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33 Introduction 33 What is a Network? 33 Benefits of a Home Network 34 High-Speed Internet Access 35 Wireless Networks 36 Getting Started with Home Networking 37 Security 38 Networking and TiVo 38 Where to Find More Information
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Introduction Home networking is becoming more and more popular. As a larger number of households use more than one computer, it is becoming important to transfer information from one device to another, or to allow several computers to share the same Internet connection. A home network lets you interconnect computers and other devices in your home. This document describes the benefits of setting up a home network, and provides some information to help you get started. After reading this document, you will know the basics of home networking, including: high-speed Internet wireless networking network security If you know how to use a computer, but you are not an expert on networking, then read on! What is a Network? A network is a group of computers or other devices that communicate with each other over wires or using wireless technology. Computers that are connected in this way can share digital content with each other, and can also share access to printers or other devices. Each computer or device in a network is called a node. One of the most popular networking technologies is Ethernet, which is fast, relatively inexpensive, and easy to set up. Its high speed comes in handy when you are dealing with large files, such as music or video. Benefits of a Home Network If you have more than one PC, then building a network makes a lot of sense. A network allows you to: Use a single printer for all your computers Use one Internet connection for all your computers Share files between your computers Play games that allow multiple users at different computers Share a device like a DVD player or web cam among your computers 33
If you have a TiVo Series2 DVR (or more than one!) then a home network makes it possible to use Home Media Option to its fullest. With a TiVo Series2 DVR connected to a home network, you can: Transfer recordings to another TiVo Series2 DVR within your home Display photos that are stored on your PC Play music that is stored on your PC If you have a high-speed Internet connection, you can use the Internet to schedule recordings on your DVR when you are away from home. High-Speed Internet Access High-speed Internet access means any connection to the Internet that allows data transfer in excess of 200 kilobits per second (kbps). This is fast enough for you to enjoy Internet radio and video programs, upload and download large files, and of course view web pages with lightning speed. Most dialup modems can support a bandwidth of 56 kbps. High-speed Internet connections are sometimes called broadband connections. High-speed Internet connections are also typically always on that is, if your computer is on, it has access to the Internet all the time. Another advantage of highspeed Internet access is that you don t need to disconnect from the Internet to make a phone call. Most high speed Internet connections in the home use either a digital subscriber line (DSL) or a cable modem. A DSL connection uses existing telephone lines to carry data; a cable modem service uses a special modem connected to your cable television system. DSL DSL uses inaudible frequencies in the standard telephone signal to carry data. With the help of filters attached to each phone outlet, voice and data can share the same telephone line. Since nearly every household is already connected to a phone line, DSL is easy to install. A DSL connection typically provides data transfer rates around 1.5 Mbps, although higher speeds are possible in theory. Most of the time, a DSL connection provides faster data transmission when you are downloading (getting files or images from the Internet) than when you are uploading (putting files or images on the Internet). The only disadvantage is that DSL is not available everywhere. You must be within three miles of a DSL gateway (or your phone company s central office) to use a DSL connection. 34
Cable Modem A cable modem allows a single computer (or network of computers) to connect to the Internet via the cable TV network. The cable modem usually has an Ethernet connection to the computer, and is capable of speeds in excess of 5 Mbps. The main disadvantage of a cable modem is that all the subscribers in a neighborhood share the same loop of cable wire. This means that they also share the fixed capacity of that loop. As more subscribers on a loop use the cable modem service, the amount of bandwidth available to each subscriber shrinks. In other words, the more subscribers a cable modem service has, the slower the Internet connection for each subscriber. 4 Wireless Networks Wireless networks use radio signals instead of wires to transmit data between computers. Wireless networks are generally not as fast as networks that use wires, but they do avoid the need to run cables throughout your home. Most wireless networks are based on a logical topology called 802.11b, or its offshoot called Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi and 802.11b wireless networks have a lot of great features: They are fast (11 Mbps). They are reliable. They have a long range (over 250 feet indoors). They are easy to integrate into existing wired-ethernet networks. Wireless networks are especially useful when used with laptop computers, because you can roam freely around the house without losing access to the network. Perhaps the most compelling use of wireless for home users is to provide broadband access to the Internet from nearly anywhere within or around the home. Simply installing a wireless network adapter in each computer allows the computers to communicate with each other. This is called a peer-to-peer or ad hoc network. To build a real wireless network, you also need a device called a wireless access point, a base station that can connect a wired LAN to one or many wireless devices. Wireless networks are not quite as fast or as reliable as wired networks. Because they work using radio waves, you may find that there are certain places in your house where the reception is not very good. You may also find that the speed of data transmission depends on how close you are to the wireless access point. 35
