With all the new gadgets you can get for your home network it can be a bit confusing. Some of the names and acronyms can become like a blur some times.
So you want to stream videos, music and other files out to the other computers on your home network but you're not quite sure how you want to go about it. While looking around you may have come across two very similar sounding terms.
Media server and media extender.
Both perform close to the same function but in very different ways.
Media Server
A media server is basically additional storage space for your network. It's usually a hard drive or series of hard drives connected to some electronics that allow you to access the files you store on it easily from across your network. It's not quite a full-fledged computer but very close. Media servers are also refereed to as Network Attached Storage or NAS for short. Most Media Servers come with back up software that can be used to back up the computers on your network.
Media servers are easily configured from a built-in web interface you can access by typing in the devices IP address into you web browser and entering your username and password. Usually you'll connect a NAS device to your wireless router using an ethernet cable which allows you to access it wirelessly through the router.
Media Extender
The word "extender" in this context means you are "extending" access to the media files on your PC to your TV and home entertainment center. Once your PC is connected to a media center extender it becomes sort of like the Media Server mentioned above. The big difference is instead of streaming all its data out to other computers on the network it converts the data on your PC to a format that can be accessed through your HDTV.
Now you can access all your music, video and picture files from the comfort of your living room with a remote and convenient menu options on your TV screen! If you have an XBOX360 or Playstation3 you already own a media extender!
Some high-end wireless routers come with a built-in media server. This usually does not include storage of any kind. What you get is actually a built in USB port you can plug memory sticks and external storage devices into. The data on the external device can then be shared out to devices on your network. In terms of performance this type of device is slower then a dedicated or stand alone server.
Wireless Networking Explained
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Once you understand how wireless networking actually works you'll be able to set up any wireless device and build your own "Ultimate Wireless Home Network".
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