In the past, most people had just a single computer in their home and nothing else. Access to the Internet was based on dial-up modems which were connected directly with a serial cable on the home computer. No Local Area Network was needed. With the advancement of technology and the adoption of broadband Internet access connectivity at homes, necessitates that home appliances should be networked to facilitate online access and to also communicate and share information between them.What I mean when I say home appliances is home computers, next generation game consoles, printers, scanners, network attached storage, etc. All of these “Appliances” need to share information amongst themselves over a network, but also need to have high-speed access to the Internet. To achieve that, you will need to set-up a home network. With a home network you basically build a LAN, either wired or wireless, over which networked devices communicate between them inside the home, and also share the same internet connection.The heart of a home network is a broadband router. This is usually a device that lets you setup a wired or a wireless network. You can use Ethernet cables if you’re making a wired network, or use Wi-Fi for wireless. This integrated router provides also the Internet access connectivity.Once you have your home network setup, you can connect your computers, laptops, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, servers, network storage boxes, etc. After you connect those devices you can share files over the network, organize game parties, play online games, watch your home from the office using a Web Camera etc.