How Networks Work

When it comes to physically connecting your network, you have two ways to gowired or wireless. A wireless network is more convenient (no wires to run), but a wired network is faster. Which you choose depends on how you use the computers you network together.

If you use your network primarily to share an Internet connection or a printer or to transfer the occasional word processing file, wireless should work just fine. However, if you plan on transferring a lot of big files from one PC to another, or using your network for multiplayer gaming, you'll want to stick to a faster wired network.

Wired Networks

A wired network is the kind that requires you to run a bunch of cables from one PC to the next. In a wired network, you install a network interface card (NIC) in each PC and connect the cards via Ethernet cable. (Note that many new PCs come with built-in Ethernet capability, so you don't have to purchase an additional card.) Although this type of network is easy enough to set up and is probably the lowest-cost alternative, you still have to deal with all those cableswhich can be a hassle if your computers are in different areas of your house.

Most wired networks transfer data at either 10Mbps or 100Mbps, depending on what equipment you install. A 10Mbps network is called 10Base-T; a 100Mbps network is called Fast Internet; networking equipment that can work at either 10Mbps or 100Mbps rates is labeled 10/100.

note

How quickly data is transferred across a network is measured in megabits per second, or Mbps. The bigger the Mbps number, the faster the networkand faster is always better than slower.

Wireless Networks

The alternative to a wired network is a wireless network. Wireless networks use radio frequency (RF) signals to connect one computer to another. The advantage of wireless, of course, is that you don't have to run any cables. This is a big plus if you have a large house with computers on either end or on different floors.

The most popular wireless networks use the Wi-Fi standard. The original Wi-Fi standard, known as 802.11b, transferred data at 11Mbpsslower than Fast Ethernet, but fast enough for most practical purposes. The newer 802.11g standard transfers data at 54Mbps, and is more than fast enough for your home networking needs.

Connecting and Configuring

Whether you're going wired or wireless, the setup is surprisingly easy. You have to assemble the appropriate cards, cables, and hubs, and then install and connect them all. After everything is hooked up properly, you then have to configure all the PCs on your network. Assuming that you're running Windows XP, the configuration process is handled by Windows' Network Setup Wizard. You launch the wizard by opening the Control Panel and selecting Network and Internet Connections, and then Network Connections. When the Network Connections utility opens, select Set Up a Home or Small Office Network from the Network Tasks panel.

note

Wi-Fi is short for wireless fidelity.

You run the Network Setup Wizard on each PC connected to the network. During the process, you provide details about your network connections, including any and all devices or connections you want to sharesuch as a printer or your broadband Internet connection. The wizard does all the hard work, and when it's done, your network is up and running and ready to use.

tip

If your network hardware comes with its own configuration software, you should run that instead of (or in addition to) the Network Setup Wizard. And always make sure to follow the specific instructions that come with your network hardware!