How To Set Up an Ethernet LAN

You don’t have to be a network engineer to set up an Ethernet LAN at home or in a small office. But it will require some knowledge of the hardware devices involved and a little planning.

1. Figure out your network wiring scheme. A LAN will involve numerous cable and power connections. You don’t want your home or office to look like a jungle of cables. First determine where the computers in the network will be positioned. Next find the central location for the router or hub and modem. The modem connects to the telephone line, the router/hub connects to the modem, then all the computers connect to the router/hub. Given this sequence, what would be the best place for the router/hub? You have to make sure that the Ethernet cables from computer to router/hub can be laid out neatly, running tightly along ceiling or floor and wall corners.
2. Connect the router or hub to the modem. The router/hub has one or two ports labeled ‘uplink’ or ‘modem’. These are the ports that connect the device to the modem. An Ethernet cable is used for this connection. Ethernet cables are also called RJ-45 network cables. Don’t confuse them with telephone line cables which have thinner wires and smaller jacks. Telephone line cables are only used for connecting the modem to the telephone box.
3. Connect the computers to the router or hub. Each computer needs to have a network interface card in order to be networked. This hardware component is now standard in all CPUs. They are either integrated into the motherboard or are PCI cards slotted into the motherboard. In either case their ports can be found at the back of the CPU tower. Their ports look exactly like the ones on the router/hub and thus also use Ethernet cables for connection. Each computer will need one cable running from it and plugged in to one port on the router/hub. The router/hub ports will be numerically labeled. It’s important to note which computer plugs in to which port on the router/hub so it will be easier to troubleshoot later on if connection issues arise.
4. Configure the computers’ network settings. You will have to configure each computer so that they are all recognized as part of the network. For Windows-based computers the settings are available on the Network Connections directory. Click on the ‘Connect to’ options from the Start menu and choose ‘Show all connections’ to open the Network Connections window. Choose the ‘Set up a home or small office network’ option displayed on the left panel. The Network Setup Wizard will open. Simply follow the step-by-step instructions on this Wizard. The important choices to make are to set the connection as TCP/IP and that the computer should ‘Obtain an IP address automatically’.

All the computers in a LAN share the bandwidth of a single Internet connection. Consider applying for a subscription package with a larger bandwidth to avoid any slow downs in operation.