Knowing Your Needs

          Lets just get to the bottom of this. This part will make you even clear with the topologies you should set up.

        Okay, lets say you have five different computers in your home. And you need to get them connected to the internet all at once. Hm. We haven't get to the hardest part yet. It comes when you have problems with your budget. Take this for instance. You have a small budget. Maybe around 35$. To me, the most wallet-friendly topology is the Bus Topology.

      Now. Early information as it is, the topology consists of the hub, cables(commonly we use RJ-45) and of course, the computers(nodes).

     Note that it only have those peripherals and no other. Why am I saying this? You are probably asking yourself. This is basically on the cheap and affordable hub. Now in the market, you can most probably get yourself one for just 14$ to 20$ in one pay. But this is for 5-ports only. For additional ports, it may cost a few dollars more. Dont worry. We are only setting up a small network right? So lets just stick to the 5-ports hub. As an alternative, you can also replace them with a switch which functions about the same at the same price. Whatever brand it is, it is all the same but keep in mind that the quality will vary so choose the best as you can to get your network up and running. Done with the hub/switch, now lets move on.

      Considering the fact that we now have a hub/switch and the computers, we still have something missing. The computers aren't going to be connected to the internet without the cables right? So lets now move on to the cables. The most often used cable in LAN networks is RJ-45. There are others but considering that it offers the most speed, affordability, efficiency not to mention its easy implementation and maintenance, its best to pick the RJ-45. The cables might only cost, the most, is 3$. So, 3$ x 5 = 15$ for five computers implementation. Cheap right? Hm..

       Summing it all up, it cost around 35$. Thats too cheap for setting up a network if you want to know. But, if you know what you are doing and know where to search for these, it can indeed cut the price lower. So, if you are expecting lower prices, better search for the best price on the market but dont forget to consider the quality though!