3 Simple Ways to Create a Home Network

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An easy-to-follow guide to setting up and creating a home network

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Setting up Your Home Network

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Connecting Your Home Network

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Setting up Internet Connection Sharing

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

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Things You'll Need

Save money, share resources, and create a home network. Every computer in your home can be set up in a network environment, making it possible and easy for everyone with a computer to share the same printer and other resources, like files, by way of your home network. Anyone with more than 1 computer can create a home network. It's easy.

Things You Should Know

Get a router and modem to create a wireless network or use cables to create a wired network.
Install any necessary home network software.
Install the ICS software on your main computer to share your internet access.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Setting up Your Home Network

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1
Have everything ready before you begin creating your network.
- Get any installation CDs you will need. Depending on your computers, you may need network drivers.
- Decide on a name for your home network. Most people use their family name, but anything will work.
- Write down unique names for each of the computers.
- Know what resources you would like to share. These can include printers, files or the Internet connection.
Most people use either an Ethernet connection or a wireless one.
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You will need either an Ethernet or wireless NIC for network connectivity, depending on the connectivity method you chose.
You will require 1 Ethernet cable for each computer in your home network. These cables come in a variety of lengths, so know what lengths will work best for your network and buy accordingly.
Connect 3 or more computers to your network with a hub or switch. Be sure your hub or switch has enough ports to handle all the networked computers.
You'll want to follow the manufacturer's instructions for the connection method you chose.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Connecting Your Home Network

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You will need to do this no matter what type of connection you plan to use. You should have software included with the Ethernet or wireless hardware.
You will need to designate which computer will be the server and which ones will be the clients.
4
Create a profile for both Ethernet and wireless connectivity. Your profile will allow you to connect and use the home network.
- Run the network software configuration program and follow the prompts to create the profile.
5
Set the mode to either ad hoc or peer-to-peer, if you're not using an access point. If you are using an access point, set it to infrastructure.
- Enter the name of your network.
- If using an ad hoc network, all adapters must use the same channel on the network. Set the channel from 1 to 11.
- When using an infrastructure network, the client computer automatically configures by itself and selects the channel with the best signal.
- To finish this installation, enter the encryption key, according to vendor instruction.
6
Purchase a high-speed router for your Ethernet wired or wireless solution. This is an easier way to set up a network.
- Plug the adapter end into your computer's USB port and put the other end into an electrical outlet.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Setting up Internet Connection Sharing

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Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) connects all the computers on your network to the Internet using either dial-up or a high-speed connection.
If you are using a router, connect the bridge to the Ethernet port on the router and plug the bridge into a power outlet.
You will need to install the ICS software on the host computer, as well.
You will need to input a network password. Enter the same one you used for the bridge.
6
Repeat the installation process on every computer in your network. Plug the adapter into each computer's USB port. Windows detects the hardware and prompts for the installation of the driver, which should be on the installation CD.
- You will need to install the network configuration software, as well. When prompted for a network password, be sure to use the same one you used for the bridge.

Expert Q&A

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How can I test my home network after setting it up?
Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.
Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Expert Answer
Share a folder on the desktop with a blank text document inside on one computer. Then, go to each other computer on the network to see if you're able to access the folder and file.
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Tips

Always set a strong password on your router/wireless access point to prevent unknown parties from making changes to your network and security settings. Enabling WPA2 Enterprise and MAC Filtering are pointless efforts if your router's administrator account and password are left as default. A strong password contains at least 8 characters (preferably 13 or more) with a mix of each of the four types (CAPITAL and lower alphabet, numbers [1234567890], and special characters [!@#$%...])
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To help protect your data, computers and privacy, always use encryption for wireless connections. Wireless access points commonly have various options available for encryption, in descending order of security:
- WPA2 - Available in Personal and Enterprise
- WPA - Available in Personal and Enterprise
- WEP - No longer considered secure. WEP should only be used when a WPA option is not available.
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If you are uncomfortable opening each computer to install a NIC, you might consider using USB Ethernet adapters, which plug into USB ports available on modern computers.
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