Having a home network these days is nothing new. What is new is the abundance of inexpensive hardware. 4-port routers selling for under $50, 4-port wireless routers for under $100. You can pick up 10/100 switches for under $20 or step up to 10/100/1000 switches for under $100. We've come a long way from the cross-over cable days.

Many people with broadband connections and multiple computers have a router these days. Routers offer more security than a switch or hub and a few conveniences such as firewalls, port forwarding, etc. The router can be the first line of defense on a network or a simple front end to a much more complicated network which resides behind. This network could be filled with additional routers, switches, wireless connectivity and more.

The DawG PounD has had several threads filled with networking questions ranging from hardware performance to setup. Without even starting my research, D-Link asked if I'd like to take a peek at a complete D-Link network. Still stunned from the odd coincidence of them contacting us, I agreed. They sent out their new Wireless G 4-port router, 5 port switch, 5 port Gigabit switch, wireless to Ethernet adapter, 2 PCI Gigabit NICs and a wireless PCMCIA Card. To me, it looks like a full network.

Many people have been wondering the value of upgrading to gigabit. They hear that it's not really 1gb speed and it turns them away. Well as this is the first time I've had gigabit on my home network, I can assure you I feel the same way. I'll be testing all of the units and measuring their bandwidth as well as setup procedures and maintenance.