computers

A home network allows all sorts of different equipment to communicate to each and share data because Home Networking isn’t just about computers.

Sharing Files – it lets you share file between computers without the need for removable storage such as USB memory sticks. You can easily share photos, music, movies and documents.
Backups – this is one of the tasks most critically overlooked in home computing. With a home network you can save copies of all of your important data on a different computer or network storage server.
Printing – with a home network it’s easy to set up all of the computers to share a single printer. You don’t have to take your computer to the printer – just click “Print”.
Other Devices – other devices, such as network scanners, can be shared. Even DVD burners can be shared.
Broadband Connection Sharing – with a home network, multiple family members can access the Internet simultaneously. You may notice the Internet connection slows down when several people share it but we can install secure firewalls that allow this connection to be shared fairly.
multi-player games – Many popular home computer games, including those on the XBox and Playstation, support LAN mode where friends and family can play together with a home network.
Internet telephone – Internet based telephone calls, known as Voice over IP (VoIP) services, allow you to make and receive phone calls through your home network across the Internet, saving you money.
Home Entertainment – Home Entertainment products such as digital video recorders (DVRs) and Media Centres have support for wired or wireless home networking. By networking these products you can share all your documents, video, music and much more.

This is by no means the end of networked items within the home. In the near future other domestic products like fridges and washing machine will also be connected to the home network.

Which is better, Wireless or Wired?

As with any realistic comparison it mainly depends on what you want from a home network as a wired or wireless network each has their own set of problems.

The key factors are:

	Wireless	Wired
Convenience	A wireless network gives you the freedom to move untethered around the home without losing connection.	Wired devices have to be connected back to a central location. This may mean putting cables into the walls and feeding them back to you broadband router.
Ease of Installation	When installed correctly, a wireless network can be difficult to set up.	Wired network usually work the second the cable is plugged in. However, the installation can look messy if the cables are not hidden.
Cost	Most computer equipment (Laptops, printers) now have wireless built in so it does not cost to much to add the additional equipment require to create a wireless network	Additional cost is for cables, especially when they have to be fed back to a central location.
Reliability	Wireless signals can get affected by other wireless devices.	Wired networks are VERY reliable and do not suffer from congestion in the same way wireless networks do.
Performance	Performance on a wireless network varies greatly and depends signal strength as well as the number of devices connected.	A wired network gives constant and stable connection with very high speed.
Security	Wireless network are always less secure than wired ones but configured correctly are hard to break into.	Due to the nature of wired network. a physical connection means they are more secure from external access. However, if someone does gain physical access then potentially you data is at risk.
Speed	Wireless networks are slower than wired networks but this is not a problem if you require simple internet access as the broadband speed is normally the slowest part.	Wired network are fast as they give a dedicated connection for each device and are the preferred choice for sharing and watching video.

So which is better Wired of Wireless. The truth is it’s best to have a combination of the two as they perform better indifferent areas.