This home network setup understands how to setup and create a wired home network and the required components for the same. The focus is to understand a scenario where the internet connection at home needs to be extended to a wired network and there are different devices at each floor like cameras, PCs etc which needs connectivity to the internet connection.
Wired Home Network Setup
The steps to be followed for setting up and creating a wired home network is detailed below.
Step 1
Purchase a wireless router for setting up your internet connection. In case you have one , you can proceed to step 2
Step 2
The wireless router would typically have 4 ports on it. These are called the LAN ports. Based on the number of additional devices which needs to be connected a switch has to be purchased. Switches typically comes as 8 port , 24 port etc. So if you have less than 8 devices go for a 8 port switch. Go for a 24 port switch, if you have any expansion plans or more than 8 devices.
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Step 3
Place the switch next to the wireless router. Connect one of the LAN ports on the router to the the switch using a RJ 45 cable. In case you do not have one, you can purchase it here.
Buy RJ 45 patch chords from Amazon
Wired Home network diagram
The below diagram shows how to wire the home network as detailed in the above steps. This would help you in the setup for creating a wired home network.
Step 4
The internal cables from all the devices which has to be connected should be done using structured cabling. We do not discuss this in detail in this article. All the cables should terminate near the switch. Typically when structured cabling is done, the cables are terminated on a patch panel. The switch is connected to the patch panel using using multiple patch chords (RJ 45 cables). For simplicity, we shall assume that the cables from all the devices are connected to the switch.
Step 5
Wireless routers would typically have DHCP servers in built. This would ensure that after the switch is connected to the port on the wireless router, all devices would receive IP address dynamically from the router along with internet connection.
Step 6
Certain devices like cameras may need static IP address for manageability. This has to be setup and configured on the device.
The key to setting up a wired home network is to understand how many additional devices needs wired connectivity and accordingly the selection of the switches like 8 port, 24 port etc. Structured cabling, is recommended , but if the devices are close enough, then it can be avoided and the cables connect directly to the switch as shown in the diagram.