Set up small office network vista

The nomenclature gets a little arcane if you do not have a formal IT background. If you want to dig into the naming conventions a bit deeper, you can read up on how to differentiate gateway, firewall, and router features. There are three basic types of network switches to choose from when setting up a small business network: managed switches, unmanaged switches, and smart switches. A router receives broadband signal from the modem and makes Internet and intranet connectivity available to devices on your network.

A router with 16 or 24 or 48 ports servers as a network switch for LAN endpoints. Wireless routers have a built-in wireless access point serving Wi-Fi. For wireless connectivity from a wired router, you need to port in access point hardware into an expansion port. Be mindful of the transference rates for each port. Some routers have built-in firewalls, other less expensive options might not.

When shopping and comparing wired routers and wireless routers, make sure to note the following:. A firewall or security appliance is an essential router feature for any small business network. It is essentially software built in to a router that helps screen and filter incoming cyber attacks on your network. Unified Threat Management UTM devices have become a popular choice for small business networks for their robust feature set, relative ease of use and SMB-friendly price point.

What is a UTM? Virtual Private Network VPN support is important if users need to access your office network from outside the office. If this feature is important to your small business network setup, learn more about setting up a VPN.

Manufacturers in the past year or so have started releasing VPN routers especially for small offices. Here are some of the top-rated VPN wireless routers for small offices or home offices available in Consider the size of your office space and make sure range of the wireless router is sufficient.

Plotting out a Wi-Fi heat map can help with your purchasing decision. Small business Wi-Fi typically operates over the Modern small business networking equipment is conveniently powered over Ethernet PoE meaning that it powers up through the networking cable and needs not to be plugged into an electrical outlet.

PoE makes planning and installing network equipment easier. This supports newer equipment which draws more power. Scalability for your network should be understood by the number of Ethernet ports your switch es have. You want your open Ethernet ports to outnumber the endpoints desired on a small business network.

The more Ethernet ports a switch supports makes the price higher, but choose your ports wisely. Make sure you plan ahead to the extent of your product life cycle. Having to buy a switch with more ports before the old one reaches end of life is a waste of resources. If you want to have flawless communication between employees and clients you need a reliable network that will transfer data and easy communication not just between people but also with different equipment in the office — servers, workstations, printers, IP phones or fax machines.

Remote work, access data from anywhere, low operating cost, efficient communication using VoIP phones are just a few ways to show how you can benefit from the efficient small business network. Network Equipment for Small Business The best way to start this small network setup guide is to cover some basic terms and introduce hardware you will need. Router Router for computer networks is a device that joins or ties multiple networks together.

Router finds the best route for data to travel. Furthermore, you can set the router to decide computer priority and set security measures and standards. Memory has embedded operating system or firmware. A few years ago, routers were devices used only for business networks. Today it is very common to use a router when setting up a home network as well.

A business line of routers has a built-in firewall with anti-spam and anti-virus features. In comparison with home routers, they have the ability to set up virtual private network VPN server and enable secure remote work. We recommend using a wireless router. The average range for wireless routers is about feet. Consider using client WIFI adapters as well. They look like USB memory sticks with a small antenna. Expert recommendation : If you want a quality router that will last for several years, go with Cisco.

They are high-performance devices with the highest level of security. We assume you will have both wireless and wired network in your office or Hybrid Office Network and take the advantage of both network types. New desktops and tablets support If you need to send large multimedia files, consider using Ethernet connection.

Wired connection is usually more stable than wireless one. Ethernet cables can be Cat5, Cat6, Cat7. Choose standard depending on devices in the network. Cat6 and Cat7 are a good option if you need to transmit data over a long distance which is hard to believe for someone who is building small office network. As a business, you will probably go with both wireless and wired office network. Keep in mind that wired network is much easier to secure.

But if you need to do wiring on your own, it can be tricky, especially if devices are in separate offices rooms. Wireless office networks are way flexible, easy to install and maintain.

The switch in networking connects devices like server, workstations, laptops or printers on the same network and allow multiple devices to communicate and share information. The switch can be managed or unmanaged. Managed one, on the other hand, are packed with some rather cool features which allow you to configure security and other things both locally and remotely.

Expert recommendation : Once again we must recommend trusted brand and device with reputation. Cisco line of small business switches both cloud and on-premise managed are a solid foundation for every small office network. No matter what series you choose it will provide you with speed, reliability, and ability to adopt latest standards for mobile networking.

Switch vs Router They are very similar devices, but the router has an additional feature to send data between different networks. Switch on the other hand is limited to communication within the same network. A single screen therefore acts as an entertainment platform hosting a variety of functions. The installation remains the same but instead of having all the cables nakedly coming out from the back of your TV set, they connect to the hub, which then streams them to the monitor using Above all, you no longer have to worry about where to place your TV in your home or office so that the various cables reach, nor about having to move the TV around each time you wish to connect a new device.

Media Streaming is another way through which you can stream films, web clips, music, photos and other media files to your TV, or other viewing platforms, wirelessly through Wifi connection. Somewhat more expensive than others but it will play HD formats without losing any quality, on any device that is connected to the network.

The installation is easy, requiring you to cable the device to your network via Ethernet or wirelessly using Media streaming is also possible if you have a gaming console like PlayStation 3 and Xbox You will also need to install a media server program, such as TVersity, on your computer, create a video-sharing folder and move your media files into it. TVersity also works with the Xbox as that too contains the hardware for video streaming.

Such devices can also allow direct access via direct IP addresses and receive regular Firmware updates. Today you can also acquire wireless hard-drives that act as a backup, storage and easy access solution for your digital assets.

