Let's take an overview of what we have at home as a home network infrastructure that brings the internet to our computers and smartphones to understand what the individual pieces do and the best way to arrange and use them. We therefore speak above all of routers, but also of switches, wifi and cables that may or may not be present in the house depending on the needs.
Network technology is not an easy subject, but having a minimal command of terminology and meanings, it should be easier to do the right research and understand what to do when there is a problem.
A simple and classic network configuration is as follows: a computer connected directly to a modem with a cable that is in turn connected, via the twisted pair to the wall line that the telephone company that provides the Internet connection.
There is nothing less complicated than this, but when things are too simple, there are strong limitations.
In this scenario, the user cannot access the Internet with a Wi-Fi device (smartphone, tablet or other wireless devices) and loses the advantages of having a router between the computer and the network provider.
In the scheme, you must then insert a wireless router that allows the laptop and other devices to connect to the network without using cables.
When you should use a router "> which wifi router to buy) and the benefits it brings, you should always use a router.
Home routers are actually a combination of three network components: routers, firewalls and switches .
A router connects two networks together, the home network (large or small) and the home network (in this case, the Internet).
The broadband modem provided by the telephone company or internet provider is only suitable for connecting a single computer to the internet and usually does not include any kind of routing functionality.
In other cases it provides a modem / router inaccessible to the user that can be used to connect multiple devices in wifi, but does not allow you to make any custom configuration.
A router (as already explained in the router operation guide ) performs the following functions:
- IP and NAT sharing : All computers that use the same line to access the internet share an IP provided by the network provider.
A router manages multiple connections and ensures that the right information packets are received by the right device.
NAT is like a reception for packets passing through the network, so that the router knows exactly where each incoming / outgoing packet should go.
- Dynamic Host Configuration : Without the use of DHCP, all network hosts should be manually configured by assigning them an IP address.
DHCP does this automatically so that when you connect, for example, the XBOX to the router, an IP address is assigned without manual intervention.
- Firewall : routers also act as firewalls to protect the internal network from external intrusions.
They automatically reject incoming data that is not part of the continuous exchange between a computer within your network and the outside world.
When you request, for example, the viewing of a video from Youtube, the router says to Youtube: "You can enter".
The firewall functionality is very important even for those who have only one PC at home and would not need a router.
Routers are also network switches and therefore allows the exchange of data between home computers connected to the internal network, without the need to switch over the internet.
Most routers have four Ethernet ports which allow you to connect four wired devices which are more than enough for most users.
If you want to connect more computers to the router by cable, you should buy a new switch with other ports (switch and that's it, not even router).
Keep in mind, however, that with wifi, many other devices can be connected to the network without using cables and wires.
Once upon a time, hubs were also sold, network devices that take the packet and transmit it to everyone, without making distinctions, which is not very efficient and, therefore, replaced by switches.
Switches are an excellent and inexpensive way to increase the size of your home network, via cables.
Returning to the network connections, as already mentioned, we have two possibilities: connection via Ethernet cables and Wi-Fi wireless connection .
Ethernet has a maximum speed of 10 or 100 Mbit / s.
There are also 1000 Mbit / s ethernet connections even if they are not widespread.
To take full advantage of the maximum speeds of all devices in the transfer chain, all must have the same Ethernet interface.
For example, if you had a media server with a 1000 Mbit Ethernet card / if it were attached to a 10/100 switch, it would be limited.
Typically all Ethernet ports today support 100 Mbit / s so there are no problems.
Wi-Fi speeds are instead indicated with the versions of the IEEE 802.11 network standard and not with simple numbers.
For Wifi there are several network standards:
- 802.11b was the first version with a maximum speed of 11 Mbit / s (but the wifi speed is highly dependent on the signal strength, therefore it drops to 1-5 Mbit / s).
Devices that use 802.11b suffer from interference from baby monitors, bluetooth devices, cordless phones and other devices on the 2.4GHz band.
802.11g has a maximum transmission of 54 Mbit / s (realistically 22 Mbit / s).
802.11g suffers the same type of interference on the 2.4GHz band
- 802.11n is the most used standard today, capable of operating on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies.
802.11n has a theoretical maximum of 300 Mbit / s, which then realistically become 100-150 Mbit / s.
802.11ac is the latest update, the fastest, up to one gigabit per second.
As with Ethernet, Wi-Fi speeds are limited by the different speeds of the interfaces in communication.
In practical terms, if you have an 802.11n Wi-Fi router, but the netbook has an 802.11g wifi network card, the transmission speed will be that of the weakest piece, 802.11g.
Upgrading each wifi component to the 802.11n standard not only brings more speed, but also guarantees more security and protection from intrusions.
Note however that upgrading to 802.11n has a negligible impact on web browsing speed, but it does offer benefits in the ability to stream multimedia content wirelessly.
The problem with Wifi is the signal strength, you can buy a repeater that works as a switch for the cables and allows you to extend the coverage of the signal in areas of the house where it arrives little or not at all.
We have already talked about how to amplify the wifi signal .
Another problem of wifi can be radiation, even if, as already written, Wifi is not dangerous for us and for children.
In support of this article, also read the computer dictionary for the Internet and Networks with the meaning of the main terms
READ ALSO: Configure a Wireless Router to install a secure wifi network at home
