Installing Network Wiring

When your network adapters are installed, the next step is to get your computers connected together. Installing the wiring can be the most difficult task of setting up a network. How you proceed depends on the type of networking adapters you have:

• If you're using wireless adapters, of course you don't have to worry about wiring at all. You can just skip ahead to "Installing a Wireless Network," later in this chapter.

• If you're using Phoneline networking, plug a standard modular telephone cable into each Phoneline network adapter and connect them to the appropriate wall jacks. The adapter must be plugged directly into the wall jack, and then additional devices such as modems, telephones, and answering machines can be connected to the adapter. Remember that each of the phone jacks must be wired to the same telephone line. Then, skip ahead to the "Configuring a Peer-to-Peer Network" later in the chapter.

• If you're using a Powerline networking adapter, follow the manufacturer's installation instructions. If you're using a Powerline bridge, plug the bridge into a wall socket and connect it to your computer or other networked device with a CAT-5 patch cable. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for configuring the adapter's security features. You should enable encryption if it's available. Then, skip ahead to the "Configuring a Peer-to-Peer Network" later in the chapter.

• If you're using IEEE-1394 networking, buy certified IEEE-1394 cables and plug your computers together as shown in Figure 16.5. Then, skip ahead to the "Configuring a Peer-to-Peer Network" later in the chapter.

Otherwise, you're using UTP Ethernet adapters and you have to decide how to route your wiring and what type of cables to use. The remainder of this section discusses UTP wiring.

Cabling for Ethernet Networks

If your computers are close together, you can use pre-built patch cables to connect your computers to a hub. (The term patch cable originated in the telephone industryin the old days, switchboard operators used patch cables to temporarily connect, or patch, one phone circuit to another. In networking, the term refers to cables that are simply plugged in and not permanently wired.) You can run these cables through the habitable area of your home or office by routing them behind furniture, around partitions, and so on. Just don't put them where they'll be crushed, walked on, tripped over, or run over by desk chair wheels.

If the cables need to run through walls or stretch long distances, you should consider having them installed inside the walls with plug-in jacks, just like your telephone wiring. I'll discuss this later in this section. Hardware stores sell special cable covers you can use if you need to run a cable where it's exposed to foot traffic, as well as covers for wires that need to run up walls or over doorways.

TIP

As you install each network card and plug it into the cables running to your hub, you should see a green light come on at the hub and on the network adapter. These lights indicate that the network wiring is correct.

If you don't get green lights, stop immediately and get the wiring fixed. Check out "Hub Lights Do Not Come On" in the "Troubleshooting" section at the end of this chapter.

General Cabling Tips

You can determine how much cable you need by measuring the distance between computers and your hub location(s). Remember to account for vertical distances, too, where cables run from the floor up to a desktop, or go up and over a partition or wall.

CAUTION

If you have to run cables through the ceiling space of an office building, you should check with your building management to see whether the ceiling is listed as a plenum or air-conditioning air return. You may be required by law to use certified plenum cable and follow all applicable electrical codes. Plenum cable is specially formulated not to emit toxic smoke in a fire.

Keep in mind the following points:

• Existing household telephone wire probably won't work. If the wires are red, green, black, and yellow: no way. The cable jacket must have CAT-5 (or higher) printed on it. It must have color-matched twisted pairs of wires; usually each pair has one wire in a solid color and the other white with colored stripes.

• You must use CAT-5 quality wiring and components throughout: not just the cables, but also any jacks, plugs, connectors, terminal blocks, patch cables, and so on must be CAT-5 certified.

• If you're installing in-wall wiring, follow professional CAT-5 wiring practices throughout. Be sure not to untwist more than half an inch of any pair of wires when attaching cables to connectors. Don't solder or splice the wires.

• When you're installing cables, be gentle. Don't pull, kink, or stretch them. Don't bend them sharply around corners; you should allow at least a one-inch radius for bends. And don't staple or crimp them. To attach cables to a wall or baseboard, use rigid cable clips that don't squeeze the cable, as shown in Figure 16.6. Your local electronics store can sell you the right kind of clips.

  Figure 16.6. Use rigid cable clips or staples that don't squeeze the cable if you nail it to a wall or baseboard.

  

  
  

• Keep network cables away from AC power wiring and away from electrically noisy devices such as arc welders, diathermy machines, and the like.

NOTE

If you really want to get into the nuts and bolts, so to speak, of pulling your own cable, a good starting point is Que's Practical Network Cabling, which will help you roll up your shirtsleeves and get dirty (literally, if you have to crawl around through your attic or wrestle with dust bunnies under too many desks at the office).

Wiring with Patch Cables

If your computers are close together and you can simply run prefabricated cables between your computers and hub, you've got it made! Buy CAT-5 cables of the appropriate length online or at your local computer store. Just plug (click!), and you're finished. Figure 16.1 shows how to connect your computers to the hub.

