How to Configure Local Network Area: 9 Steps

How to Configure Local Network Area: 9 Steps

It is virtually impossible to find a business that does not have a local area network in place. If you work in an office setup that has a local area connection and would like to setup your PC to the LAN to connect to the Internet, then look no further.

Steps

1. Attach the RJ-45 connector to the Ethernet network port on your PC.

2. Right click on ‘My Network Places’ icons located on the desktop and in the popup menu. Click on Properties

• Alternatively, click ‘Start’ from the taskbar and right click on ‘My Network Places’ option from the popup menu. In the menu that appears select ‘Properties’

3. Right-click on ‘Local Area Connection’ in the new Window that appears (under the LAN or High-Speed internet section).

4. Click Properties in the popup menu that appears.

5. Scroll down and select ‘Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click on ‘Properties' in the Local Area Connection dialog box that appears under the connection box.

6. Opt for obtaining the configuration settings automatically or manually. To obtain the settings automatically, select ‘Obtain an IP Address Automatically’. However, to use this option, you will need to have a DHCP server that will function in allocating and managing IP address to ensure that there are no conflicts.

7. Configure your PC to the network manually, if you modem isn't connected that with the options mentioned above.

• Click the option ‘Use the following IP Address’.
• Enter the IP address to use. It is important that you consult your network administrator on the IP to use so as to avoid conflicts occurring in the network, i.e. a situation where two PCs have similar IP addresses.
• Enter the Subnet Mask and Default gateway. The subnet mask is used to identify the network level you are in while the default gateway identifies the router connection

8. Check the option ‘Show icon in notification area when connected’.

9. Click ‘OK”. This will enable you to know if the local area connection is connected or disconnected.

Warnings

• Given that you will be using the local area connection to connect to the internet and access other network resources, it is important that you put network security measures in place to protect your computer. You can do this by enabling the Windows Firewall setting by going to ‘Control Panel’ and double clicking on ‘Windows Firewall’ option. Select the option ‘On’ to activate it.