Imagine sitting on the couch in your living room surfing the web, or chatting with friends online while relaxing in bed at night, or sending documents from the computer in the kitchen to the printer in your home office. A wireless network provides the ultimate in networking flexibility, and setting one up is easier than you might think. This article walks you through the steps to set up your wireless network and start using it.
Getting the right equipment
Before you can set up your wireless network, you need the following items:
A broadband Internet connection is a high-speed Internet connection—in contrast to a dial-up connection, which is slower and not powerful enough to support a wireless network. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable are two of the most common broadband connections. You can get a broadband connection by contacting an Internet service provider (ISP). Typically, ISPs that provide DSL are telephone companies and ISPs that provide cable are cable TV companies. ISPs often offer broadband modems and might even install it for you. Some ISPs also offer combination modem/wireless routers. You can also find these at computer or electronics stores.
A router sends information between your network and the Internet. With a wireless router, you can connect computers to your network using radio signals instead of wires. There are a few different types of wireless network technologies, including 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n. We recommend using a router that supports 802.11g or 802.11n because they are fast and can provide a strong wireless signal. For more information about wireless network technologies, see Wireless networking: frequently asked questions.
A network adapter is a device that connects your computer to a network. To connect your mobile PC or desktop computer to your wireless network, the computer must have a wireless network adapter. Most mobile PCs—and many desktop computers—come with a wireless network adapter already installed. To check if your computer has a wireless network adapter, follow these steps:
1.
Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Device Manager. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
2.
Next to Network adapters, click the plus sign (+).
3.
Look for a network adapter that includes "wireless" in the name.
Device Manager showing a wireless network adapter
If your computer needs a wireless network adapter, you can purchase one from a computer or electronics store and install it yourself. The universal serial bus (USB) type are a nice choice because they are small, easy to install, and they can be moved around to different computers. Make sure that you get the same type of adapters as your wireless router. The type of adapter is usually marked on the package, typically with a letter, such as G or A.
Typical USB wireless network adapters
Setting up the modem and Internet connection
Once you have all of the equipment, you need to set up your modem and Internet connection. If your modem was not set up for you by your Internet service provider (ISP), follow the instructions that came with your modem to connect it to your computer and the Internet. If you are using Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), connect your modem to a phone jack. If you are using cable, connect your modem to a cable jack. For more information, see Set up a DSL or cable connection.
You'll want to put your wireless router somewhere where it will receive the strongest signal with the least amount of interference. For the best results, follow these tips:
•
Position your wireless router in a central location. Place the router as close to the center of your home as possible to increase the strength of the wireless signal throughout your home.
•
Position the wireless router off of the floor and away from walls and metal objects, such as metal file cabinets. The fewer physical obstructions between your computer and the router's signal, the more likely that you'll be using the router's full signal strength.
•
Reduce interference. 802.11g networking equipment uses a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) radio frequency. This is the same frequency as most microwaves and many cordless phones. If you turn on the microwave or get a call on a cordless phone, your wireless signal might be temporarily interrupted. You can avoid most of these issues by using a cordless phone with a higher frequency, such as 5.8 GHz.
Security is always important; with a wireless network, it is even more important because your network's signal could go beyond the boundaries of your home. If you don't secure your network, people with computers nearby might be able to access the information stored on your network computers and use your Internet connection to get onto the web. To help secure your network, do the following:
•
Protect your router by changing the default user name and password. Most router manufacturers have a default user name and password on the router as well as a default network name. Someone could use this information to access your router without you knowing it. To avoid that risk, change the default user name and password for your router. Check the information that came with your device for instructions.
•
Set up a security key for your network. Just as file cabinets have keys and safes have combinations, wireless networks have a network security key to help protect them from unauthorized access. To set up a network security key, follow these steps:
1.
Open Network and Sharing Center by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, and then clicking Network and Sharing Center.
2.
In the left pane, click Set up a connection or network.
3.
Click Set up a wireless router or access point, and then click Next.
Create a network security key by entering a passphrase
Make sure that you write down the security key and keep it in a safe place. If you have one, you can also save your security key on a USB flash drive by following the instructions in the wizard.
•
Use a firewall. A firewall is hardware or software that can help protect your computer from hackers or malicious software. Running a firewall on each computer on your network can help control the spread of malicious software on your network, as well as help to protect your computers when you're accessing the Internet. Windows Firewall is included with Windows Vista. For more information, see Firewall: frequently asked questions.
Most people have a wireless network so they can access the Internet from any room in the house, but they also want the freedom of accessing files and printers wirelessly.
NoteThe ability to share files and printers is not included in Windows Vista Starter.
The easiest way to share files on your network is to place them in the Public folder. Any file or folder you put in the Public folder is automatically shared with the people connected to your network. To turn on Public folder sharing, follow these steps:
1.
