How to Choose an ISP: How Many Computers will You Connect?

The Multi-Computer Household in Today's World

A decade ago a multiple-computer household was a luxury, reserved for those with lots of money or a clear need to have more than one computer. Connecting them was even more of a luxury, and the ordinary person didn’t know much about the subject unless he or she worked in the field of computers.

These days some houses have more computers than people in them, and networks are commonplace. Whether you will use wired connections—and if you will connect all your computers—is the big decision now. You have the choice of combining these connections and even leaving some computers out of the network entirely, for whatever reasons.

Computer Security Issues

You should first think about security when deciding which computers to connect to the internet. For instance, if you have three computers and one has all your financial information, you may want to leave that one as a stand-alone and connect the other two. If you have excellent security or you’re not worried about the small amount of personal information that might be on a computer, then consider connecting all of them.

The Need for Additional Software

Remember that you will need additional hardware. To go with a wired connection, which is faster and more secure, you will need a router. This piece of equipment connects a computer to the modem. This works by providing one place to plug in all your computers (the router), then connecting that router to the modem. If a computer is in another room, you will need a network extender.

Computers on Different Levels

Some businesses and households, however, have many computers on multiple floors of the building. To try to run wires around—or thread them through walls and floors—would be a nightmare. Also, some like the ability to take their laptops around and work wherever the mood strikes them. The best bet for them may be wireless connections. Wireless connections also give you the ability to connect other non-computer devices, like cameras and room monitors.

And ... Even More Equipment

You will need a little more equipment. Of course you will need the router, but you will also need an adapter for the computer itself. There is a lot of advice out there on how to choose these pieces of equipment. Then use the router like you would a wired router, except that nothing plugs into it but the modem. You can see how this would benefit people with lots of computers.

Because your type of network correlates with the number of computers you will use, make sure you know how many you will want to connect before you choose wired or wireless.