Wired Network Hardware: The Nuts and Bolts

Now it is time to turn your attention to the specific devices you will need if you have decided upon a wired Ethernet network. In some ways, wired networks require a bit more advance planning than do wireless networks because a wired network must have a place for each PC or other network device to plug into the network. If you run out of ports before you run out of PCs, you'll either need to expand the network's capacity or leave some of your PCs disconnected—not exactly the ideal situation.

TIP

If you do run out of ports on your wired router, you can plug a switch into one of the router's ports and then ...

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