Week 15

Final LAN Build and Portfolio Submission

Build, test, troubleshoot, and document a working LAN using provided computers and a router, then submit the portfolio.

Lesson recap

This is the week everything you've practiced converges into one working network. Assess the hardware, confirm the drivers, run the cables you planned last week, configure the router, assign IPs, ping everything, transfer a file, and submit the portfolio that proves it. The grade is the portfolio — not the network. A working LAN with sloppy documentation scores worse than a slightly flawed LAN with a perfect troubleshooting log. The skill we're really testing: can you build something AND prove you built it, the way you'd have to on day one of a real IT job.

Learning goals

Assess provided computers and router
Check network adapters and drivers
Connect the physical LAN
Verify IP information on each device
Test pings and file transfer across the LAN
Submit the final portfolio

Key terms

Hardware Assessment

Inspecting equipment before build — power, ports, labels, condition.

Network Driver

Software that makes a network adapter work — check Device Manager.

Router Configuration

The router settings used for the build (IP, DHCP scope, SSID, password).

Connectivity Test

A ping or file-transfer test to verify the LAN works end-to-end.

Technical Portfolio

The final collection of evidence, reports, and reflections that you submit.

Curated videos

Introduction to Networking (capstone review)

Eli the Computer Guy

Computer Networking Course (full Network+ prep)

freeCodeCamp.org

Commands

ipconfig /all   # Windows
ip addr         # Linux

ping 192.168.1.20

\\<other-pc-name>\share

ncat -l 4444 > final.txt   # receiver
ncat <ip> 4444 < final.txt # sender

Pro tips from the instructor

★Take screenshots BEFORE you tear anything down. You will not get a chance to re-run the test for the portfolio.
★If a ping fails, follow the OSI ladder: link light → IP → mask → gateway → router → DNS. Don't guess.
★Write the troubleshooting log live, not from memory. Time-stamped notes are gold; reconstructions are fiction.

Try this — stretch exercises

Optional hands-on practice that goes beyond the workbook. Check items off as you complete them — progress saves in this browser.

0/1

After the official tests pass, intentionally unplug one cable and time how fast the team diagnoses the failure. That's the skill employers pay for.

Files to save this week

📁 Week15_FinalLANBuildReport_GroupNumber
📁 Week15_HardwareSetup_GroupNumber.png
📁 Week15_DriverCheck_GroupNumber.png
📁 Week15_RouterConnections_GroupNumber.png
📁 Week15_IPConfig_GroupNumber.png
📁 Week15_PingTest_GroupNumber.png
📁 Week15_FileTransfer_GroupNumber.png
📁 Week15_NetworkDiagram_GroupNumber.png
📁 Week15_Troubleshooting_GroupNumber.png
📁 Week15_IndividualReflection_YourLastName