Any device operating in the 2.4 GHz spectrum may cause network interference with a Wi-Fi or 802.11b wireless device. Some devices that may prove troublesome include 2.4 GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens. You may also receive interference from other wireless networks in neighboring homes. Getting Started with Home Networking To build a home network, you need a few components. The following paragraphs will give you an idea of what to look for as you design your home network. Hub. If you have more than two computers, you need a hub, which is like a central station for your network. The hub takes the signal from each computer and sends it to all of the other computers in your home. A hub has several ports into which you can plug your computers or other devices via Ethernet cable. A four-port hub can connect four computers; an 8-port hub can connect up to eight computers, and so on. It s a good idea to buy a hub with a couple more ports than you need, so that you can add devices to your network without buying another hub. If you are using Fast Ethernet, make sure that you buy a hub capable of 100 Mbps. Router. If you wish to connect your network to the Internet, you need a router, a device that directs network traffic. A router typically includes a hub as well; if you purchase a router with enough ports for all your computers and devices, you do not need a separate hub. Cable. You need plenty of cable to connect all your devices to the hub or router. If you are using Fast Ethernet, make sure to get Category 5 Unshielded Twisted Pair cabling, commonly known as Cat 5. Category 3 cable is not sufficient to handle the 100 Mbps transmission speeds of Fast Ethernet. Ethernet Card. An Ethernet card lets a computer or device communicate over a wired Ethernet network.you need an Ethernet card for every computer on your network. Wireless Router. To add wireless capability to your network, you also need a wireless router that includes an access point and an Ethernet hub. If you use a wireless router as your gateway to your broadband Internet connection, then your entire home network can be wireless you don t need cable or a wired hub or router, but you ll need wireless access cards for your computers and other devices. Wireless Access Card. A wireless access card lets a computer or other device communicate over a wireless network. 36
Security If you set up a home network, you should think about security. Your connection to the Internet can be used as a means of gaining access to your private home network. Because high-speed Internet connections are always on, they can be especially vulnerable to attacks by unauthorized users, who may wish to: read your e-mail or private data use your computer to send unsolicited e-mail use your computer as a base to attack other computers You can prevent most attacks using a firewall, a program or hardware device that filters the data that enters your home network from the Internet connection. Firewalls work by blocking all information except certain types; it is up to you to select the types of data that you allow into your home. In most cases, the recommendations provided by the firewall manufacturer are sufficient to keep your home network fairly safe. A router often includes a built-in firewall to protect your network. Wireless Security Wireless networks present additional security risks, because the network transmits data through the airwaves, which makes it vulnerable to eavesdroppers. When you add a new device to a wireless network, it listens for a message called a beacon that your network sends. The beacon tells the wireless device how to join the network. This same beacon can be used by someone within your wireless access point s broadcast range to gain access to your network. Here are a few things you can do to make it more difficult to break into your wireless network. MAC address filtering. Each device connected to your network has a unique number called a MAC address. You can configure your wireless network so that it only allows devices with specific MAC addresses to connect. This makes it very difficult for an unauthorized user to connect to your network with a random MAC address. Changing the network administrator password. The network administrator is a user account that has permission to change network settings on your wireless network. Any person who discovers the login password to your network administrator account can change your network settings. Changing the password frequently makes it more difficult for an unauthorized person to gain access to the network administrator account. 37
Changing the SSID. The SSID, or Service Set Identifier, is the network name that identifies your wireless network. The SSID is mainly used to distinguish your wireless network from others that may be nearby, so that your devices do not accidentally connect to the wrong network. In order to connect to your network, an unauthorized person must find out the SSID; changing the SSID regularly makes this more difficult. Not broadcasting the SSID. Most wireless networking devices will give you the option of broadcasting the SSID. While this option may be more convenient, it allows anyone to log into your wireless network. It is safer not to broadcast the SSID. WEP Encryption. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is designed to provide security by encrypting the data transmitted by your wireless devices. You must use a password to connect to a network that uses WEP encryption. WEP is still not as secure as a wired network. Networking and TiVo The TiVo Service with Home Media Option makes your TiVo Series2 DVR into the entertainment hub of your home network. You can now manage your entertainment experience from anywhere in the house, whether you re listening to MP3s, viewing digital photos, or just watching TV. With a highspeed, always-on Internet connection, you can even schedule recordings remotely over the Web; your TiVo Series2 DVR will typically get the message within an hour. Where to Find More Information The following web sites provide information that will help you get started with home networking. http://www.80211-planet.com/ News, articles, and tutorials about wireless networking using the 802.11 standard. http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/home_networks.html A discussion of home network security. http://www.connectedhomemag.com/ An online magazine about home networking. http://www.howstuffworks.com/home-network.htm A thorough explanation of how home networking works. http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/home_net/ An article about home networking. 38