Networking For Dummies, 10th Edition

Chapter 28

Ten Big Network Mistakes

Just about the time you figure out how to avoid the most embarrassing computer mistakes (such as using your CD drive’s tray as a cup holder), the network lands on your computer. Now you have a whole new list of dumb things you can do, mistakes that can give your average computer geek a belly laugh because they seem so basic to him. Well, that’s because he’s a computer geek. Nobody had to tell him not to fold the floppy disk — he was born with an extra gene that gave him an instinctive knowledge of such things.

Here’s a list of some of the most common mistakes made by network novices. Avoid these mistakes and you deprive your local computer geek of the pleasure of a good laugh at your expense.

Skimping on Cable

If your network consists of more than a few computers or has computers located in different rooms, invest in a professional-quality cable installation, complete with wall-mounted jacks, patch panels, and high-quality network switches. It’s tempting to cut costs by using cheap switches and by stringing inexpensive cable directly from the switches to each computer on the network. In the long run, though, the Scrooge approach may actually prove to be more expensive than investing in a good cable installation in the first place.

Here are just a few of the reasons it pays to do the cabling right in the first place:

A good cable installation ...