File Sharing

Network file sharing between computers gives you more flexibity than using floppy drives or Zip drives. Not only can you share photos, music files, and documents, you can also use a home or small office network to save copies of all of your important data on a different computer. Backups are one of the most critical yet overlooked tasks in home or small business networking.

Printer Sharing

Once a home office network is in place, it's easy to then set up all of the computers to share a single printer. No longer will you need to bounce from one system or another just to print out an email message! Scanner and Fax can be shared in the same fashion.

Internet Connection Sharing

Using a home or small office network, multiple users can access the Internet simultaneously without having to pay an ISP for multiple accounts. Broadband connection to the Internet can handle the extra load with little trouble. Sharing dial-up Internet connections works, too. Painfully slow sometimes, you will still appreciate having a shared dial-up system.

Collaboration

It's hard for people to work together if no one knows what anyone else is doing. A network allows employees to share files, view other people's work and exchange ideas more efficiently. In a larger office, you can use email and instant messaging tools to communicate quickly and to store messages for future reference.

Multiplayer Gamming

Many popular home computer games support "LAN mode" where friends and family can play together, if they have their computers networked. Note that wireless home networks may be too slow to support LAN gaming in some cases

Entertainment Gateway

A low cost entertainment gateway device utilizes the network to stream MP3 music to stereo systems, digital photos and MPEG video to TV sets anywhere in the house. The files can be located on any system in the network.

Get Organized

A variety of network scheduling software is available that makes it possible to arrange meetings without constantly checking everyone's schedules. This software usually includes other helpful features, such as shared address books and to-do lists.