A Home Network Brings Peace to the Shmidt Family

If you think vying for time in the bathroom can upset domestic tranquility, you haven’t seen what happens when there’s only one Internet-connected computer in the house.

“I have to say that one of the best aspects of our new network is that it ended a lot of family arguments,” declares a relieved Ted Schmidt.

Actually, the Schmidts have several PCs. But until Ted installed their 3Com home Ethernet network, only one of the computers was linked to the Internet. And for a family of six with three school-age children at home and another away at school, that became a real bone of contention.

The Schmidts’ 3Com home network lets the whole family share one Internet connection using a high-speed cable modem. Family members can exchange e-mail over the network, access each other’s files, play video games, and print out documents on either of two printers. The Schmidts also use 3Com’s PC Digital WebCam to stay in visual touch with their eldest daughter at school in Boston via the Internet.

Though the Schmidts’ 3Com home network is a bona fide 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN, it was exceptionally easy to set up. And Microsoft’s HomeClick software makes managing everything a snap — even for a nontechnical guy.

“I was afraid to do it, frankly,” Ted admits. “But it only took a few minutes. Then we had a network!”