A situation that may arise in homes where there is only one computer occurs when you have a rush assignment or presentation and you can't get on the computer. This situation is still a reality for some people. The employer did not provide a computer and there is only one in the house. When you have to fight for time in the evenings or on weekends at the computer, what is the solution?
For too many people the only option they have at this time is to get in their vehicle and drive to the office to get the work done. This solution of course defeats the purpose of working remotely.
- One of the best advantages to networking your home PC's is that you can share printers and other peripherals between the networked units. There is no need to buy extra peripherals or go through the hassle of disconnecting and re-connecting peripherals and moving them around.
- Most networking solutions you can share Internet access. That alone is well worth the investment of a home office network.
- You can also share applications across the network and share the hard drive resources. In this respect you don't need to have two PC's with huge hard drives to handle the workloads. You can even run a lower end PC using the resources of your other PC.
- Another benefit of having your own home network is when you have a project that you are completing with a co-worker:
They can come to your location and you could work together this way. There would be fewer distractions and the project could possibly be completed in a more timely fashion. This would be a really good option, especially if you are not on a network from your work. It could save a lot of phone calls, emails and even trips back and for the to office.
Ask the Right Questions
If you are on a company network and have decided to set up a home network be sure and talk to your IT personnel at work to see what they know and advise. You don't know if they have encountered this already and may even be able to advise you which network solution will work best. Ask co-workers and see if anyone else has set up a home network. Ask as many questions in advance, in addition to the people where you intend to purchase the equipment. You can contact some of the providers and ask if they have tips that you can use to prevent problems.
Avoid Problems
Preventing problems before they occur will certainly save a lot of grief in the end. In the instance that you are not currently on a outside network but the potential is there for it; be sure and let the IT people involved know that you have set up a home network and which solution you are using.
Two most common methods of networking:
- Wireless
Using 802.11 technology and a wireless router, signals are sent to computers on the Network. Each PC has a special card that is attached to it to receive the signals. The wireless cards and routers and/or gateways are more expensive than ethernet networking. The main advantage with a wireless network is if you have a laptop, you can be mobile within and outside your home. - Ethernet
Ethernet cables connect computers to a router to share resources and the Internet. This is most often used as it is more economical than wireless at this time. You are restricted in mobiility to the maximum length of the ethernet cables.
The possibilities that a home network provides are really quite endless and of course, as newer technologies are developed, the possibilities are even greater for better solutions.