2023December
There are a lot of home networking products and services on the market, but how much do they matter and what do they do? For the most part, many devices can be installed once and left alone. There are some tweaks and customization for people who enjoy getting more out of their tech, but there are also times where you need to fix your equipment.
To understand what your equipment does and how it all works together, here are a few home networking and internet tech details.
Modems Are A Tap For Your Internet
For most Internet users, Internet access begins with the modem. This is the device that brings the Internet signal to your building, think of it like your utility’s water tap.
In this case, the "water" is your Internet. Internet Service Providers have a sort of bulk network signal that your computers can't use. It's a faster signal for traveling across long-haul connections, and is converted by your modem.
Modem is actually a portmanteau or combination word that means MOulator DEModulator. Modulation means changing the value of something, and in this case the Internet is being changed into different formats.
For home and small businesses, just think of it as the place where the Internet comes from. There isn't much customization outside of changing passwords and setting filters or access rules.
Routers And Combo Routers
Routers are often added just after the modem. As the name suggests, this device routes information to different devices or nodes.
Wireless routers perform the same job, but with a wireless signal. Wireless Internet frequencies fall under the IEEE 802.11 standard, and you may recognize labels such as Wireless N, Wireless G, or AC Wireless as different generations of 802.11.
While you can have a separate modem or router, many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) send a combination or combo modem. It may be labeled as combo modem or router, but they all cover multiple devices.
The modem, router, and a wireless router are combined into one device. If you notice that some people continue using separate devices, their combo router may have poor performance or errors on a specific function. Often it’s up to personal preference.
Switches And Hubs
Beyond the home network setup, people may need to move bigger amounts of information to a wider audience.
The typical modem/router setup can connect 4 computers with Ethernet cables. Technically, 250 wireless devices can connect to a wireless router, but in practice you'll run into a few performance issues beyond 10 or so without expert configuration.
Switches and hubs bridge the gap. If you need more than 4 devices hard-wired to your router for consistent Internet, a switch can add more depending on how much you invest.
The typical business switch will add 20 or 40 ports. There are consumer-level switches that add 8 or 10 additional ports, and multiple options offering other configurations. Switches are essentially routers, and include an on-board computer that manages Internet traffic better.
What does better mean? Throughout the history of the Internet, collisions, buffering, and other causes of Internet traffic jams have been fixed by dedicated board programming, and switches have more board space to perform better routing management.
Are your Ethernet cables getting too long? Ethernet cables have a maximum effective distance of 100 meters horizontal and 5 meters of stranded cable between the jack and the connected device.
Beyond 100 meters, performance can be unstable. You'll need to add an extension or repeater of some sort, and a hub is a good option for distances and direction changes.
Hubs are smaller than switches and not as efficient at routing information, but can send your Internet connections across longer distances at a lower cost. Switches can be expensive, so if you simply need one large set of data to go one or two directions, collisions and other major routing issues aren't a problem.
Media Players And NAS
Do you just want to play music? Do you want to view movies without working through a bunch of computer commands?
Single-use devices are hit or miss. Some people love devices that can perform a job perfectly without fuss, while others prefer a multi-function device that can do anything--with proper use.
Media players are designed to play media and nothing else. Think of MP3 players from the old Rio and SanDisk days up to the Zune and the iPod before the iPhone became popular.
Media players cover a broad range of hardware and software designed for just those purposes. DVD players, digital music boxes, and streaming devices such as the Amazon Fire Stick or Google Chromecast are just a few options.
On the software side, Media Player Classic, Windows Media Player, WinAmp, and VLC are just a few programs that play audio, video, and can view images as a basic feature.
If you need to share files across your network without using the Internet, some people use a server or connect their computers for sharing using a router or switch. For massive amounts of files, use a NAS.
Network-Attached Storage or NAS technology allows bulk file storage and transfer. Instead of configuring a server that uses a lot of idle resources to do its job, the NAS can handle all of those big video and audio files that simply need to be shared.
It's not just a rack of hard drives; while the board functions on an NAS system seem simple, the efficiency is easy to take for granted. A lot of highly-functional tech amateurs may be used to fixing "small" errors or waiting for delivery, but people who need proper performance today for multiple Terabytes of data need to consider an NAS.
If you need help setting up a home network or figuring out which devices are the best for your project, Akers Media can help. Please check out our Home Networking page for more information.
