4 Things You Need to Know About Your Home Network

We are living in the era of the connected home. Technological advances have brought your home’s components together, but it’s not done through magic. Your smartphone, TV, media library, home security, smart control and more all rely on your network to share important data in order to function. Make sure you get your Huntsville, Alabama home working consistently, and efficiently, with a home networking solution primed to meet your needs. Consider these following questions when installing or upgrading your system:

What Will Your Network Be Used For?

A common mistake when installing a new home networking system is not taking into account how it will be used. How many components will rely on the network? Does it need to cover your entire home? These things will determine how powerful it should be and how it should be designed. For example, in a multiple-story home it is necessary to use multiple routers in order to ensure a strong signal throughout the space.

Determining how you want to use your network will also affect its requirements. Want to enjoy Netflix’s new 4K Ultra HD offerings? A basic internet plan won’t be enough to deal with the added demand on your bandwidth. You need high network speeds and 4K-ready routers so your new technology doesn’t go to waste.

Do You Want a Wireless or Wired Solution?

You can maximize the efficiency and strength of your network through a hard-wired solution. Many people resist this approach since they believe it will lead to cables running throughout their home. There’s no need to worry. AV Enthusiast works with you from project inception to install thorough wiring within your walls for a sturdy network that doesn’t affect your décor.

There may be areas of the home not accessible via cables and many devices like smartphones or tablets rely on a wi-fi connection. For this purpose, wireless access points can be installed throughout the home to extend your router’s reach and ensure a strong signal for your wi-fi devices everywhere in your home.

How Will You Prioritize Traffic in Your Network?

A great way to improve the efficiency of your system is to prioritize the traffic within it. There are distinct types of data that travel through your network, by giving each kind its own lane on the highway you can avoid cyber gridlock. Traditionally this is done by installing what are called VLANS, which are essentially subnetworks within the home.

VLANS, however, can be difficult for the average user to configure and manage. Our partner Pakedge makes it simple by offering six pre-segmented zones in your home: Management, voice, audio/video, automation, data and guest. You can have them prioritized as you wish and use an intuitive drag-and-drop menu to change priorities according to your daily activities. 

How Will You Keep Your Network Secure?

You want to make sure you have a strong security foundation. Protect your network with firewalls that keep outside users from accessing the system. Firewalls keep malware and intruders out by requiring data meet specific criteria in order to pass through. This, in effect, keeps people from breaking into the system and stealing valuable information or manipulating your devices.

Contact AV Enthusiast today for a scalable networking solution that can handle all of the technology in your home and is primed to incorporate new components or upgrades in the future.