Home local network: what is it, what is it for

Let’s leave aside the technical descriptions and the language of the instructions. Let’s talk about home computer networking in simple, almost everyday language. You don’t need any special knowledge to read this article. After reading it, you’ll know exactly what a home local area network is.

When do I need a home local area network?

You’ve noticed that computers in the house are like television sets. One used to be enough for the whole family, now they try to put televisions in every room and in the kitchen, and some in the bathroom.

Now almost any family tries to provide computing equipment for every member of the family. It doesn’t matter if there is a desktop in every room or if everyone has a mobile device. In any case, within the apartment and even more so in a private home, all the computers and computer devices can be combined to work together. This union and is – a home local network or home computer network.

Home local network: definition.

So, home local area network is a combination of two or more computers and/or peripherals and other computer devices to perform joint tasks. Typically, home local network is connected to the global network Internet via the LAN network provider (Internet connection).

Home local network: examples

Here are a few trivial, but meaningful examples of home networks.

Example #1, the simplest: You have one desktop computer in your house. It is in a remote and private office. However, the computer’s printer is in the common room and is connected to the computer with a control cable. Connecting the remote printer to the desktop is an example of a simple home network.

Example #2, uncomplicated: You have two computers scattered across the rooms in your house/apartment and one ISP with one cable going into the apartment.

In this case, one option for your home computer network would be to connect the two computers in your home to the ISP’s cable through a common home gateway (router).

It does not matter if the ISP has a fiber optic cable FTTH network or a twisted pair ADSL network. The home computer network will be a twisted-pair cable from each computer to the router.

Example #3, complicated: The modern man, relying on the new possibilities of the Internet is not limited to a few desktops in one dwelling. Wearable smartphones, tablets, laptops, and televisions all “want” Internet access.

In this scenario, a home computer network is designed and built not only wired, but also wireless.

A wired home network is called a LAN network. A wireless home network is called a Wi-Fi network. Both networks require separate or combined equipment.

For example, the home’s main router can be:

Wired;
Wireless;
Combination.

Home Local Area Network: Why you need it

In conclusion, I would like to summarize and try to identify the benefits of home local networks. As I see it, these are:

First, cost savings. The ability to connect a lot of devices to one provider’s cable is economical.

Secondly, a home network gives full independence to use any device inside and even outside the apartment. With a properly configured home network, you can easily go from desktops to mobile devices without doing anything more than griping.

Third, the right router leaves you with the prospect of expanding your home network.

Fourth, a home network will allow you to use shared peripherals from all access points. Shared printer, scanner, shared storage or shared cloud.

Fifth, I don’t think this is a good idea, but a home network will allow you to communicate with your housemates without leaving their rooms, including sharing movies, links, and other information.

Top 5 best wireless router for your home network

Today, there are some categories of technical devices that are almost identical in price and functionality. These devices include routers.

To put it simply, for the unsophisticated user who does not pay attention to the numerous technical features and parameters of each model, the choice of router does not matter much, because almost any model will more than satisfy his modest needs for a high-quality wireless Internet connection.

Therefore, if you need a device for organizing Wi-Fi network in a private house or an apartment, feel free to choose any model from our list below, instead of comparing numerous parameters. Well, if you need a router for more specific purposes and tasks, then you simply can’t do without a serious dive into the subject.

Xiaomi Mi Wi-Fi Router 4A

Low-cost Wi-Fi router in a high-quality composite material case has four fixed broadband antennas for stable and fast connection of various stationary and portable devices.

Sufficient Wi-Fi coverage with simultaneous 2.4/5 GHz data transfer is combined with a high-speed wireless connection.

The device is equipped with two LAN ports for networking between units of stationary equipment via cable.

Working configuration is set up through the web-interface. Connection security is provided by WEP, WPA and WPA2 standards.

Specifications:

Wi-Fi operating frequencies – 2.4/5 GHz;
802.11 b, a, g, n, ac standards support;
wireless speed – 1167 Mbps;
Internet connection – WAN;
LAN-ports – 2 × 100 Mbps;
network infrastructures – DHCP, Firewall, NAT;
Encryption – WEP, WPA, WPA2;
dimensions – 188 × 25 × 101 mm;
features – comes with a Chinese plug, Smart Home ecosystem.

