W I R E L E S S S O C I E T Y
Home Networking The Wireless Way
Want to share a fast Internet connection among several computers? Here's a step-by-step guide for setting up your own secure network
By Maryanne Murray Buechner
November 3, 2003
STEP 1: GET THE GEAR
Start with your computers. Every PC, laptop and Apple computer in
your house will need a wireless antenna, which comes in the form
of a slim card, or adapter, that either slides into a slot or
plugs into a USB port. There are a number of these cards for PCs.
For a Mac, you'll need what's called an Airport card, which comes
built in on newer models.
The heart of your network will be a wireless router--a box with
an antenna that shuttles signals between each of your computers
and the network. Choose one that has extra Ethernet ports and a
built-in firewall. You can get one for $100. Linksys, Belkin,
Buffalo, D-Link, even Dell and Microsoft sell them. Before you
buy one, read reviews at cnet.com or wifiplanet.com.
There are a few different wi-fi standards, but home users need to
know about only two of them: 802.11b and 802.11g. Don't sweat it.
They are compatible with each other. But these days, it makes
sense to go with all G. It moves data around about four times as
fast as B. You won't download Web pages any more quickly, but you
will be able to move audio and video files between computers (or
from a PC to, say, a wi-fi--equipped stereo or TV) at a faster
clip. Busy households with multiple users will also see a
difference.
Just be sure everything you buy is stamped WI-FI CERTIFIED so you
know that all your gear will work together. (Important: if you
bought any G products before Sept. 1, check the manufacturer's
website for a free upgrade.) A laptop using a B card will talk to
a G router (and vice versa), but it will connect at a slower
speed. And experts warn that mixing B and G drags everything
down.
Mac and Windows computers, even those running older operating
systems, should be able to coexist peacefully on your wireless
home network. But the more you mix it up, the more complicated
things can get. In a perfect world, all your Windows machines
would be running Windows XP (which was designed with wifi in
mind), and all your equipment would come from the same
manufacturer, so when you call tech-support folks, they can't
pass the buck.
STEP 2: SET UP THE STUFF
Follow the product manuals closely. Whatever you do, don't click
on anything or change any settings you're not sure about. It's
much harder to fix a mistake than it is to go back and complete a
step that you skipped the first time through.
Before you begin, contact your Internet service provider to get
your account's IP address and other numbered settings, such as
subnet mask, default gateway and DNS addresses. Keep them handy.
At some point you may be prompted to key them in.
To set up, first turn everything off. Disconnect your cable or
DSL modem from your computer and plug it into the back of the
wireless router. Use another Ethernet cable to connect the router
to the computer's Ethernet port (the same one you had the modem
plugged into). You will set up the router by running the
accompanying CDROM on this computer. (Tip: It's a good idea to
keep at least one computer tethered to the router, says Synergy
Research analyst Aaron Vance. That way, if your wireless
connections fail, as they occasionally will, you'll always have
at least one computer ready to go online, and you'll always be
able to check or tweak the router.)
When setting up your router, be sure to pick a unique password
and SSID (service set identifier, the name for your network).
Keep WEP (wired equivalent privacy, a security feature) disabled
for now. (We'll get to it in Step 3.)
Remember, you need to install wireless adapters in every computer
that doesn't have wi-fi built in (except, of course, the PC
that's already connected to the router by cable). Use the CDROM
that came with each card. And keep the SSID consistent.
A notebook that has a built-in wireless card and is running
Windows XP or Mac OS X should immediately detect the presence of
your network and, if all goes well, configure itself. My iBook
was connected in less than a minute. The Dell 600m I borrowed
required a bit more fiddling but was pretty straightforward.
A good way to see what's going on with a particular machine is to
look for the wireless-networking icon in the bottom or top
righthand corner of the screen. Click on it to view a list of
available networks, which will be identified by their SSIDs. (I'd
love to know which of my neighbors is "zajal.") Your network
should be listed first on the Preferred list.
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