LAN Party Setup

So you want to host a LAN party? Well there's a few thing you'll need. While not a necessity, you'll want high speed Internet so you can play the games over the Internet to increase the size of your server. You'll want to have a good assortment of games, unless you're having the party to play a specific game. If you're doing PC gaming, each computer must have a copy of the game, and a different “serial number” for each game (that means everyone has to buy it, you can't share one copy). You'll also want to have the proper equipment.

Lan Party Necessities

If you plan on gaming over the Internet, you'll need a wired router and a switch with enough ports for everyone at the party. If you don't plan on doing Internet gaming, you can get by with just the switch, but the router is still recommended as it makes the LAN setup a lot easier. You'll also want to provide Ethernet cable. For small LANs, you can get by with a few 5 foot cables, but if you plan to make this a recurring event, and want to have 10+ people, and give them room to move, you'll want some 5 foot cable, some 10 foot and some 25 foot, just to give people some room to work. Generally you should require people to bring their own monitors, keyboards and mice, unless you plan on doing a recurring thing, or charging for the event, in which case you should buy some used 17” CRT monitors, generally running 40-75 dollars, and a couple of 15-dollar keyboards and mice. Though most avid gamers will still provide their own high end gear, it's still good to have.

It's also good to set a few ground rules with the gamers. Some generally good policies are make sure each person's property (computer, accessories, any additional gear) is respected. Also make sure that you aren't allowing systems onto your network that could be compromised, as having one infected machine could soon lead to multiple. It's a wise policy if you plan to run LANs with 10+ people, to run a virus scan prior to plugging in the network cable.

As for charging for the LAN, a good price is $10 for a small LAN, where you're NOT providing monitor, keyboard, mice or any accessories. All that you should furnish for the gamers is the Internet, the network and the cables. For $25, you should be able to accommodate so that each gamer need only bring his/her own PC. For anything more than $30, you should provide food and drink.

The next question to ask yourself is “How long will my party last?” The general casual LAN goes for 6-8 hours, although some sponsored, large LANs can last anywhere from 2 days to a week. If you do plan on running the LAN for multiple days, you should make painstakingly clear that sleep is mandatory, as not only does lack of it hinder your performance in game, it can also be mixed with the dark lit room and flashing monitors to induce seizure.

Another important factor in LAN parties is location. While you can run a small 3-4 person LAN from your home, you should probably rent a large hotel room or small conference room for anything larger than that, as it sometimes gets crowded. It all depends on the size of your home. The basic idea of LANs is: The more people you want to have, the more games you want to play, the more money you want to spend. Some parties even get corporate sponsors from hardware or software makers, and give away free products as tournament prizes. But for the basic home LAN, a 4-port router, and 8 port switch, a $100 dollar investment, is plenty. Anything more, all you have to do is upgrade the switch, buy more cable and get a bigger room.

by Chris Deason
The Real Power Users

Successful Lan Party Setup

Lan Party Necessities