NETWORK ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS

CONNECT YOUR NETWORK TO GAMING DEVICES

The Annoyance:

We have an Xbox that everyone enjoys. Is there a way to connect the device to our network?

The Fix:

If you have gamers in the house, look for game adapters that let you attach PlayStation 2, Xbox, or GameCube devices to the network. Most network equipment manufacturers offer these adapters, and many of them support wireless communication.

Installation might seem a bit complicated, but that's because you can't configure the game adapter unless it's connected to a computer via Ethernet cable. After you've configured the adapter, you can remove it from the computer and attach it to the game console. Complete directions come with the device.

MUSIC EVERYONE?

The Annoyance:

Everyone in our household has a music collection on his or her computer. Sometimes you can hear different music from every computer, which is incredibly annoying. On the other hand, sometimes someone is playing something everyone likes, but with computers on different floors, it's hard for everyone to enjoy it. We need some suggestions for fixing our music problems.

The Fix:

For the first annoyance (the cacophony of multiple tunes echoing through the house), buy headsets. Every sound controller I've ever seen has a headset jack. For the second annoyance, the solution is a network music device. These nifty gadgets are available from almost any manufacturer of network hardware.

I've tested two different types of network music boxes: one that lets any network user send a tune to the family stereo system, and one that is self-contained (it's a stereo system that comes with its own speakers). Both are wireless bridges, which means they can connect to a wired system and send/receive wireless signals. If you use the device that sends music to your home stereo system, think about adding speakers so that users all over the house can listen.

If you don't collect music on your hard drives, you can send music from the Internet over the system. Don't be silly enough to try this over dial-up, thoughyou need broadband Internet access to make this worthwhile. Keep in mind that music isn't the only software in the world. Think about giving the kids history lessons or ask them to dig up a description of the places you're going to visit on your next family vacation. Or simply send them on a fun and educational goose chase.

Sending Music to Different Computers

My favorite use of the self-contained music device is to use its wireless capacity to send music from one of the computers on the network to my laptop, which I use when I'm working on the deck. The laptop doesn't store music files (which is common, especially when laptops are supplied by employers!), and doesn't have good speakers.