Welcome to the first in Fing’s crash course in home networks!
If you are reading this then you are probably sat amongst a load of Ethernet cables and flashing boxes wondering what do all these things do?!
Don’t worry, we at Fing are here to save the day. No longer will you have to nod your head blankly at the sales person whilst they tell you which router to buy. Crying over not knowing what a gateway is will be a thing of the past.
You are about to become a home network genius.
Home Networking: Why Should I Learn This Stuff?
You are not alone in feeling overwhelmed by your own home network setup. The whole reason behind creating Fingbox (our easy-to-use home network security and troubleshooting device) was because of how daunting the majority of homeowners find the topic of home networking.
Although in the back of our minds we know that our lack of knowledge leaves us vulnerable, it tends to not bother us – but then things stop working.
We’ve all glared at our router and politely asked it why it has decided to stop working during the season finale of our latest Netflix binge watch. As the amount of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in our homes increases so will the likelihood of you encountering tech that is refusing to work. Learning the basics of home networking will not only help you troubleshoot any problems that arise, but also help you make more informed choices when purchasing tech for your home.
You may leave all your network worries to a tech support company and so feel even more that you don’t need to learn about your home network setup. However, as smart homes grow we will see more tech and support companies taking advantage of homeowners’ lack of understanding of home networking, pushing products or services they don’t actually need onto their customers. A basic knowledge will give you more power to understand the usefulness of your tech support, and hold them accountable for poor service.
We at Fing are determined you are not going to be caught short on your home network – by the end of our crash course you’ll be making tech companies shake at the knees.
Understanding Your Home Network Setup: Where to Begin?
One of the most difficult things about understanding networking is the fact that most of what is happening isn’t actually visible! It’s harder to grasp how your Wi-Fi works when you can’t physically see what is happening. This is why we decided to start this series with looking at the part of your home network you can see – the networking devices.
Home networking devices are the physical boxes and cables that are required to setup and run your network. The collective term in networking for physical devices is hardware.
Networking hardware comes in all shapes and sizes, and their functions vary massively. We’re going to take you through the 10 most common network devices that you are likely to find in your home.
What Networking Devices Are You Likely to Find in Your Home Setup?
To get things started we’ve made you a cheat sheet of the most common networking devices. You can scroll below the infographic for more detailed explanations.
