Hi Jon Our shop network gaming setup is quite basic for local or online gaming We just need either a network switch, some ethernet cables, and each computer must have a network adapter. Today in the wireless age to play lan games via wireless but due to interference from various sources wireless still is not the best bet for network performance. Network performance and the least amount of lag is more important for network gaming. There are many companies that make network cards and switches. Personally I prefer Asuk for the fact that is very easy to set up compared to many. A lot of people like Linksys but there have been confirmed security issues with them and until Cisco (who recently bought them) has been able to fix the product line just to be safe side
Network switches look nearly identical to hubs, but a switch generally contains more "intelligence" (and a slightly higher price tag) than a hub. Unlike hubs, network switches are capable of inspecting the data packets as they are received, determining the source and destination device of that packet, and forwarding that packet appropriately. By delivering messages only to the connected device that it was intended for, network switches conserve network bandwidth and offer generally better performance than hubs.
Once you have hooked each computer up to the switch I would make sure that DHCP is running or you give each computer a hard coded IP. A lot of games used to run on IPX but TCP/IP preforms much better as far as I am concerned.
After that it is simple. Start up the game you wish to play, set one as a server, and on the others type in the address of the server and you are on your way. If you prefer online games will connect our switch to a Globe DSL cable line and connect to a server outside our LAN. Finally, business mean customers hopefully we attract more. Cheer
