How to connect my pc to my tv/projector?

Network, how to connect all the PC and Printer?

• ok i know what i need to setup a network, well in my situation...5 PC Clients + Printer and a more faster PC as a Server. Correct me if I'm wrong, i need an Internet connection (I already have), a router, switch and network cables (RJ45). Now how exactly are all these PC's and Printer connects to each other??...eg. Internet Modem to Router, Router to PC Server (with Printer), PC Server to Switch...and then PC Clients to Switch. yes?? Please again correct me if I'm wrong....Router to PC Server connects using the onboard ethernet (RJ45) port on the motherboard? and then PC Server connects to the switch from the network card??...also do Network cards really neccesary for PC Clients? I thought they must have an onboard ethernet (RJ45) port on their motherboard too? can't they just use that to connect to the switch? By the time I know exactly how these PC's connects to each other with router, switch and internet modem, I will be able to take the next step which is setting them up to communicate...etc (my next question i guess). Lastly, how do switches connect with a router? on which port? any??? I am sooo confused. detailed explanation wil'b much appreciated. thnx

• Answer:

  This will take you a bit of trial and error as you haven't done a network of this size before. You mostly have the idea down right. If the computers (and server) have an Ethernet port built into their motherboards you do NOT need to buy or install a network card. They are the same thing. The only reason you would want to add network cards to these machines is if you wanted a Gigabit network (fastest possible) and your machines didn't support it by default. (I wouldn't bother with it for now). I'm not sure what your application is for this setup, but you generally don't need a 'server' computer,.. but if you want to add another machine that is 'faster' go ahead it won't make setup any more difficult. The wiring is going to be like this: Modem --> Router --> Switch. Modem will go into the WAN port of the router,.. and the Switch in any of the other regular ports on the router. From there it is as simple as Switch --> Computer 1, Computer 2, Computer 3, Computer 4, Computer 5, Computer 6. All a switch is doing is giving you more ports to wire to your router. The 4 ports on your router are a built in 'switch'.. Main difference in a switch and a router is that a router has a WAN input port and NAT/DHCP functions. So if you were just connecting 4 computer total,.. you wouldn't even need the switch,.. and you can actually buy routers that have more than 4 ports if you wanted to have less 'boxes'. After the wiring it will be basic setup of a router. Networking a printer is another subject and can easily be discovered via google. Ideally you want to attach the printer to a machine that will be on 24/7, ie: your server --- and then network it via your OS .. ie: Windows. Then add that printer on all the other machines. Again, a simple search on the internet on how to network a printer will provide a step by step guide. Good luck,