We spent last week learning all about your home network, your routers, and all the cool things you can do with them. Here's the complete guide that will teach you how to pick out the best network hardware, get to know it better, make it perform at its best, and access just about anything on your network from practically anywhere in the world.
Lesson 1: Router Hardware 101
You can't create a useful home network without a router, and choosing a good one can be a tough task. In this first lesson we'll talk you through your various hardware options and how to choose the best router for you.
Lesson 2: Understanding Your Router's Admin Page
Once you actually have a router, you need to learn how to use it. The router's admin page can be pretty intimidating the first time you take a look, but once you get acquainted with the various sections, features, and options, you'll be able to find your way around problem-free. In this lesson we walk you through basic setup and teach you what the different pages of your router's admin can do for you.
Lesson 3: Maximizing Your Speed, Performance, and Wireless Signal
By the time you reach this lesson, you should have everything up and running—just not necessarily as smoothly as possible. If you want to improve your network speeds and your router's performance, here's a look at all the ways you can do just that.
Lesson 4: Accessing Your Home Computers from Anywhere
One of the coolest things you can do with a home network is make it remotely accessible. This can be a complex undertaking the first time through, but we'll help you get things set up and look at the extra steps you need to make it an ideal experience.
Lesson 5: Bonus Features and Further Resources
In our final lesson on home networking, we'll cover a few cool bonus features that just didn't really fit into the other lessons. Additionally, we'll take a look at further resources you can use to expand your knowledge of networking so you can do even more.
If you'd prefer to read all these lessons as a PDF, you can download one here.
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