Pros

good data transmission speed;
stable signal in two bands;
affordable price tag;
up-to-date design.

Cons

no support for IPTV;
not enough LAN ports;
no possibility of attaching to the wall.

TP-LINK Archer A9

Specifications:

Bands: 2.4/5 GHz;

Wi-Fi standard: 802.11 b/a/g/n/ac;

Maximum speed: 1900 Mbps;

Number of LAN ports: 4;

Port speed: 1 Gbps;

USB port: 1xUSB 2.0 Type A;

Number and type of antennas: 3 external fixed and 1 internal, 20 dBm.

This router is great for your home. It has a pretty high power of 20 dBm, more than most similar devices. It is provided by three fixed antennas and one built-in antenna. Two frequencies are available: 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

The 5 GHz frequency has a higher data transfer rate, but it can be difficult to overcome walls or partitions, and the 2.4 GHz frequency can overlap with other devices. Therefore, it is important that the router can operate in two frequencies at the same time. This router model has 4 ports for wired network connection of devices. Considering the above parameters, we can say that this router has a reasonable price for functionality and quality.

Pros

high signal strength;
large coverage area;
user-friendly interface;

Cons

with a large number of users there are failures.

ASUS RT-AC58U

Specifications:

Bands: 2.4/5 GHz;
Wi-Fi standard: 802.11 b/a/g/n/ac;
Maximum speed: 1267 Mbps;
Number of LAN ports: 4;
Port speed: 1 Gbps;
USB port: 1xUSB 3.0 Type A;
Number and type of antennas: 4 fixed;
RAM: 128 MB;
Flash memory: 128 MB;
Rating in Yandex.Market: 4.5.

ASUS RT-AC58U is a Gigabit household router with 4 antennas for 2.4 and 5 GHz. The device supports the 802.11ac standard and is suitable for wireless and wired Internet access from personal computers and mobile devices. The top panel has an original texture, typical of the brand Asus.

The antennas are ergonomically placed: 2 on the back side of the panel and 1 each on the right and left side sides. This allows the router to be placed to save space. The position of the antennas can be shifted at the user’s discretion.

The router supports AiDisk technology which allows you to access content on a USB drive over the Internet. The price-performance ratio is practically ideal if we take into consideration the support of IPTV technology, MU-MIMO for efficient interaction with other devices. Overpayment “for the brand” is clearly not traceable, especially if you consider the high level of reliability.

Pros

good speed;
does not glitch or hang up;
user-friendly interface.

Cons

short patch cord included;
the LEDs are too bright (not turned off).

Tenda AC15

Specifications:

Bands: 2.4/5 GHz;
Wi-Fi standard: 802.11 b/a/g/n/ac;
Maximum speed: 1900 Mbps;
Number of LAN ports: 3;
Port speed: 1 Gbps;
USB port: 1xUSB 3.0 Type A;
Number and type of antennas: 3 external dual-band with a gain of 3 dBm;
RAM: 128 MB DDR3;
Flash memory: 16 MB.

Tenda AC15 router is installed vertically. It comes with a removable foot for stable positioning of the device in an upright position.

This is a dual-band router. Supports antenna power management technology beamforming +, which increases the radius of network coverage. The router can provide a dense stream of network traffic without losing performance even when multiple devices are connected simultaneously. Suitable not only for home, but also for a small office.

The high speed guarantees comfortable watching streaming videos and modern network games without freezing.

Pros

high speed Wi-Fi connection;;
built-in DLNA-server;
the ability to connect a large number of devices without loss of quality.

Cons

vertical positioning;
bugs in the firmware.

Xiaomi Mi Wi-Fi Router Pro

Specifications:

Bands: 2.4/5 GHz;
Wi-Fi standard: 802.11 b/a/g/n/ac;
Maximum speed: 2533 Mbps;
Number of LAN ports: 3;
Port speed: 1 Gbps;
USB port: 1xUSB 3.0 Type A;
Number and type of antennas: 4 fixed;
RAM: 512 MB DDR3;
Flash memory: 256 MB.

It distributes the Internet over long distances, works without fail. In terms of penetration capacity can compete with more expensive devices. Router Xiaomi Mi Wi-Fi Router Pro will work steadily in multi-room apartments, large houses. It supports external hard drives and information backup. A built-in download manager is used for downloads. By connecting an external drive, you can store a large amount of video, audio and photo content.

