How to do your Own Home PC Network!

There are some basic things you need to know to get your home wired correctly for a PC Network.  Beyond those few simple things, there are other issues like pinouts (the order of the wires) and termination (how to do jacks or plugs).

First of all, don't let yourself be too concerned about the variety of network topologies available to you. There's really only one standard 99.9% of us would use: ETHERNET!

That's a good thing, because ethernet (also called 10/100 base-T) is simple in its design and installation.  In fact, if you're only networking two computers, all you need to pull is a single Category 5 cable between the two machines. If later you decide to add other machines just pick one of the existing PC's as a hub location (you'll need a hub/switch or router), and pull cable to your new machines from there.

However, if you're going to do it "right" you should plan ahead for your home run location (where the hub or router goes). Pick a central location which offers the greatest flexibility in terms of getting wire runs to your possible PC locations.

But forsooth! (think it's appropriate to say that) ... I may be getting ahead of myself. After all, you may have a lot of questions about the exact nature of a "hub" or "router," or what in the world is Category 5 - and what the heck is a "pinout??"

So it might be a good idea to give some brief definitions (As you read you can click on the links below for more advanced discussions).  

TERMINOLOGY:

Category 5 - The label "Category 5" is simply a standard. Cat5 is very similar to telephone wire. In fact, a lot of telephone wire is Cat5. It's also sometimes called UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair).  

Inside a vinyl (PVC) jacket you'll find 4 pairs of twisted wires. The greater the twist, the more resistant the cable will be to RF & EMI (electrical noise) interference.

As a matter of record, there happens to be a Cat1, Cat2, and Cat3 standard as well. As the standards developed from 1 to 2 to ...5 the twist became progressively tighter (and the cable more expensive). You can actually get Cat6, but probably won't need it in most cases.

Hubs - Hubs are just simple devices for interconnecting (networking) computers.  For the average home network, you can probably get a 5-port hub for about $40.  One of the characteristics of a hub is that it passes all broadcast traffic to every computer on the network. Not a big deal when you only have a few machines, but it can cause real issues in bigger networks.

Switches - Switches are like hubs (they're both layer 2 devices), but with a little more intelligence.  They actually learn the paths from one machine to another (i.e. one port to another port), and then limit the associated broadcast traffic to the correct port(s).  In larger networks, or networks with a lot of traffic, this means improved performance.

Routers - In order to understand all the advantages of using routers in a network, you'd need to understand the characteristics of layer 3 (routers) versus layer 2 (hubs/switches) devices.  To put it simply, a router can "route" between networks using the IP addresses.  However, routers popularly used on home networks typically perform a more distinctive function ...

Usually,  "Linksys" or "SMC" (both just brand names) DSL Routers are used for their firewall features. These inexpensive boxes do in fact "route" by using a security feature called NAT (network address translation). The more expensive equipment by Cisco,etc. will do a lot more. In fact, more than you'll probably ever need.

Wiring Pinouts -
This just refers to the order that the eight wires are in when they're either crimped in an RJ45 connector or punched down in a jack. If you want to avoid making your own cables you can certainly buy them pre-made. However, if you're running cabling of significant length, you'll probably need to do it yourself.  A good link to instructions for terminating Cat5 cable can be found here.

Be aware that there are two different kinds: straight-thru and cross-over. When you understand the differences between layer 2 and layer 3 devices, it's easy to know which kind to use.

• Routers and PC's are layer 3
• Hubs and switches are layer 2

The rule is this:  When connecting two devices of the same type, use a cross-over. When connecting two differing devices, you'll use a straight thru.

(Note: a funky twist on this is that most of the home-based DSL routers have a layer 3 WAN port, but the built-in port(s) for computers are layer 2 (hub or switch). In any event, you can look for "link lights" on the device to make sure you have a proper connection.

Network Interface Cards (NICS) - These are the little cards that you insert in your PCI or ISA slot that provide networking capabilities.  The ethernet cable plugs directly into it.  Installing a nic is usually a pretty simple thing to do (especially with plug and play Win95/98/2000/XP).   Put it in, start the computer & follow the directions. 

Yes, of course there are a lot more things to know - but that should be enough to prepare you for what's about to follow ...