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Text Area - Home networks

Home networks

The components of your home network that you will need to identify are:

• Radio: is usually mounted on the roof with an antenna/ dish. The radio connects you to the internet.
• Power Supply: is plugged into an electrical outlet, and provides the power the radio needs to operate.  If you follow the internet cable from the wall, it should be the first thing you find.  We use two different types of power supplies.  The first is a small white box with two internet cables plugged into it and a green or amber light.  The second is a black box that plugs directly into the outlet, and has a wire with an internet cable plugged into the end that plugs into your computer.
• Router: you may or may not have a router depending on how your network is set up. A router is like a switchboard operator, allowing more than one computer to use the same internet connection at once.  Wireless routers also allow computers to connect wirelessly, often from anywhere in the house.  Routers usually have five ports for internet cables in the back, one labeled WAN or Internet, and four numbered ports for your computers to plug into. 
• Basic Network: typically in households with one computer, the wire coming into the house from the radio plugs directly into the power supply which plugs into the computer

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Text Area - Network with a Router

• Network with a Router: typically found in households with more than one computer or requiring a wireless connection to the internet. The biggest difference from the basic network is that the power supply is plugged into the router and the router is connected to the computers using either cables or wireless. If you have VOIP phone service, you will also have a box for this service.