Their offices look about as low-tech as they can get. There’s barely a thread of wire noticeable from doorway to desk. The desktops are remarkably uncluttered by modems and other peripherals. And although music and video drift into the workstations, neither a stereo nor a VCR is in sight. There’s hardly a shred of high-tech evidence that would lead you to believe that these home offices not only work, but work better than most corporate offices downtown.

Networking systems have revolutionized home offices, turning them from unsavory spaces jammed with heaps of wire and piece-mealed equipment into comfortable, inviting rooms where the work flows smoothly and efficiently.

Just as there are many types of professionals who earn livings from the comforts of home, there are many ways to network a home office. You can install a wireless hub to connect two computers within the same vicinity together. Or you might roll in a bridging device so that the kitchen laptop can join the network too. Others might have a system of high-speed Ethernet (Category 5) and video (RG-6) wiring installed behind the walls of their home to network two or more computers and also enable incoming business calls to be transferred seamlessly to the kitchen phone, and vice versa. With a network also comes the ability for multiple computer users to access the Internet at the same time through a single Internet connection. And perhaps most important for those who work from home, there’s the speed supported by a network. High-speed wiring and even new wireless networking equipment let your computers download information and share files faster than any high-speed business system.

Given the many business advantages of an office network, many telecommuters as well as owners of full-fledge home-based businesses have outfitted their homes with the pieces and parts that make up a networking system.