The Hub

The most important part of the network, so I'd highly recommend going for something high priced to ensure good build and reliability. Make sure to buy hubs to meet your requirements, I mean no use purchasing a 10-port hub if you're only expecting 3 people. Another good company is Netgear, exceptional value for money, with hubs that will fulfill all the requirements.

The Cable

Basically you need a category 5 cable with RJ45 jacks at both ends, buy top quality cables since they directly affect the bandwidth. This will allow you to play happily at 100MBps. You may want to check out our guide on how to make your own Cat5 cable.

The Installation

When you get all the components and get some friends over, position the hub in a central position and all the PCs away from it. Now take switch off your system but do not unplug it from the power plug, this will provide an "earth" for the metal chassis; now take off your case.

Your card should be a PCI, look for a free PCI slot, this is usually a white strip running towards a clasp that is screwed to the chassis, unscrew this clasp and remove it to make the port free to the outside. Gently slot your network card until it's firmly in, but don't apply too much pressure. After this, place the PC case back, repeat this procedure to all the other PCs present and reboot all of them.

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