Home network - where do I start?

Cd1986

Cd1986

Cd1986

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Im getting sick of transferring files using USB sticks and external hard drives so want some kind of network setup but where do I start?

All I want to do is store files somewhere centra so they can be accessed from multiple computers (mainly office files). All I have in terms of equipment is a BT homehub 2.0. Budget = cheap as possible but transfer speeds have to be useable and not painfully slow.

Thanks in advance.
 
I tried a zyxel NSA310 and had to send it back as it was sooooo slow. It took about 8 hours to copy 16gb of data to it. Is that normal?
 
That's was wifi using a BT homehub 2.0 so probably wireless G. I considered getting a gigabit router but wasn't sure if this would make a difference or not
 
Cd1986 said:
I tried a zyxel NSA310 and had to send it back as it was sooooo slow. It took about 8 hours to copy 16gb of data to it. Is that normal?
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No, that's not normal. By my calculations, that's approximately 0.57MBps (megabytes per second). If you didn't use wireless and were all wired, with a gigabit router let's say for argument's sake, you get 94MBps (752Mbps - megabits per second), that'll mean to transfer 16gb of data, it'll take you 2 minutes and 54 seconds. However, other factors can affect how fast you transfer data at, e.g. Hard Drive speed.

By getting an N WiFi router, if the computers which are connecting to it are nearby, I'd recommend running it on 5Ghz so long as the wireless adapters are also N compatible, otherwise the clients running on G or B will lower the maximum transfer rates for ALL clients, including the N clients. From an article I've read, 5Ghz (advertised at 300mbps, most likely to get 180-200mbps) was 20%~ faster than running on 2.4Ghz (around 150mbps), however this can vary I should imagine. If however the computers aren't close to the router, run on 2.4Ghz as this will provide a better range than 5Ghz.

So, with a NAS your options are as followed:
All clients wired, including the NAS to a gigabit router. Should be able to transfer 16gb in approximately 2 Minutes 54 seconds. Can vary dependent upon other factors.

Wireless N router;
2.4Ghz - Lower speeds, better range, more suitable if you're already having issues with signal strength strength. Transfer 16GB in around 14 minutes and 30 seconds.
5Ghz - High speeds, smaller range, better if you're not already having issues with signal strength. Transfer 16GB in approximately 11 minutes and 30 seconds.

Hopefully this will help you. It's been a long time since I worked on my CompTIA N+ (damn, I should've kept with it, I'd almost finished the video course).
 
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There isn't much point in wireless if all the computers are close together though.

Also, if you have one PC on quite a lot then it wouldn't be worth using a NAS, you could just share the files from that instead.
 
Install Dropbox or Windows Live Mesh. It will keep all the files from a specific folder up to date on all the machines that you put it on.

Can also set it to keep secure copies online.
 
bledd. said:
Install Dropbox or Windows Live Mesh. It will keep all the files from a specific folder up to date on all the machines that you put it on.

Can also set it to keep secure copies online.
Click to expand...
+1, simplest way if it's just office files.

It installs onto most clients, Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android etc and it's really simple to use. Best of all, it's free (unless you want to pay for more storage).

If you are wanting to stream media over your home network then look into a NAS device or home server but if it's just office stuff as you say, Dropbox is perfect.
 
Thanks for the replies, very useful.

All computers are pretty close to eachother (Within 20m or so) so range isn't an issue. It sounds like wired would be the way to go for NAS as the transfer would be far better. The only problem with that is:

I have three phone sockets in the house - one behind the TV, one in the hallway downstairs and one in the spare room. My PC is in my office room (which doesn't have a phone socket). The router is currently plugged into the spare room socket. As the NAS has to be wired to the router, i can't have the router, NAS and PC all wired. I often work from my laptop in the kitchen downstairs so that would also have to use wireless.

I have a dropbox account already and it works pretty well but storing files on cloud services makes me worry about security. Some of the files i have are quite sensitive (eg business accounts). How much storage do you get on dropbox?
 
Sockets???

The fastest and cheapest option for wired networking is Cat5e (or better) Ethernet cables.

Then there's also the option and Powerline adapters. More expensive, but can work well if they like your mains wiring. Saves having cables trailing around the house.
 
Windows Live Mesh has the option to not store them online. They will be up to date on all machines, if they're just documents and aren't HUGE video files, wireless will be plenty.

Does Dropbox not allow you to store them offline only? (Set a secure password etc).

Only follow one person's advice, pick one and go with it. Otherwise you'll end up in a mess.


Phone line sockets are not on your network. Your network is anything connected wireless to the router and/or by an ethernet (network) cable to the router.


bremen, whilst your advice is correct, I deem it overkill. Wireless is perfectly fine for day to day / office use
 
i had never heard of Windows Live Mesh until today so will have a look at that. Dropbox has a 2gb limit and is then £10/month for 50gb so not that great value.

Sync'ing two computers is probably a more ideal solution so i will look for a service that is just more that just a few gb.

Thanks for the advice, really is appreciated
 
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