Beginner’s Guides

We’ve all experienced that time when the Ethernet cable we need to connect our devices to our home networks has not quite been long enough, so can they be joined?

If you are looking to run Ethernet cable outside between buildings, it can be tempting to just use whatever you have lying around at home, but are they really suitable enough?

Some devices, like laptops, will have multiple network adapters that allow them to connect to Wi-Fi and Ethernet at the same time, but should Wi-Fi be turned off when using Ethernet for better performance or security?

The common question of “have you tried turning off and on again” may well help quickly solve any issues you may be having with some pieces of networking equipment and other technology, but does the same apply to your router?

We IT professionals are known for magically fixing things by turning them off and on again, but does the same apply to network switches? How often should they be rebooted, and should they even be rebooted at all?

I know of some people that live in the house next to one of their family members. This got me thinking of ways in which they could potentially share an Internet connection and whether powerline adapters would work between houses.

Although it’s not very common, there have been times where I have lost my Internet connection. This got me thinking as to whether the router would continue to work without the Internet and whether all of my devices would still be able to communicate with each other.

Network switches can connect to a modem using Ethernet just like a router does, and they have many more ports for connecting individual devices, so do you really need a router, or can a switch be used in its place?

In a home network, almost every connected device will be assigned an IP address as a way of the network being able to identify it, but what about network switches? With there being several different types of network switches available, this got me thinking about which of them, if any, ever have an IP address.

If you are looking to get your first network switch, you may be wondering whether there are any that don’t require a dedicated power source, especially when you might not have mains power near where you are looking to position it.

The loft can be seen as a convenient place to keep your network switch it is all out of the way and doesn’t need to be accessed very often. But that’s not to say it is for the best place for it.

Wi-Fi is often considered to be the most convenient method of connecting a home network; it is usually quick and easy to set up and doesn’t require any additional wires trailing around your home. This got me thinking as to whether a network switch can be connected to a Wi-Fi network.