‘NAS’ is short for Network Attached Storage. Basically, it’s a machine on your network that serves as a big hard drive for the users of that network. They’re very common at large- and medium-sized businesses, and they’re popping up in small businesses and homes more and more. On a home network, you can give each of your users a chunk of disk space on the NAS for their documents and media. It’s not recommended to actually install programs to the NAS, but this stuff, especially photos, music and video, can quickly take up a very substantial amount of hard drive space. Having it all in one place reduces duplication, and allows to set up a workable backup regiment.

A consumer-level NAS works more like a little network device, rather than a computer, even though, deep down, it is basically just a PC. You usually don’t actually interact with the operating system on the device, but instead a web interface or a piece of software that you install on some other machine on your network. There are even some routers to which you can connect storage (via USB, usually) that can then act like a NAS themselves. Ars Technica recently had a quick write-up on NAS devices; it’s worth reading.

If you’re a little more technically savvy, you might consider just buying a smaller desktop whose sole purpose would be to store your users’ files. Then you could dispense with the web interfaces and whatnot, but you would have to be comfortable with configuring those file services yourself. Microsoft sells Home Server to help with that, as well. Any number of Linux distributions would be ideal for this purpose too. You could also be sure that it includes a DVD burner to make those backups even easier. A home server, though, is a bit more than a NAS. And it’s enough of a topic for a whole other article..

Your Router

A router is the device that connects all your devices to the external Internet. Whether you get your Internet access via cable modem, DSL or some other means, the router sits between your devices and the Internet, doling out all the networking goodness.

When purchasing a wireless router, you’ll usually find that it’s not entirely wireless. These days, the most common configuration sold seems to be a router with four Ethernet ports. There isn’t usually any practical limit to the number of devices you can connect wirelessly to the router, but you’re generally limited to those four wired devices. There are a few things to know about wired networking, but mostly, go with the fastest that fits your budget. 100 Mb/s (“Fast Ethernet”) is standard, but more devices now support 1000 Mb/s (“Gigabit Ethernet”). There’s no worry there, though, because you can mix and match those speeds, and the network will figure on its own out the fastest speed it can go. Generally, we suggest you future-proof your network by getting a faster router, and your devices can catch up later.

Wireless Security

You can set your router to one of two basic modes: open or secured. If you leave your wireless network open, anyone within close physical range can connect to the Internet, and your home network, through your wireless router. That’s generally not recommended, though some people make a point to host an open access point. We recommend, though, that you secure your home’s wireless network.

The industry’s first attempt at wireless security was WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), which was intended to offer the same level of security as physically controlled network plugs when the “plug” is simply the air. For various technical reason, this didn’t end up working well, and this security model is highly discouraged because it is very easy for a motivated person to gain access to a WEP-secured network.

The best wireless security method widely used today is called WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), the most secure variant being WPA2/AES, which is a revision of the original WPA using an encryption method called AES. This combination is known to hold up very well to even very motivated attackers, and it is widely supported on any new wireless router. The instructions for setting up this level of security vary slightly with different routers, but it is still a very straight-forward process. See your router’s manual for set up instructions.

Wrapping it Up

Setting up a wireless network in your home can be intimidating. Just keep a few of these terms in mind, along with your budget. Setting up a wireless router and your devices to access it has only become easier with the introduction of new technology. With a little time invested, you’ll have a low-maintenance, secure, easy-to-use home network.

Now we don’t have to worry about which type of cable to use when connecting our computers in a network. For most household purposes, Wi-Fi is sufficient. When properly configured, Wi-Fi is a fast, secure, simple way to create a home network. There is a lot of jargon and terminology to get your mind around, though.

So what is Wi-Fi? The word means “Wireless Fidelity,” a play off of “Hi-Fi” meaning “High Fidelity,” but knowing that doesn’t really help. The intent when Wi-Fi was developed was to create a wireless equivalent to the main consumer wired network technology, Ethernet. Appropriately, Wi-Fi is also sometimes referred to as “Wireless Ethernet.” That might be a bit more explanatory, but there’s still a good deal more to understand.

So, how do you get Wi-Fi into your home? You’ll need a wireless router, which will usually have an external Wi-Fi antenna or two for connecting wirelessly, but it might also have a few wired Ethernet ports as well. Having both wired and wireless connectivity in the same router can be very convenient.

The technology and standards around Wi-Fi are pretty well-established these days. Technically, the term “Wi-Fi” is a certification that a device is compatible with these standards. But there are actually several sometimes-mutually compatible types, with the most common being 802.11g, but 802.11n is quickly superseding it.

You see, there have been several iterations of this technology. Early on, 802.11a and 802.11b competed (note the different letters at the end of the numbers), but weren’t really mutually compatible, because they operated on different radio frequencies. Along came 802.11g, which was much faster, and designed to be compatible with 802.11b. Most new 802.11g routers still support 802.11b. Most recently, 802.11n was introduced, and it’s faster still.

The letters following “802.11″ refer to updates and refinements to a defined standard, the IEEE 802.11 standard to be exact. So, technically,  802.11b and 802.11n, etc. are all wireless networking protocols that have some degree of inter-compatibility. The particulars of this standard aren’t important, and there’s a lot more to it than what will be discussed in this article. Just know that, for everyday purposes, the term “Wi-Fi” has become synonymous with the 802.11 family of wireless networking standards.

So, who needs Wi-Fi? If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already determined that you need it (or maybe you’ve already set up your install). More specifically, there a few good use cases:

• Do you have lots of computers? Do you have lots of Wi-Fi capable devices? Keep in mind that in many cases, this can include video game consoles, mobile phones and other devices. Do you have separate PCs for children? Spouse? A media server? A home-theater PC? If you have a bunch of Wi-Fi-capable (or potentially Wi-Fi-capable) devices, it might be simpler and easier to set these devices up for wireless rather than stringing network cable all over your home.
• Maybe you just have one or two devices, but the external internet connection just isn’t in a handy spot. The DSL hookup is at one end of the house, and you really want your PC in the office, all the way at the other end. Rather than getting the utility company to re-wire (if that’s even an option), you might just set up a Wi-Fi router at the internet connection, and leave your PC where it is most convenient for you.
• All current-generation video game consoles support Wi-Fi one way or another. Especially if your console(s) isn’t especially near your router, a Wi-Fi connection might the easiest way to go.
• Another interesting advantage is the ability to offer house guests easy internet access. They just bring their Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or device, and once you give them your access information, they can connect to the internet without having to use your PC.
• What if you just have a PC or two? And they’re near your main internet connection? It might be that Wi-Fi just isn’t for you at this point, but perhaps you’d like to set it up now, before you really need it.

When shopping for a wireless device, the packaging will usually reference one of these letters, but it may swap out “802.11″ for “Wi-Fi.” Sometimes not. The baseline device you would want to consider would be a G router, but for just a little bit more, an N router is much more future-proof. Especially with the rapid pace of wireless technology innovation, unless you have a good reason to stick with a slower G router, you should consider investing in a faster N router. N also has some other advantages that can make the higher price tag easier to justify.

So, now we’ve covered some terminology and technology. Next time, we’ll discuss some more practical items so you can make an informed decision when you decide to purchase a household router.