Seagate is the pioneer in this area, offering hard drives like the Seagate Black Armor which perform full system backup, inclusive of your operating system and all your programs. Conrad also offer their own range of hard-drives such as the Network Hard Drive 1tb 3. This way you can access your films, music and all your documents all around your house or even your garden without cables and wires. With the wireless possibilities available today -such as laptops, iPhones, tablets, web cameras etc.

Robot cameras are mounted on wheels and are Wi-Fi enabled, which allows them to be controlled from wherever you are in the world. The web interface also comprises of a window that shows you what the robot sees. You can even control the color, microphone and head, which can be lifted up and down according to the perspective you want to get.

A light is also fitted for night view. Installation is simple. Robot cameras, such as the Rovio come with software. All you need to do is install the software on your PC, connect the camera via USB cable and follow the directions to connect the camera to your wireless network. Wireless video gaming is the next mission of the home entertainment industry. This is a relatively new technology that is still under experimentation but some manufacturers are already planning to launch their version of wireless gaming.

Sony Online Entertainment have teamed up with software developer Qualcomm and are working on making all their popular gaming content available wirelessly through mobile phones. And while full wireless gaming technology is still under development, games can already be played wirelessly through the use of wireless monitors, wireless chairs, wireless joysticks and remote controls. An interesting invention is the wireless video game chair.

You can own a wireless chair that will change the gaming and home-cinema experience for good. They usually come with vibration motors, a speaker headset and a subwoofer and hook up to any video game system, DVD, Blue-Ray, and audio sources such as mp3, iPods etc.

The sound and vibration of those chairs really add a whole new dimension to playing games, listening to music and watching movies. Alongside this other wireless gaming accessories are available to further enhance the experience. These include wireless gaming mice such as the Razer Wire Gaming Mouse Mamba which provides both wireless connectivity and USB connection, allowing you to transform the mouse into a wired device and thus prevent the battery for depleting mid-game.

These offer high-quality Dolby surround sound via a wireless headset with a range of up to 12m and a noise suppressive microphone. All products are available from Conrad Electronics UK. Wireless gaming mouse. Wireless headphones. Following the launch of web-based hosting services such as Dropbox and Amazon Cloud Drive, Apple has also recently introduced its latest innovation iCloud. As with Dropbox and Amazon Cloud, iCloud effectively works as online storage for easy access to your Apple device from an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, PC or laptop, no matter where you are in the world.

All your files can therefore be accessed securely from any device that is Wi-Fi enabled, something that is extremely useful during holidays and business trips. The advantage of iCloud over other online storage services is its unique features. It allows users to check their emails, organize their music, books, files, videos, and photos and even create mp3 playlists and photo albums that can be shared with other users.

It also functions as an instant messenger service and a scheduling tool with time-slots and to-do task lists, enabling users to communicate with clients, colleagues and friends and organize their day at all times.

The registration is easy as all you need to do is sign-up as a new user with iCloud. All features of iCloud can be accessed for free and you are automatically assigned 5GB storage at no cost —only when you exceed this storage allowance you begin to pay fees. Wireless repeaters such as DLan repeaters and the Netgear Repeater WNRPT help to prevent signal distortion by thick walls and, if connected to your router, can allow wireless connection of a PC or netbook.

Repeaters can also be used as a bridge by connecting the repeater via LAN cable to a game console or Blu-ray player. Prev Article Next Article. Read our definitive guide on how to set up your home or small office network. A broadband Internet connection: this can be DSL or cable Computers with Built-In Wireless Networking support If you have a newer computer, it is most likely that you will have built-in wireless capabilities.

To check whether your computer has wireless support installed you need to follow these steps: Windows 7 Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Network and Internet. Mac Macs come with built-in wireless technologies. Click the Network icon in the System Preferences The Network pane of the System Preferences application displays a Location pop-up menu near the top of its window.

In this Location pop-up menu, select a location that includes the network interface of interest. You can verify that a network interface port is a member of a location by selecting that location, then verifying that the network interface appears in the port list.

PCI cards: If you want to get the best from your computer, you should consider installing different kinds of PCI cards. Wireless routers with USB ports There are routers today that can also act as wireless harddrives. Routers Built In Wireless Hard Drive Another option in order to use your router as a wireless hardrive for wireless access of your files, programs and documents wherever you are- is to acquire a router with a built in harddrive.

Setting Up the Wireless Network You can use a wireless network WLAN to share Internet access, files, printers, game consoles, and other devices between all the computers in your home or office. A broadband DSL or cable Internet connection. To set up a wireless network, you need a broadband or high-speed Internet connection provided by an Internet service provider ISP. These require a DSL modem or a cable modem. Set up a new connection to the Internet.

From the View menu, choose Network. Type the other information you gathered into the matching fields. Click Apply Now. AirPort Open a Web browser to verify that the computer connects to the Internet. After the computer successfully connects to the Internet, physically connect the base station to the network. Connecting to the wireless router Make sure that your Internet connection and your DSL or cable modem are working.

First, locate your cable modem or DSL modem and unplug it to turn it off. Next, connect your wireless router to your modem. Your modem should stay connected directly to the Internet.

Next, connect your router to your modem. The instructions below are not universal and you should always check the documentation that came with your equipment : If you currently have your computer connected directly to your modem: Unplug the network cable from the back of your computer, and plug it into the port labeled Internet , WAN , or WLAN on the back of your router.

You no longer need your original router, because your new wireless router replaces it Next, plug in and turn on your cable or DSL modem. Wait a few minutes to give it time to connect to the Internet, and then plug in and turn on your wireless router. If you need to, turn your computer on. It should automatically connect to your router. On the router configuration page, you might be prompted for a password.

Most of the default settings should be fine, but you need to configure three things: Your wireless network name, known as the SSID.