Pros

fast, powerful;
compact.

Cons

the interface in Chinese (can be solved by extending to Google Chrome);
difficult to set up.

What you need to create a local network

To create your own LAN, the minimum configuration is enough to have a pair of computers, a Wi-Fi router and some cables:

The devices themselves (computers, printers, etc.).
Wi-Fi router or router. The most convenient device to create a home network, since almost every home has a Wi-Fi router.
Twisted-pair Internet cables. It used to be important to use crossover cables when connecting computers directly, without routers or switch switches. Now you don’t need them, because network cards understand how the cable is connected and configure it automatically.
Switch switches or hubs. Serve to connect devices into one network. The main “transport node”. Unnecessary but handy device, long ago ousted by Wi-Fi routers from conventional apartments.
NAS (Network Attached Storage). Network Attached Storage. It is a small computer with a disk array. Used as a server and data storage. Also not necessary, but very useful thing.

We have the necessary equipment, now what?

First it is necessary to determine how computers will connect to each other. If wired connection is used, we connect all cables to the router or switch and connect them to the network. There are several ways to create a LAN network.

If Wi-Fi is used, you must first make sure that your devices support this type of connection. For a computer, you may need a separate Wi-Fi adapter, which you will have to buy separately. In laptops, however, it is pre-installed from the factory. Connect your devices to the same Wi-Fi router.

Setting up detection

It is not enough just to connect equipment to each other, so we move on:

All devices must be in the same “workgroup.” This setting is easy to configure in Windows 10.
To do this, go to: Control Panel – System and Security – System – Advanced System Settings – System Properties. In the window that opens, specify that the computer is a member of a particular workgroup and give it a name. Repeat this action on all other PCs in the network.
When using Wi-Fi, change the network profile parameter in the network settings. To do this, in the “Network and Internet settings” in the “Status” section, click on “Change connection properties” and select the profile “Private”.
After that, configure the settings of the shared access. Go to the “Network and Sharing Center” and open “Change advanced sharing settings”. It is necessary to enable network discovery, as well as access to files and printers.
Do not forget to enable PC access and disable password protection.

Now comes the important step: setting up network discovery and file sharing

It is important to ensure that all computers have the correct IP addresses. Normally the system configures this automatically, but if the LAN fails, you will need to specify the addresses manually. You can check the IP using the “adapter settings”. Go to “Network and Sharing Center” and from there click on “Change Adapter Settings”.

Click on the connection and open the properties. Next, open the properties of the IP version 4 TCP / IPv4 (may be called “Internet Protocol version 4”). The IP address is what we want. Make sure that the first computer has a different address than the second. For example the first one will be 192.168.0.100, 192.168.0.101 for the second, 192.168.0.102 for the third, etc. For each subsequent connected computer we change the last digit of the address. Note that different routers may have different IP addresses than specified. At this stage the local network is ready and functional.

Go to “Network” in Explorer. If everything is connected correctly, we will see the devices connected to the network. If not, Windows will prompt us to set up network discovery. Click on the notification and select “Enable network discovery and file access”. Keep in mind that the firewall can interfere with the LAN, so if you have problems with the network, you should check the firewall settings. Now you just need to enable the folders and files you want to share.

How do I access folders?

Click on the desired folder and go to the “Access” tab. Click “Share” and set permissions. For a home local network, the easiest option is “Everyone”. Select the access level for the other participants “read or read + write”.

Now, from the properties of the folder, go to the security tab. Click on “Change” and “Add”. Select “All” and activate the changes. The permission list for the folder must be set to “All”. If it is necessary to open access not to an individual folder, but to the entire local disk, you should enter the properties of the disk, click on “Advanced settings” and check the box “Open sharing”. With the command “\localhost” you can see which folders of the computer have local network sharing. To view files from shared folders, you must find the “Network” section in Explorer and open the folder of the desired computer.

How to connect a printer to the local network

In “Devices and Printers” select a printer and click on the Properties of the printer. In the “Access” tab, click on the “Shared access” checkbox. The printer should be displayed with an icon indicating that the device is successfully connected to the LAN.

If you want to close access to a folder, you must find the “Make inaccessible” item in the properties. If you want to disconnect the entire computer from the LAN, the easiest way is to change the PC’s workgroup.