When I first started networking computers the range of products on offer for the home user was limited. As time has passed and households now have multiple computers, laptops and home entertainment systems the amount of home networking equipment available has grown. The technology leaps afforded by wireless networking has also increased the scope for what is possible around in the home.

Most laptop users will be familiar with wireless internet access around the home. This is usually provided by connecting a wireless router to the internet connection. The router can then be accessed either wirelessly or via cables and a number of network ports on the rear of the device. The router can act as a starting point for setting up a home network with multimedia capabilities.

The first device on the list is data storage. There are a number of home network attached storage devices available to purchase. They can be connected to the network router via a standard network cable. Some do allow wireless connectivity but it is important to remember that this requires fast connection speeds throughout the home. Currently wireless speeds are no match for a Gigabit network connection. Once setup the Networked Attached Storage acts as a centralised storage location for all the media files and some even allow automatic backups of computers and laptops helping to protect the all important data.

With the data storage taken care of we can turn our attention to multimedia devices around the home. This is a growing industry at the moment with some great ideas and gadgets coming to market. There are now devices for connecting to your network which allow a HD interface connection to your television allowing you to watch or view your

media files on your TV from the comfort of your sofa. These TV media players usually have USB ports fitted to enable attachment of usb storage devices such as flash drives and removable hard disk drives.

Certain devices around the home may also be able to access your television. Some laptops and mobile phones can push pictures, video and music to a TV allowing the content to be viewed easily by friends and family without all sitting around a laptop or mobile phone display.

The final component to complete this prefect home network would be an audio media receiver. These devices again connect to the home network either via cables or wirelessly. They have the ability to play MP3 files from the network and some can be used for listening to internet radio. The high end models even have the ability to

provide music to different rooms around the house.

It is possible to build a complete home multimedia network at a reasonable cost and with the correct equipment can enhance the home entertainment system to the full.