When your network adapters are
installed, the next step is to get your computers connected. Installing
wiring can be the most difficult task of setting up a network. How you
proceed depends on the type of networking adapters you have:
• If you’re using wireless adapters, of course, you don’t need to worry about wiring. Lucky you.
• If you’re using phoneline networking,
plug a standard modular telephone cable into each phoneline network
adapter and connect them to the appropriate wall jacks. The adapter
must be plugged directly into the wall jack, and then additional
devices such as modems, telephones, and answering machines can be
connected to the adapter. Remember that each of the phone jacks must be
wired to the same telephone line.
• If you’re using a powerline
networking adapter, follow the manufacturer’s installation
instructions. If you’re using a powerline bridge, plug the bridge into
a wall socket and connect it to your computer or other networked device
with a CAT-5 patch cable. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
configuring the adapter’s security features. You should enable
encryption if it’s available.
If you’re using wired Ethernet
adapters, you need to decide how to route your wiring and what type of
cables to use. The remainder of this section discusses Ethernet wiring.
Cabling for Ethernet Networks
If your computers are close together, you can
use prebuilt patch cables to connect your computers to a switch or
router. (The term patch cable originated in the telephone
industry—in the old days, switchboard operators used patch cables to
connect, or “patch,” one phone circuit to another.) You can run these
cables through the habitable area of your home or office by routing
them behind furniture, around partitions, and so on. Just don’t put
them where they’ll be crushed, walked on, tripped over, run over by
desk chair wheels, or chewed by pets.
Tip
As you install each network card and plug in
the cables, you should see a green light turn on at the switch or
router, and at the network adapter. These lights indicate that the
network wiring is correct.
If the cables need to run through walls or
stretch long distances, you should consider having them installed
inside the walls with plug-in jacks, just like your telephone wiring.
We discuss this topic later in this section. Hardware stores sell
special cable covers that you can use if you need to run a cable where
it’s exposed to foot traffic, as well as covers for wires that need to
run up walls or over doorways.
