New Edition of EYO 101 Feature Article about Home Networking is now online.

EYO’s Guide to Home Networking

The idea of “being connected” at home is no longer just a simple case of a computer plugged straight into a broadband modem. Home networks are becoming pretty complex, as people create ever-more elaborate systems to spread that connectivity into every room of the house.

The home network usually starts with the entry point, and overwhelmingly that is a broadband ADSL or cable modem (mostly ADSL). Because broadband connections require account usernames and passwords, many users opt for a broadband router to handle the authentication automatically and to give a basic level of security with an in-built firewall. But routers have moved well beyond such limited functionality, and even the most basic broadband router like the Netgear RP614 provides a multi-port switch and address translation services (NAT) to enable users to connect multiple computers to the same port.

Read more here.