It wasn’t long ago that building a home network was something which was only done by IT professionals and serious geeks. The cost and difficulty made it hard for anyone else to do. But things have changed since then.

Now, the costs of the equipment are far lower. Wireless gear is about the same price as is cabled network equipment; and a length of Cat 5 Ethernet cable costs no more than does an audio cable. Routers were once hundreds of dollars but can now be had for very little money indeed. At the same time, speeds have increased.

Both wireless and cabled networks have gotten better. Wireless was once only something done as an experiment; almost anything could knock out your network and the distance of these networks was quite limited. These networks can now easily provide networking for a three story home (as well as for your neighbors if it isn’t secured).

The best part is that it’s not only the cost which has come down; it’s also easier than ever to set up. The equipment now available has better documentation which makes it easy even for the less than technically skilled to set up a home network. The configuration is far easier and tools to troubleshoot problems are also simpler than they once were.

Your average person also knows a lot more about computers than they did even a few years ago. Everybody uses email now and is aware of a few networking terms (HTTP, ping, etc.). Routers and IP addresses are no longer the sole dominion of nerds.

People are also much more aware of security issues than once was the case. Thousands of pages have been written about fraud and identity theft due to poor computer security, making people better informed about the issue. While they may not follow every security procedure recommended by experts, they are at least aware of the risks. Most of us have had a computer virus by now, so we all know why it’s important to protect our computers and home networks.

The biggest problem for many people is simply familiarizing themselves with the technical terms involved in networking; NICs, protocols and so on. Once that barrier is overcome, it’s pretty easy to do the rest. Internet connection sharing, once a difficult task is a simple matter today – there is a little research, maybe a little troubleshooting and you’re good to go.

So if you’re interested in building a home network, then get going and start connecting all of those computers in your home together. You’ll easily be able to set up file and print sharing. You won’t need to pass files in your household via email and CDs. You’ll have better security and you’ll be able to do all the stuff which only the pros could do a few years ago; that’s the best part of all.

 




By: Joseph Nyamache

As more people are logging onto the Internet everyday, Network Security becomes a larger issue. In the United States, identity theft and computer fraud are among the fastest rising crimes. It is important to protect your network and ensure the safety of all computers and users in that network.

What is a Network?

In order to fully understand network security, one must first understand what exactly a network is. A network is a group of computers that are connected. Computers can be connected in a variety of ways. Some of these ways include a USB port, phone line connection, Ethernet connection, or a wireless connection. The Internet is basically a network of networks. An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is also a network. When a computer connects to the internet, it joins the ISP’s network which is joined with a variety of other networks, which are joined with even more networks, and so on. These networks all encompass the Internet. The vast amount of computers on the Internet, and the number of ISPs and large networks makes network security a must.

Common Network Security Breeches

Hackers often try to hack into vulnerable networks. Hackers use a variety of different attacks to cripple a network. Whether you have a home network or a LAN, it is important to know how hackers will attack a network.

One common way for a hacker to wreak havoc is to achieve access to things that ordinary users shouldn’t have access to. In any network, administrators have the ability to make certain parts of the network “unauthorized access.” If a hacker is able to gain access to a protected area of the network, he or she can possibly affect all of the computers on the network. Some hackers attempt to break into certain networks and release viruses that affect all of the computers in the network. Some hackers can also view information that they are not supposed to see.

Destructive Attacks

There are two major categories for destructive attacks to a network. Data Diddling is the first attack. It usually is not immediately apparent that something is wrong with your computer when it has been subjected to a data fiddler. Data fiddlers will generally change numbers or files slightly, and the damage becomes apparent much later. Once a problem is discovered, it can be very difficult to trust any of your previous data because the culprit could have potentially fooled with many different documents.

The second type of data destruction is outright deletion. Some hackers will simply hack into a computer and delete essential files. This inevitably causes major problems for any business and can even lead to a computer being deemed useless. Hackers can rip operating systems apart and cause terrible problems to a network or a computer.

The Importance of Network Security

Knowing how destructive hackers can be shows you the importance of Network Security. Most networks have firewalls enabled that block hackers and viruses. Having anti-virus software on all computers in a network is a must. In a network, all of the computers are connected, so that if one computer gets a virus, all of the other computers can be adversely affected by this same virus. Any network administrator should have all of the essential files on back up disks. If a file is deleted by a hacker, but you have it on back up, then there is no issue. When files are lost forever, major problems ensue. Network security is an important thing for a business, or a home. Hackers try to make people’s lives difficult, but if you are ready for them, your network will be safe.

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By: mohan mittal