Introduction
Almost everywhere and anywhere you go, even at homes, you will see that most of your hardware and components are linked together through a network. When you are connected to the internet you are technically in a network. So does it mean you need to have a networking computer? A computer network, or often referred to as a network, involves components and hardware like printers, fax, other computers and scanners linked together through a series of communication channels linked through network hardware like routers, switches and more. To put it in easier terms a network involves your computer being connected to other devices for the sake of sharing. Sharing includes sharing hardware like printers and scanners and also information and data. So a networking computer has the ability to control and use components and share information within its network. These networks can have as many computers as they like. In offices all the computers are in a network, connected to each other and can share files and data with each other though their own work stations.
History
So what exactly is the point of networking computer? Companies set up computer networks because it helps them save a bundle on computer hardware and makes the work flow extremely efficient. In a network system a company can set up just one printer, one scanner and one fax machine for an entire floor or at least a group of people. So if they only have to buy one for ten people (for example) they can opt for buying a very heavy duty and high quality equipment. The flow of information also gets very fast. An auditor sitting on the fourth floor can finish auditing his books and crunching numbers and update the file on the system, and the CEO on the tenth floor can immediately see what the updated file by the auditor has to say. This is done through file sharing with severs where the main information is stored in a giant storage server and anybody in the network can have access to it.
Features
There are also other benefits to a networking computer than just sharing equipment and information. If you have networked your hardware at home, you can have a lot of fun. If you have more than one computer at home like a desktop and a laptop or two laptops then you can, by connecting your computers on a network, have fun playing multiplayer games, like Counter-strike and need for speed and many more. It is not just computers. Newer digital recorders and internet televisions can be synced to your computers and servers as well, and allow you to view movies, photos and data on your computers. You can use your TV as a computer screen, and watch the cable and also movies and everything else.
Tips and comments
There was a time when networking computer meant using a lot of wires and switches and routers. Today it is not the same. With the growing trend of wireless technology almost all networks can be created without using a single wire to connect equipment to each other. We should also be better prepared for the future because the way the potentials of networks are growing, it may no longer be just an option for computers users.
