Why it's cool

Today more and more people are working at least part of the time from home. And it's also a fact that many families have more than one computer. Modern offices have networks that connect individual PCs so they can share files, printers, and Internet access. You can have the same power and convenience at home.

Data networks used to be exclusively wired networks; today's technology makes it easy and affordable to have wired and wireless capabilities.

Most of the home networks Home Media installs mix wired connections for desktop machines and other fixed location devices with wireless capabilities for portable devices like laptop computers and touch screen controllers.

What it does for you

Lets you share files, pictures, and music between computers. Great for synchronizing your laptop and desktop machines.

Lets several computers share high speed Internet access from services like cable modems, ISDN, or DSL.

A printer in one room can be shared with computers in other rooms.

New devices like movie and music servers (Audio ReQuest, Fireball) and hard drive video recorders (Tivo, ReplayTV) use Internet connections to retrieve program guides, table of contents info and cover art as well as automatic software updates.

How it works

Computer jacks are located throughout your home on the same wall plates as your phone outlets (or on additional wall plates if desired). High-speed cable is run from each wall plate to a central panel in your garage or utility room.

The individual cables are plugged into a network hub or switch. The hub creates the link between the computers, printers, and the Internet access devices (like a cable modem).

The individual computers and devices are configured to 'talk' to each other over the network. The jacks on the wall plates can also serve wireless access points (WAPs) so that portable devices like laptop computers can share network services and devices.