Open Network and Sharing Center by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, and then clicking Network and Sharing Center.
2.
Click the arrow button next to Public folder sharing, and then click one of the following options:
•
Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open files
•
Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open, change, and create files
•
Turn off sharing (people logged on to this computer can still access this folder)
3.
Click Apply.
You will need to repeat the steps above on each computer that you want to share files from.
To share your files, save them or copy them to the Public folder on your computer. There is one Public folder on each computer. Every person with a user account on the computer shares this folder. To open the Public folder:
a.
Open Documents by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Documents.
b.
In the Navigation pane, under Favorite Links, click Public.
If you have a printer attached to one of your computers, you can print to it from any computer connected to your wireless network. To share a printer, follow these steps:
1.
Log on to computer that has the printer attached to it.
2.
Open Network and Sharing Center by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, and then clicking Network and Sharing Center.
3.
Click the arrow button next to Printer sharing, click Turn on printer sharing, and then click Apply.
4.
Click the arrow button next to Password protected sharing, click Turn off password protected sharing, and then click Apply.
NoteIf you have password-protected sharing turned on, people will need a user account with a password on your computer to access your printer.
To access the printer from any computer on the network, follow these steps:
1.
Open Network by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Network.
2.
Double-click the icon for the computer that has the printer attached to it.
3.
Double-click the icon for the printer. Windows will automatically add the printer to your computer and install the printer driver.
Enjoying your freedom
And that’s it—your wireless network is ready to go. Relax on the couch or out on the deck and do some online shopping.
The folder in Windows where you store files that you want to share with other people on the same computer or network. The Public folder is located in the Users folder of your root directory (for example, C:\Users\Public).
Driver
__elbasuer__
Driver
Software that enables hardware or devices (such as a printer, mouse, or keyboard) to work with your computer. Every device needs a driver in order for it to work.
Broadband connection
__elbasuer__
Broadband connection
A high-speed Internet connection. Broadband connections are typically 256 kilobytes per second (KBps) or faster. Broadband includes DSL and cable modem service.
Network security key
__elbasuer__
Network security key
A password that can help protect wireless networks from unauthorized access. A network security key encrypts information sent from one network computer to another so that the information can only be read by someone who has the key.
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
__elbasuer__
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
A type of high-speed Internet connection using standard telephone wires. This is also referred to as a broadband connection.
Password
__elbasuer__
Password
A secret string of characters that lets users log on to a computer and access files, programs, and other resources. Passwords help ensure that unauthorized users do not access the computer.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
__elbasuer__
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
A security method used by wireless networks. WPA encrypts the information that is sent between computers on a wireless network and authenticates users to help ensure that only authorized people can access the network.
Router
__elbasuer__
Router
A device that sends, or routes, information between two networks (for example, between a home network and the Internet). Routers find the quickest paths for sending information, which makes network connections faster. Routers can be wired or wireless.
Mobile PC
__elbasuer__
Mobile PC
A general term that describes laptops, notebook PCs, Tablet PCs, and ultra-mobile PCs. This term does not describe computing devices (such as mobile phones and PDAs) or desktop computers.
Network adapter
__elbasuer__
Network adapter
A device that connects your computer to a network. Sometimes called a network interface card (NIC).
User account
__elbasuer__
User account
A collection of information that tells Windows which user rights and access permissions a person has on a computer. The user account records the user name, password, and a unique number that identifies that account.
Passphrase
__elbasuer__
Passphrase
A string of characters used to control access to a network or program.
Universal serial bus (USB)
__elbasuer__
Universal serial bus (USB)
A narrow, rectangular connector used to attach a device, such as a keyboard or a mouse, to a computer.
Malicious software
__elbasuer__
Malicious software
Software designed to deliberately harm your computer. For example, viruses, worms, and Trojan horses are malicious software. Also known as malware.
USB flash drive
__elbasuer__
USB flash drive
A small device used to store information. USB flash drives plug into computer USB ports so you can copy information to or from them, making it easy to share and transport information.
Modem
__elbasuer__
Modem
A device that allows computer information to be transmitted and received over a telephone line or through broadband services such as cable or DSL. Modems are most commonly used to connect to the Internet.
Internet service provider (ISP)
__elbasuer__
Internet service provider (ISP)
A company that provides Internet access to individuals or companies. An ISP provides a telephone number, a user name, a password, and other connection information so that users can access the Internet through the ISP's computers. An ISP typically charges a monthly or hourly connection fee.
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
__elbasuer__
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
A security protocol designed for use with wireless networks. WEP encrypts the information that is sent between computers on a wireless network. WEP is not as secure as the more recent protocol, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).
Help and How-to
