As Pure Networks says, you should not need a PhD to set up and run a secure home or small-office network (www.purenetworks.com). Many households and most small businesses have multiple desktop personal computers, portables, media and storage servers and other digital devices, and their owners want simple ways to share internet access, files and printers across computers and devices.

But home networking products are still hard to configure and often do not work well together. Adding PCs, printers and other peripherals can be equally confusing, not least because of the arcane language of networking.