5 Tips for mastering your home network setup

Home & Lifestyle Blog | MATE, Entertainment & Internet Blog | MATE | 19 September 2018

A few years ago, the only source of entertainment in most Australian homes was watching free-to-air TV channels, listening to the radio, or perhaps watching some random movie or music video on tape.

Thanks to advancements in technology, homeowners can now create a home network through digital technology and gain access to unlimited options of entertainment. With digital technology, users can now access the internet from the comfort of their homes, enjoy numerous games consoles, or stream movies on a smart TV.

In order to control most of the networked appliances in your home, you need to test various approaches to be sure that you have the right home network setup.

Here are five tips to get you started.

#1. Set up your home network like a pro

It is important to start the process by putting together the necessary equipment and identify the perfect location to setup your network. Remember, some networks use wireless systems while others don’t.

The location you choose to setup your network in the house will also determine the amount of cable you need to use. Plug it all together by carefully following the instructions in the manual and leave the ports meant for your wired devices.

It is advisable to have your modem and router together, particularly at the centre of your house so that the signal can reach the rest of the home without any interference.

#2. Pick the right connection method

Here are some of the viable connection methods you should consider for your home network setup:

• Wi-Fi: Most network devices can easily connect to Wi-Fi except for older equipment such as printers. Use a control device such as a smartphone to connect your appliances to a wireless network. This is a good solution, especially if you don’t want physical fittings in your home.
• Ethernet: Cabled hardware allows you to connect supported devices to your modem or router directly. It is a good option when building a new home or when your router is close to your devices. Also, it allows you to transfer more data at higher speeds.
• Bluetooth: This is perfect for connecting one device to another in your home. For instance, you don’t need a wider network to connect your smartphone to a Bluetooth speaker and enjoy listening to music.

#3. Expand your network

It is important to remember that some devices such as printers need physical network cables in order to work. Typically, you can connect a few devices because the Ethernet ports on your router may be only four or less. But, you can still expand your network by buying an Ethernet hub or investing in another router.

#4. Link your devices to one another

Modern network-capable devices such as kitchen appliances and home entertainment systems can automatically detect your network and connect seamlessly.
With a credible program or app, you don’t have to tinker with the issue of IP addresses. All you need to do is ensure that your smart device and connection device are on the same network. Most modern operating systems can flawlessly recognise and tolerate each other on the same network.

#5. Keep your network secure

It is crucial to keep your network secure from prying eyes. Firewall protection and encryption in wireless routers help you block intruders from your network. Wireless routers offer different security standards such as WPA, WPA2, and WEP. WPA2 is the most secure standard and WEP is the least.

Unfortunately, some people expose themselves to hackers by forgetting to change their default administrator logins and passwords. In most cases, the default password is “password” and the username is “user”. Therefore, since most people know these default login details, you have to change them when setting up the router. Some hackers may try to use the product name when trying to crack an unsecured Wi-Fi connection. So, change everything into something unique that you can remember.

Wrap

Are you looking for an internet provider to kickstart your home network? Contact us at MATE for the least clingy Aussie internet plans. We don’t charge any fees for changing or canceling your plan and our friendly Australian-based customer service agents will listen to your requirements and guide you in choosing a plan that suits your specific needs.