SETTING UP A LOCAL AREA

NETWORK
A local area network (LAN) is a network of devices that are all
connected to each other in a single physical location, like a home
or office building. This wikiHow will teach you how to set up a
LAN to connect multiple Windows PCs
1. Determine the number of computers you want to connect. The
number of computers you're connecting will determine the type of
network hardware you'll need.If you are connecting four or less
computers, you'll just need a single router, or one switch if you
don't need internet.
• If you're connecting more than four computers, you'll want a
router and a switch, or just a switch if you don't need internet.
2. Determine your network layout. If your installing a
permanent LAN solution, you'll want to keep cable length in
mind. CAT5 Ethernet cables should not run longer than 250 feet.
If you need to cover larger distances, you'll need switches at
regular intervals, or you'll need to use CAT6 cables.You'll need
one Ethernet cable for each computer you want to connect to
the LAN, as well as an Ethernet cable to connect the router to
the switch (if applicable).
3. Obtain the network hardware. To create a LAN, you'll need a
router and/or a network. These pieces of hardware are the
"hub" of your LAN, and all of your computers will be connected
to them.The easiest way to create a LAN where every computer
has access to the internet is to use a router, and then add a
network switch if the router doesn't have enough ports.[1] A
router will automatically assign an IP address to every computer
that is connected to it.
• Switches are similar to routers but do not automatically assign
IP addresses. Switches typically have many more Ethernet
ports than a router has.
4. Connect your modem to the WAN port on the router. This
port may be labeled "INTERNET" instead. This will provide
internet access to every computer that is connected to your
LAN.You can skip this if you're setting up a LAN without internet
access.
• You don't need a router at all to create a LAN, but it makes
things easier. If you just use a network switch, you'll need to
manually assign IP addresses to each computer after
connecting them.
5. Connect the switch to a LAN port on the router. If you're
using a network switch to connect more computers, connect it to
one of the LAN ports on the router. You can use any open port on
the switch to make the connection. When connected, the router
will provide IP addresses for every computer that is connected to
either device.
1. Find the Ethernet port on your PC. You can usually find this on
the back of your desktop tower, or along the side or back of a
laptop.Slim laptops may not have an Ethernet port, in which case
you'll need to either use a USB Ethernet adapter or connect
wirelessly if your router allows it.
2. Plug one end of an Ethernet cable into your computer. Make
sure you're using an Ethernet cable (RJ45), not a telephone cable
(RJ11).
3. Plug the other end of the cable into an
open LAN port. This can be any open LAN port
on either the router or the switch, depending
on your LAN setup.
4. Test out your network (router only). If you're using a router,
your work is complete. Once all of the computers are connected
to a LAN port, they will be assigned IPs automatically and will
appear on the network. If you set up your LAN for gaming, you
should be able to start your LAN game and have each computer
connect.[2]If you're using a switch and no router, you'll still need
to assign IP addresses to each computer.
5. Enable file and printer sharing. You won't be able to access
resources on a networked computer until file and printer sharing
is enabled. You can select specific files, folders, and drives to
share on each computer, as well as share access to printers.
1. Right-click on your network connection. You'll see this in your
System Tray. If you are connecting your computers through a
switch with no router, you'll need to assign each computer on
the network its own individual IP address. This process is
handled automatically if you're using a router. Think of an IP
address as a mailing address. Each computer on the network
needs a unique IP address so that information sent across the
network reaches the correct destination.
2. Click Open Network and Sharing Center.
3. Click the Ethernet link at the top of the
window. You'll see this next to "Connections."
4. Click Properties.
5. Click Internet Protocol Version 4
(TCP/IPv4). Make sure you don't uncheck it, just
highlight it.
6. Click Properties.
7. Click the Use the following IP address radio button.
8. Type 192.168.1.50 into the IP address field.
9. Type 255.255.0.0 into the Subnet mask field.
10. Type 192.168.0.0 into the Default gateway
field.
11. Click OK. This will save the settings for that
computer. This computer is now configured on
your network with a unique IP address.
12. Open the Internet Protocol Version 4 properties
on the next computer. Follow the steps above on the
second computer to open the Internet Protocol
Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties window.
13. Click the Use the following IP address radio
button.
14. Type 192.168.1.51 into the IP address
field. Notice that the final group of numbers has
incremented by 1.
15. Enter the same values for Subnet mask and Default
gateway. These values should be the same as they were on
the first computer (255.255.0.0 and 192.168.0.0 respectively).
16. Give each additional computer a unique IP. Repeat these
steps for each additional computer, incrementing the IP address
by 1 each time (up to 255). The "Subnet mask" and "Default
gateway" fields should be the same on each computer.