Getting into the Zone

You can gain advantages from linked concentrators, even if one concentrator has enough ports for all the computers on your network. The concept is called zoning, and you can zone your network to make cabling easier.

For example, consider that you have two widely separated computers on the first floor. One computer is in the family room at the front of the house, and the other computer is in the kitchen at the back of the house. You have two computers on the second floor, also at opposite ends of the house.

You can place a single concentrator in the family room and run cable across the first floor to the kitchen computer. Then you can run cable through the wall to the computer on the second floor at the front of the house. Finally, you can run cable through the wall and across the house to the computer on the second floor at the back of the house, but doesn't that seem like a lot of cable?

Instead, create zones for your network. For example, you can put two concentrators in the basement or in the attic. Place one near the front of the house and one near the back of the house. Drop the cables from two computers to each concentrator. Then link the concentrators to each other. Because you're using the attic or basement (where beauty doesn't count as much), you can string the cable across rafters, using hooks or duct tape. As you can see in Figure below, zoning is logical and easy and provides for network growth.