Many professionals or self-employed workers need a place to work where access to the Internet is guaranteed for each workstation, with resources shared within the same internal home or office network. But even from home we may need to create a LAN between different computers or between different devices connected by cable (for example consoles, Smart TV etc.).
If we want to obtain a corporate LAN or a high quality home LAN that is able to offer maximum speed to all devices, in this guide we will show you the various configurations that we can use to create an efficient computer network, whatever the distance of the various computers or devices to be connected.
At the end of the guide we will also show you how to add wireless connectivity to an already configured LAN network so as not to lose all the configured parameters and have to start all over again.
READ ALSO -> How to Share files and folders on a computer network on Windows PC
Before going into this more technical guide, we invite you to deepen the speeches of routers, switches and access points by first reading the guide here -> How a home network works: router, switch, ethernet and wifi .
After reading this guide and familiarizing yourself with the various terms, we can continue reading.
1) Simple LAN network
We can create the simplest LAN network at home but also in the office with any router, i.e. the device that manages to sort the traffic between all the devices connected by cable.
The router features are included in modern modems, even those provided by the operator with whom we have signed up for an Internet subscription: we can recognize a modem / router by the presence of at least 3-4 LAN ports in the back and by specific features present in the configuration panel (DHCP, Firewall, Port forwarding etc.).
If the modem / router does not have an adequate number of ports or does not offer the desired functionality, it is advisable to focus on a simple dedicated router that will act as a base for the LAN we are going to create.
The creation of the LAN is really very simple:
- connect the modem / router to the telephone socket or to the fiber optic socket, then connect all the cable devices that we intend to use to the various LAN or Ethernet ports on the back.
- If we use a dedicated router, we connect the latter via Ethernet cable to the modem that provides Internet access (using a dedicated Ethernet port called WAN on the router and connecting the other end of the cable to one of the LAN or Ethernet ports offered by the modem), then we connect the devices to the dedicated router to create the structure of the LAN.
Internet access in both cases should be automatic, since the modem component should automatically obtain the access data necessary for browsing the Internet.
In any case, the LAN is operational even in the absence of an Internet signal: computers can see each other and exchange files and folders.
To create this type of network we recommend purchasing the following products:
- AmazonBasics - Cat6 Ethernet patch cable with RJ45 connectors (various lengths, from € 4)
- D-Link DIR-842 4 Gigabit Router + WAN (€ 50)
- AVM FRITZ! Box 7530 International Modem Router (€ 126)
Obviously we choose a modem / router or just a router based on the presence or absence of a modem supplied by the operator, so as to avoid placing "duplicate" devices that can make configuration of the LAN more difficult.
This is the best network in the home or for professional single studios.
If we are looking for the best router or modem for our home Internet line we can read the following guide -> Which Wifi Router to buy for the wireless network in the house .
2) Complex LAN network with switch
The first type of complex LAN that we can create involves the use of switches, i.e. small devices capable of increasing the number of LAN ports offered by a router, occupying only one port of the latter (we can consider it a port multiplier ).
This network involves the use of a router (or a modem / router) at the base of the network, to which we can connect one or more switches to increase the number of Ethernet ports and devices that we can connect via cable.
If we use a 5-port LAN switch for example, we can connect up to 8 devices to the router (4 LAN ports), i.e. 3 devices connected directly to the router and 5 connected via the switch (connected on the fourth LAN port of the router).
The switches are active devices, therefore they require electricity to function, but they do not apply any type of routing on the network packets: they only multiply the ports, the router always takes care of correctly routing the data.
However, setting up this network is very simple:
- We connect the router or router / modem to the Internet (as seen above).
- We connect one or more network switches to the LAN ports of the router.
- Now we connect the various devices directly to the switch or to one of the unused LAN ports on the router.
The switch can also be placed in another room or away from the router, as long as the main cable (the one that connects it to the router) is long enough to be able to connect.
To create this type of network we recommend purchasing the following products:
- CSL - Network cable 20m (for the switch, 20 €)
- 1aTTack.de 2m - 10 pieces - Ethernet cables (for connecting devices, € 17)
- Netgear GS205-100PES Gigabit Ethernet Switch (19 €)
- Netgear GS108GE 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch (€ 38)
- Netgear GS316-100PES 16-port Gigabit Ethernet switch (81 €)
We choose the switch that best suits our needs, so as to create a network suitable for small offices.
