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Essentials of Setting up a Business Computer Network

Setting up a computer network for small-to-mid-sized businesses requires extensive planning. Business computer networks link two or more computers so that they can communicate with each other and share information.

Computer networks must remain robust and secure since they support wide-ranging equipment, devices, software, and applications that drive functions ranging from budgeting and inventory management to sales and marketing. The network spans laptops, phones, and printers and connects to internal or external servers that provide needed bandwidth for hosting and distributing data in real time.

Organizations can pick from two basic types of business networks: the local area network (LAN) and the vast area network (WAN). LAN networks use wifi or network cables. It connects devices within a limited geographic footprint, such as a building or office space, and relies on on-site servers. By contrast, WAN setups host network resources off-site and accessed on-demand via a cloud platform and provider that offers secure external hosting.

WAN and LAN networks connect devices using a router that links two or more via the Internet and applies to traditional wired and wireless setups. Professionals recommend using business-grade wifi routers since they contain features such as anti-virus software and firewall systems that filter out SPAM. They often allow for the installation of VPN servers that offer encryption capacities as data travels securely across a network. Encryption minimizes vulnerabilities to outside threats, such as hackers and malware. A quality router continues functioning seamlessly through events such as power outages. Organizations can configure them to optimize bandwidth through controlling and prioritizing usage.

Then, network switches support data flow across networks of computers and peripherals. They determine how a network allocates the bandwidth provided through an internet connection. Switches are programmable via web interface, CLI (command line interface), or SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).

Unmanaged switches apply to plug-and-play devices that communicate freely with each other in shared spaces that host personnel and visitors, such as conference rooms, and for shared equipment, such as fax and printing stations. Managed switches provide businesses with ways to control and limit access to data, defining how data flows across a network. They allow the setting of port bandwidths and the creation or modification of local area networks.

Physical cables apply to ports in management protocols. Service providers feature cloud-managed switches for wireless networking that enable remote network access control through a software interface. The wireless local area network (WLAN) defines wifi coverage. It has an access point, which serves as the gateway for users and devices that connect wirelessly to the network.

Business-grade access points have handling capacity designed to accommodate greater traffic flow. Alternatively, coverage range expands through range extenders - though these may slow network speeds and have a limited number of connectable devices.

Many small businesses utilize an underlying wired network to ensure stable connectivity that underpins their high-speed wireless network. The approach accommodates wired connections with stationary devices such as cameras and printers, which fees up wireless bandwidth for wireless-dependent devices such as phones and laptops. Therefore, organizations can use both instead of picking between cable and wireless network environments.

Lastly, pick the right cables. Cables provide sufficient bandwidth to access points and deliver a fast wireless network. Know current cable standards, as with CAT6 for LAN wiring, when picking cables. In addition, ensure that two cables running to each wireless access point have enough capacity. It will accommodate evolving industry standards and allow for extra wired bandwidth as the business grows.