Home Network Solutions
Many households nowadays have two, three or more working computers (not to mention a few non-working ones). The best way to take advantage of owning more than one computer is to get a Router and network them.
Routers serve several purposes to make your Computers work together securely. Primarily, a router allows all of your computers to Share your Internet connection — at the same time. This works even if you're using a dial-up connection (though, technically, all you need is a Switch in that case, but I'll stick to routers here).
Secondly, routers allow you to share files, drives, printers and perhaps other peripherals between your home computers. There is even Free software available that allows you to access one Computer's Desktop (Mouse, Keyboard and Monitor) from another computer as if you were right there at the first. By setting up a Home Network with File and Printer Sharing, you'll be able to easily work on the same files between computers, whether they're documents, photos, music or whatever. You can also print from any computer to a printer attached to any other computer or in some cases, directly to the router. All this without having to transfer files back and forth or physically changing printer cables around.
Thirdly, routers provide a first defense firewall between your Home Network and the Internet. What this means is that your router can keep some of the most common types of Internet "attacks" from reaching your computers. This does not mean that you should turn off your Firewall or Anti-Virus software, just that it adds another level of protection. Some routers can even log certain activities such as attempted attacks or websites visited. Most can be set up to Block certain websites or all Internet access at certain times, which is nice if you have "internet-age" children. All this adds up to additional security and protection.
If your router happens to be "Wireless," then all this can be done without physically connecting everything together. Of course, this brings up some security issues, but with the right setup, these issues can be (nearly) eliminated. Your Wireless connection can be made secure from outsiders by turning off "SSID Broadcast", setting up a secure password through "WAP2" and setting up "MAC Address Filtering." By the way, even wireless routers typically have at least four wired "ethernet ports" and the wireless function can be turned off, essentially turning it into a standard router: so I do recommend getting a wireless router for future growth, even if you don't plan on using the wireless part right away — they're not usually much more expensive anyway.
Some other possibilities for your router include connecting game consoles (such as Xbox, Wii, or Playstation) to the Internet, hooking up Network Printers or All-In-One machines directly to your router (so that you don't have to have a computer powered on all the time) or hooking up Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices for additional file storage and automatic backup.
A more advanced possibility for your router is the ability to access your Home files, Desktop or even Web-Cam from outside your home through the Internet. This is especially nice while traveling. You are able see photos or other files that are stored on your Home Network computer(s) from any Internet-connected computer. Of course, this is all done securely through the right software so that Joe Hacker can't access your Home Network.
Setting all of this up correctly and securely can be a difficult task.
ruddTech is here to help!
If you would like a hand with any of this, and you're in the Tucson or Phoenix areas, just Contact Us and we'll set up an appointment!
