Network Setup

Phone: 023 80 986 954

COVID-19 Update August 2022

John is now fully vaccinated and carrying out regular Rapid Antigen test to protect both his clients and himself. The impact of people working from home, and the delays in obtaining IT equipment is however having an impact on our response rates - so please bare with us. All work and travel is undertaken in line with current Government recommendations.

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Network Setup

" Fast turnaround and well priced job overhauling an outdated web site. Nice man to do business with. "

K. Calvert

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A Descent Router - DrayTek

DrayTek have been in the high-speed modem business for over 20 years starting with ISDN adapters. Today they produce some of the most feature rich but affordable routers in the world. If you want a reliable and powerful router than can do almost anything straight out of the box, then check the Vigor range of routers. The 2866 can connect to modems, ADSL, ADSL2, ADSL2+, VDSL, g.Fast, Cable modems, Starlink, Fibre modems and 3G/4G networks. On top of that it will allow the use of multiple internet connections either in a 'load balanced' or 'failover' configuration. It also supports multiple wifi networks on the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands allowing WPA2/WPA3 secure company wifi and public/guest hotspots (with bandwidth and time limitations!). If you're a network geek, just look at the technical specs!

IPv4 and IPv6 Support

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the next version after IPv4. Instead of the 32 bits used by IPv4 for addressing, IPv6 uses 128 bits for the same purpose - which theoretically makes it possible to assign 2¹²⁸ addresses - hence, it offers long term solutions to most of the problems that emerged while using IPv4.

Visit ipv6-test.com to test your IPv6 internet connection.

Networks

The connection between your high-speed router and your computer is just as important as your router selection. Wifi initially seems like the best option as it's quick and easy to setup, but what it offers in convenience it lacks in speed and reliability (have you ever tried using a wifi connected printer or scanner?). Installing an inexpensive 'switch' and CAT5 cabling to your desktop is a sensible option, or perhaps cable in a separate wifi hotspot at the other end of the building to improve coverage. We are often asked to help resolve power socket connected network devices, we almost always upgrade to a dedicated CAT5 cable and have no further problems.

DrayTek Router Dashboard

If you've paid for high-speed Infinity, Sky or Virgin Fibre, then why waste it on the 'free' wifi router that comes with it? The Draytek also offers tons of monitoring information way beyond the simple 'blue light' provided with many routers, which really helps when investigating problems.

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