subject: How To Throw A Lan Party! [print this page] Putting together a LAN for computer gaming isn't as complicated as you might think. It is much less complicated now than it was in the past. Here are a few tips to help you put together a great LAN party.
When creating your LAN, be very careful not to create bottlenecking connections. If you only have one switch running your network, you won't have to worry about that. For a larger LAN party, you will need take special care, especially where your game servers are in relation to their clients.
You will need to make sure that you supply ample power. People generally do not consider power for LAN equipment until the last second, and then end up making a daisy-chain with the power strips. This is not only dangerous as a fire hazard, but if one strip gets knocked out everything behind it does too.
Instead of chaining power strips, create a power wiring plan along with your LAN wiring plan. When planning where you will set up computers, pay attention to the placement of electrical outlets. Make sure to keep the electrical load safe for each of them.
Gigabit Ethernet technology has finally come down in price, and now is readily available. Most computer machines are now equipped to handle that speed. This higher speed will help your games run smoothly without a lot of lag time.
If you are trying to keep the cost down, not all your equipment needs to use gigabit technology. Nearly all computers are designed to handle 10/100 megabit Ethernet. For most games this is adequate.
Keep the gigabit Ethernet to use for the game servers and switches. This will prevent dropped-packet bottlenecking. Use the slower devices down line closer to the individual computers.
Getting a computer LAN party together isn't all that hard. Remember to allow enough time before game time to get everything set up. Don't bottleneck your connectors, have plenty of power available, and go gigabit when possible and you will have a great time.
