Marlon Buchanan - The Home Network Manual: The Complete Guide to Setting Up, Upgrading, and Securing Your Home Network (Home Technology Manuals)

Copyright 2022

All rights reserved. It is not legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

HomeTechHacker.com

ISBN: 978-1-7355430-6-2 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-7355430-5-5 (ebook)

Edited by Graham Southorn

This book is dedicated to my dad, Leon, because I miss him. I can picture my dad looking at me with a proud smile as I show him this published book. My dad would always tell me I can do it. Dad, I did it! I love you and I miss you.

Id also like to dedicate this book to my mom, whose love of books, words, and writing inspired me to become an author. Thank you, mom. I love you.

Growing up as a child of the 80s, I had no idea or concept of a home network. No one I knew had a computer at home, and I didnt even know what the Internet was. My first exposure to computer networks was in college where dozens of computer labs were spread across campus. We were able to send instant messages to other students, collaborate on shared files, and even play video games with people across the world. These capabilities blew my mind.

I saw the future, and there was no going back. For the first few years out of college, I never had more than one computer. I focused on making sure I could access the Internet from home to download music, send emails, and surf the web. I went from a dial-up Internet connection to ISDN to DSL, and finally to cable. My 1 Mbps download speed seems paltry by todays standards, but it was screaming fast to me back then.

As the years flew by, the dot-com boom (and bust) of the early 2000s changed the Internet and the world of home networking. My life changed too. I got married, and immediately there was a need for two computers at home to connect to the Internet. Back then, I just had a modem from my cable company plugged directly into my computer. I didnt even have the equipment to get two computers in my house onto the Internet. This is when I started learning about home networks.

I figured out that I needed a router to share my Internet connection. That was just the beginning. As time rolled on, we wanted to share files, add more computers, stream video and audio to devices, put computers and network devices in different rooms, add wireless devices to our network, and the list goes on and on. The more I began to rely on the Internet the more I realized I needed to worry about security too!

Fast forward to today, and robust home and wireless networks are a requirement for modern living. Video conferencing, watching TV, gaming, and so much moreall rely on your home network. If you are the person who is responsible for your home network, then you know that members of your household take it for granted when the network works well and lose their minds when it doesnt.

Do you want your network to support your household and all the devices in your home? Do you want your Wi-Fi to be rock solid without dead spots or disconnections? Do you want to make sure all the devices in your home are protected from malware, ransomware, and other hacking? If so, keep reading. This book gives you all the tools you need to have the high-performing, secure, and reliable home network that todays technologies demand.

Routers, modems, switches, firewalls, hubs. ADSL, fiber, cable, cellular. The terms bandied about in the home networking world can become overwhelming and confusing in a hurry. Even if you are familiar with most, or all of these terms, combining them to get the best network possible can become overwhelming. In todays world, being able to set up a home network is more important than being able to set up a TV. Whether you live in a house or an apartment, are a boomer or a millennial, you rely heavily on your home network and the Internet for your quality of life.

This book is for anyone who wants to set up or improve their home network so that everyone in their home and every device can rely on it without constant fiddling. You dont want your streaming videos to buffer, and you dont want to be kicked out of your game because your Wi-Fi dropped. You want Zoom sessions with family and friends to be crisp and clear and your home network, computers, phones, and streaming sticks safe from hackers.

Perhaps youve already got your home network set up, but you are struggling in a couple of areas. Maybe you are looking to improve your home network but dont know where to start. Or you could be moving to a new home and starting from scratch. If any of these situations apply to you, then this book is for you.

When you are done reading this book, youll know the following:

• What components make up a home network, and which components you need in your home
• How to make your home network fast
• How to have solid and reliable Wi-Fi throughout your home
• How to secure your home network from hackers
• How to evaluate your current home network and make improvements
• How to set up a home network from scratch and do it the right way

While this book is targeted at those who will build and maintain their own home networks, its also useful for those who will have someone else build or maintain their home networks. Having the knowledge of how things work can help you better describe to your network technician what you want to accomplish and what problems you are having. Knowledge of home networking is important for everyone, even if you arent building your own network.

This book steps you through building a home network from scratch. It starts by providing a foundation of knowledge and then using that knowledge steps you through the process of building and improving your home network. If you read this book sequentially, youll learn the key components and technologies that make up a home network, and the way to first plan your own home network and then to build, secure, maintain, and improve it.

Many people reading this book wont be starting their home network from scratch. For those readers, this book can be used as a reference. The layout and chapters make it easy to quickly find the home networking information youre looking for.

Be sure to take advantage of the glossary, checklists, diagrams, sample network builds, and additional resources in the appendix. Home network technology involves a lot of jargon, and the glossary is there to explain all these technical terms. The checklists give you a quick way to track your progress in accomplishing the recommendations youll find in each chapter. Finally, the additional resources in the appendix are links to up-to-date home technology resources.

Here are the conventions used in this book, which highlight important information:

• What I Do In several sections of this book, I give specific information and address the discussed topics in the context of my own home. For example, in the home network security section, I discuss some of the security steps Ive taken. Im not suggesting what I do is the best thing for everyone. Instead, these sections are intended to give you real-world, practical examples of whats possible.
• Key Takeaways At the end of each part, I provide a checklist of the key information that you can use as a summary for quick reference.
• How Do I Do That? Throughout the book, youll find advice and solutions to common home network scenarios you are likely to encounter and decisions you may face.