Networking originally required all computers be connected together with special wires, through an expensive box called a hub. Networking was expensive, and it was fiendishly difficult to set up and run a network. Some networks required special network operating systems that required many hours of special training to master. In other words, networking was too hard for the average home user.

Apple was the first company to try to make networking easy enough for the home user. Microsoft took a different approach, and began by making Windows a networking system first for the office environment, and later for the home. I suppose that’s logical; offices depend on networked computers for their existence, and can afford to hire trained network administrators to establish and maintain networks. At home, the user is the network administrator. But the home user can’t afford expensive training, and probably couldn’t spare the time even if the training was affordable. So home networking has to be easy. 

Another barrier to home networking is stringing all those ugly wires around the house. Although it’s not hard to install network cable in new homes, doing so in existing homes can be difficult or expensive. Isn’t there an easier way? There is. And what if you have a notebook computer and need to move around the house as you compute — do you have to have a wire trailing you, where your spouse will trip over it and your cat will chew on it? Not any more, you don’t. 

In this issue we try to assess just where the industry stands with home networking. We look at several attempts to solve some of the problems addressed above. We had hoped to have more networking hardware to review, but were unable to get it donated in time for this issue. However, we do have some interesting hardware reviews, as well as some useful how-to articles. Many of our hardware reviewers had to overcome minor problems installing new networking hardware, even with the automated help provided by the latest Wizards in Windows. So even though we’ve come a long way, installation and set-up of home networking equipment isn’t foolproof. But it’s probably easy enough that you should be able to install and run a home network on your own now.