ProInstall - Computer Networks, H/W & S/W Upgrades, CCTV, Satellite, SMATV, EAS and more...

What is home networking and what are its benefits? Home networking refers to the capability of computers and other devices to communicate at high-speed with one another and with other computers and services on the Internet. Some home network capabilities include:

Internet Connection Sharing, enabling all PCs and other Internet enabled devices to simultaneously access one high-speed Internet connection
File, folder and print sharing, enabling all PCs and other devices to share music, photos, videos and documents.
Fast, efficient e-mail and instant messaging
Security and Performance, including firewall security and content filtering
Device Sharing, enabling devices on one PC to be accessed by others, such as printers, CD-ROMs and other devices
A growing number of applications that use these capabilities - such as family calendars, networked game playing, centralized messaging, Personal Video Recording and distribution, home stereo integration, home intranet websites and much more. Please see Network Applications.

From a purely economic viewpoint, home networks make additional high-speed cable or DSL connections unnecessary, allowing families to save by disconnecting extra phone lines used for dial-up, and often additional savings by the elimination of other dial-up accounts.

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What is Internet Connection Sharing? Internet connection sharing is a capability that allows multiple computers to share a single Internet connection simultaneously. If, for example, a family has a DSL or Cable Modem connection and three computers, ICS allows all computers to use the Internet at the same time and all at high-speed. With ICS there is no need to order additional connections from your service provider and it eliminates the need for dial-up accounts or extra phone lines.

A wired or wireless network and a router or ICS configured computer is required to take advantage of this capability. All of our solutions include Internet Connection Sharing.

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What equipment do you recommend? We support a variety of different hardware depending on the type of network you need and your budget. There is quite a range of products and prices, from the very high-end to good quality, but affordable products. In either case, all products we offer have been thoroughly tested and guaranteed to work. One of the key advantages of using our services is that you get the benefit of our extensive experience with and knowledge of the different vendor products. They are not all the same.

We are also 100% vendor independent, which means you get an objective opinion. We take the guess work out of product selection and only recommend stuff that really works.

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Can I use my own equipment? Yes. You can purchase the equipment or we can purchase it it for you. If you already have equipment we can certainly work with what you have -- install it for you, assist you in troubleshooting a network that is already installed or reinstall it.

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I have seen equipment advertisements saying a network is easy to setup. Why would I need a service like yours? No one would argue that these networks are impossible to setup on your own, but the horror stories are legion. Indeed a healthy percentage of our customers found us after giving up on the self-installation ordeal. But beyond avoiding potential installation problems, there are other great reasons to use a turnkey service like ours:

Knowledgeable advice and recommendations prior to buying anything
Proven design and thoroughly tested hardware
Expert installation and configuration
Service and support guarantees
Ongoing, responsive and knowledgeable technical support.

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What else can I do with a home network besides share an Internet connection? Lots. Basic capabilities include file and folder sharing and resource sharing, like printer sharing. On top of these basic capabilities there are a whole variety of other other entertainment, messaging, and security applications that can all be used over your home network. See Network Applications for a complete list.

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I don't need a network now, but would sure like assistance with my computers. I think one may have a virus and the other needs some upgrades. Can you help? Absolutely! We provide on-site computer upgrade and troubleshooting. Please see Upgrades and Training for more information.

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Are there any monthly charges with your service? No. We only charge for the installation. Many customers actually save on monthly service charges because they can eliminate extra phone lines and dial-up accounts.

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I have a small office with four computers and employees who work form home. Can you network the office and provide remote access for the other employees? Yes we can . Not only do we have comprehensive services for small businesses -- including Windows 2000 server installation -- but we also can assist in setting up and supporting VPN access to the office network. See our Small Office/Home Office section.

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I heard there are security issues with wireless networks, is this true? Yes and No. The default configuration settings on most wireless routers and access point are not encrypted and therefore are not secure. The equipment makers do this because it is easier to setup a wireless network without encryption. However, they all can be configured for 128-bit strong encryption which provides good security. Other security settings can also be enabled, such as MAC filtering and limiting the number of DHCP clients. We offer strong encryption to all of our customers.

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I have a friend who has a wireless network and he said the reception was not that great. How well do they work and is there a limitation on the range? Yes there are limitations on the range of wireless networks. The effective range (anywhere from 15 feet to 1500 feet) depends on a number of factors, including the type of building materials in use (walls, ceilings and other barriers), positioning of the access point, and the quality of the access point and client adapter equipment.

A key benefit of our service is our extensive experience with wireless equipment and wireless networking. If your wireless network does not work where you need it to work we will find a solution or provide a full refund.

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I bought a wireless networking kit and can't seem to get it to work properly, can your company help? Yes. We can assist with the installation of your equipment and can also help installing other features and capabilities.

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of wireless vs. wired networks? Each medium has its own characteristics and advantages. The biggest advantage of a wireless network is that it does not require cabling and can be implemented quickly. The disadvantages are the networking equipment is more expensive and there can be problems with reception and range depending on the type of building materials in your home or apartment. There is all the matter of speed or throughput. Wireless technology is currently limited to a maximum speed of 11 Mb/s for the 802.11b standard and 54 Mb/s for the 802.11a standard (which also typically has more limited range and a higher price for the equipment). For many applications, most notably Internet connection sharing, this is plenty of speed, especially given that most broadband connections are currently in the 1 - 3 Mb/s today.

Wired networks do not have this speed limitation. Out of the box, wired networking equipment (Ethernet cards, Ethernet switches) have a speed of 100 Mb/s. The same cable (CAT5e) can already support 1,000 Mb/s (Gigabit Ethernet), although the networking gear is much more expensive. Wired networks also are inherently more secure. The disadvantages are mainly in the labor costs of installing cabling in a home or apartment and lack of mobility for the networked device.

Some of our customers have chosen a hybrid design, where wiring is limited to key computers or workstations and a wireless access point is installed for mobility for laptops. This provides the best of both worlds.

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My cable company says I need to pay for more IP addresses if I want to add computers. Is this really necessary? No , it is not necessary. Most home networks use a technology called NAT, which allows multiple computers behind a router or other gateway device to share one public IP address. The computers in the home use private IP addresses which are free.

However, in some cases, additional IP addresses can be very convenient. For example, if a small business wanted to host there own website or mail server, having an additional IP allows that computer to interface directly to the Internet, while the rest of the traffic is behind a secure firewall. Some serious Internet gamers also like direct connections with their own IP addresses, since it does not need to be behind the NAT router and simplifies many settings.

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I have a very good printer and would like to share it with the other computers in my home. Is this possible? Yes . This is an excellent use of a home network and indeed many people who install one utilize this capability. We can install shared network printers connected to another computer or install a standalone print server.

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My kids want to network their Playstation to the Internet, can you help? Yes. We have a lot of experience with Internet gaming and can assist with Playstation 2, XBox and other PC based games, like those from Blizzard Entertainment and others. We can also help configure firewalls and routers for existing customers who buy these games after installation.

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I am interested in a home network, but have AOL, and would like to keep my account. How does that work? You can order DSL or Cable Modem service from your local provider, install a home network and keep your AOL account. AOL can be used over any broadband connection and AOL offers a "bring your own access(BYOA)" pricing plan. All of our installations include AOL setup for AOL subscribers.