3) Complex LAN network with sub-networks
If we intend to create effective LAN sub-networks (so that the devices of the various offices or rooms do not see each other) we will necessarily have to use different routers, configured to operate on different network segments.
Imagine the network segments as the floors of a building: by entrusting a floor number to the specific router, all the PCs of a sub-network will be seen but will not be able to see those of the upper or lower floors.
Creating this network is definitely a more complex operation than the previous ones, also because a main router (which will act as a Gateway) and many routers connected to it via cable are required .
Let's see in detail all the steps to be carried out:
- We connect the router to the modem supplied by the operator or the modem / router to the Internet socket; it will act as the main router of the network (Gateway).
- We connect two or more secondary routers to the main router via Ethernet cable (one secondary router for each sub-network), using the WAN ports on the secondary routers.
- Now we connect the devices to the various routers according to the directives (who must enter the various sub-networks) and if necessary use switches on the routers to increase the connection capacity.
- After creating the infrastructure, we access the configuration panel of the main router (the one upstream of the network) and make sure that the network managed by it has IP 192.168.1.1 (the various devices connected to it will be 192.168.1.x ).
- We access the control panel of the first connected secondary router and check, in the network parameters, that it uses 192.168.1.1 as Gateway and that it provides a network on a different segment, such as 192.168.2.1 (all the devices connected to it will have 192.168.2.x as network IP).
- Repeat the previous step for all the other secondary routers, taking care to select a different network segment (192.168.3.1, 192.168.4.1 etc.).
- If necessary, connect a switch to one of the secondary routers (to connect multiple devices) or to the main router (to connect more than 5 secondary routers).
To deepen the discussion on the configuration of secondary routers in cascade, we refer you to the reading of the guide here -> Connect a new router to the modem without changing the network .
If, on the other hand, we do not know how to access the control panels of a router, we can read our dedicated guide present here -> Enter the router to access the settings easily .
At the end of the configuration, all the devices connected to this huge network will be able to surf the Internet safely and will be able to access the shared files and network resources of their segment, but will in no way be able to access the network segments of other offices / rooms, because they are confined to the router to which they are connected.
The network administrator will instead manage everything from the main router, usually placed in his office (being the central hub of the network, it will be adequately protected and monitored).
The best devices we can buy to create a network of this size are:
- Cisco RV320 Ethernet LAN Black (main router, € 226)
- Ubiquiti Networks ER-X Ethernet LAN (secondary routers, € 50)
- UGREEN Cat 7 Ethernet cable (at 1m to 25m, from € 7)
- Netgear GS116E-200PES Switch (100 €)
- Cisco Small Business SG110-16HP switch (€ 219)
By combining the various elements we will be able to create a fast, efficient and easy to manage multi-layer LAN.
Obviously we spend all this money only to create data networks for large companies or for offices with multiple rooms, since a professional figure who is always active to manage it (the network administrator) is also required.
4) Add wireless connectivity to an existing LAN network
If we use a modem / router to create our LAN in the home, we will also have the Wi-Fi network for portable devices, so we will not have to use any separate device.
If instead we have created a corporate network or a network with many segments, we can connect wireless devices using Wi-Fi Access Points.
Wi-Fi Access Points are devices similar to switches but which provide wireless connectivity: they are simply connected via Ethernet cable to a router or switch, then we will only have to place the device in the highest point of the room and decide the password with which to protect access.
The Access Points must be connected directly to the first switch or the first router in which we want to connect the wireless devices and, in case of multiple network segments, we can add an Access Point for each secondary router (with different network name and password).
The best Access Points that we can add to our corporate LAN are the following:
- Cisco WAP121 PoE Access Point (73 €)
- TP-Link EAP225 Wi-Fi Access Point (78 €)
- Ubiquiti Networks UAP-AC-PRO WLAN (€ 138)
These devices can also be powered via the Ethernet port (PoE), on routers and switches equipped with this functionality: in this way we will not have too many dangling cables and we will not always be dependent on an electrical outlet to provide wireless connectivity to our corporate network.
READ ALSO: Install a wireless network at home: guide to Wi-Fi
