Network Basic

A network is a group of desktop and/or laptop computers (and other hardware devices, such as printers) that are connected together with the primary purpose of communicating and exchanging data. Networking is all about sharing, and it allows your computers to connect to the Internet, talk to each other, and share resources like files and printers.

There are two types of networks that you can configure - wired and wireless. A wired network requires connecting the computers using Ethernet cables (CAT5). A wired network is best used for an environment that requires movement of large amounts of data at high speed. Wireless networks don't use cables for connections, they use radio waves. Below are the advantages and disadvantages of each type of network, wired and wireless: