What are the things needed to implement a LAN?

Question

Friends, i have 6 PC's.............
I want to form a LAN...........
what i have to do.....
what are the things i suppose to buy...

Answer 1

Each machine needs a network card. This can be either a wired or wireless card.

If at least one of the machines has a wireless card, then you'll also need a wireless access point (router). If they will all be wired, then a router with or without wireless will work. Since you have six machines, you may need to get a hub because most common soho routers only have four ports. You can find routers with more than 4, but they're not as common for home use. (this would be OK if two of the computers are wireless.) You'll need a cat5 network cable for each machine wired into the router.

That's really all you need as long as each has an O/S (Windows, Linux, etc.) that has the networking components.

If you have broadband, that would connect into the router so that they all can use it.

Follow the instructions for setting up the router and then connect each computer into it. If they're windows machines, make them all in the same workgroup.

Answer 2

This all depends on what you want, how fast you want it, where you want it, and how complicated you are willing to get.

First, you gotta decide if you want wired (faster, but your stuck to one spot) or wireless (a little slower, but you can move around, great for laptops).

If you wanna go wired, make sure all you computers have Ethernet ports, it looks like a wide telephone line. Although, even if they did come with one pre-installed (on the mother board), I would buy a quality NIC (Network Interface Card), and I would make sure they all support 10,100,1000 (or gigabit) ethernet. Install them all, run the wires (this is the tricky part also, you could go under the carpet, or in the walls, definately something to consider). You will also need a "switch" which will control all your ethernet connections. Once you got it all set up, you gotta make one of the computers the host, and the rest clients. If you don't know what that is, I suggest you hire some one to do this.

If you wanna go wireless, you will have to buy adapters for all your computers, and a wireless router. Most routers come with software to set it up. Wireless comes in several different flavors, you have 802.11b, which is pretty slow, (around 11 Megabits per second) fine for any sort of internet, but not so great for transferring large files between computers or intense LAN gaming. 802.11g (the most common, runs at 54 Megabits per second) fine for gaming and internet. or you could spend a lot of money and buy whats being called "Pre-N" wireless, this runs around 100 megabits last time I checked.

Either way you put it, Wired is faster (for now) and more secure (you don't have to worry about your crunchy neighbor logging onto your wireless network and taking your files and stuff), and almost always more reliable (One exception is pests chewing up the wires, it's kinda hard for rats to chew up invisible waves of radio frequency traveling through the air....)

Also, Wired is generally cheaper.

The choice is yours my friend.

Answer 3

You will be better served to call in a pro. Make an appointment, ask in advance what you should buy, have everything ready to go. It will cost you $60 an hour but he may finish in an hour.

I had 3 PCs networked and setup and trust me, it was well worth the money.

Answer 4

An ethernet switch with at least 6 ports, 6 cat-5 cables, and ethernet cards for any computers that don't already have them

Answer 5

Wireless router, wireless adapters, cable modem and cable ISP service. That should do it.

Answer 6

http://www.pctoolmag.com/317/utilities-software.html