If you have the desire and patience, you can build custom-length cables from crimp-on connectors and bulk cable stock. Making your own cables requires about $75 worth of tools, though, and more detailed instructions than I can give here. Making just a few cables certainly doesn't make buying the tools worthwhile. Factory-assembled cables are also more reliable than homemade ones because the connectors are attached by machine. They're worth the extra few dollars.

For the ambitious or parsimonious reader, Figure 16.7 shows the correct way to order the wires in the connector.

Figure 16.7. Standard wiring order for UTP network cables.

Installing In-Wall Wiring

In-wall wiring is the most professional and permanent way to go. However, this often involves climbing around in the attic or under a building, drilling through walls, or working in an office telephone closet. If this is the case, calling in a professional is probably best. Personally, I find it a frustrating task and one I would rather watch someone else do. Hiring someone to get the job done might cost $30 to $75 per computer, but you'll get a professional job, and if you consider that the price of network cards has gone down at least this much in the last few years, you can pretend that you're getting the wiring thrown in for free.

TIP

Look in the yellow pages under Telephone Wiring, and ask the contractors you call whether they have experience with network wiring. The following are some points to check out when you shop for a wiring contractor:

• Ask for references, and check them out.

• Ask for billing details up front: Do they charge by the hour or at a fixed rate? Do they sell equipment themselves, or do you have to supply cables, connectors, and so on?

• Ask for prices for parts and labor separately so that you know whether you're getting a good deal and can comparison-shop.

• Find out what their guaranteed response time is, should problems or failures occur in the future.

• Ask what the warranty terms are. How long are parts and labor covered?

In-wall wiring is brought out to special network-style modular jacks mounted to the baseboard of your wall. These "RJ-45" jacks look like telephone modular jacks but are wider. You'll need patch cables to connect the jacks to your computers and hub, as shown in Figure 16.8.

Figure 16.8. Connect your computers and hub to the network jacks using short patch cables.

Out of the (Phone) Closet

If you're wiring an office, running all your network wiring alongside the office's phone system wiring to a central locationthe phone closetmay be most sensible. You might be able to put your hub near the phone equipment in this case. Your building may even already have CAT-5 wiring in place.

In most office buildings, telephone and data wiring are run to a central location on each floor or in each office suite. Connector blocks called punchdown blocks are bolted to the wall, where your individual telephone extension wires are joined to thick distribution cables maintained by the phone company or the building management.

These commercial wiring systems are a little bit daunting, and if you aren't familiar with them, it's best to hire a wiring contractor to install your network wiring.

Connecting Just Two Computers

If you're making a network of just two computers, you may be able to take a shortcut and eliminate the need for a network hub or additional special hardware. If you want to add on to your network later, you can always add the extra gear then.

If you're connecting two computers with IEEE-1394, you have the simplest possible cabling setup: Just plug one end of a "6-6" cable into a free IEEE-1394 socket on each computer.

If you are connecting two computers with Ethernet, yours is the second easiest possible network installation: Simply run a special cable called a crossover cable from one computer's network adapter to the other, and you're finished. This special type of cable reverses the send and receive signals between the two ends, and eliminates the need for a hub. You can purchase a crossover cable from a computer store or network supply shop, or make one as shown in Figure 16.9. The cable in Figure 16.9 can be used with 10, 100, or 100BASE-T network adapters.

Figure 16.9. Wiring for a UTP crossover cable. The cable reverses the send and receive wires so that two network cards can be directly connected without a hub. Note that the green/orange and blue/brown pairs are reversed across the cable.

TIP

Be sure that your crossover cable is labeled as such, as it won't work to connect a computer to a hub and you'll go nuts wondering what's wrong if you try. Factory-made models usually have yellow ends. When I make them myself, I draw three rings around each end of the cable with a permanent-ink marker.

NOTE

Windows has a feature called a "Direct Network Connection" that lets you use a serial, parallel, or infrared port to connect two computers without a network adapter. This type of connection lets you copy files but isn't as convenient as a full-fledged network setup. I'll cover Direct Network Connection in Chapter 18.

Connecting Multiple Hubs

You might want to use more than one hub to reduce the number of long network cables you need if you have groups of computers in two or more locations. For example, you can connect the computers on each "end" of the network to the nearest hub, and then connect the hubs to a main hub. Figure 16.10 shows a typical arrangement using this technique.

Figure 16.10. You can connect groups of computers with multiple hubs to reduce the number of long cables needed. Use the cascade port on the remote hubs to connect to the central hub.

NOTE

A cascade port is a hub connector designed to be connected to another hub. Some hubs have a separate connector for this purpose, whereas others make one of the hub's regular ports do double-duty by providing a switch that turns the last hub port into a cascade port. Refer to your hub's manual to see what to do with your particular hardware.

If you have to add a computer to your LAN and your hub has no unused connectors, you don't need to replace the hub. You can just add an additional hub. To add a computer to a fully loaded hub, you must unplug one cable from the original hub to free up a port. Connect this cable and your new computer to the new hub. Finally, connect the new hub's cascade or uplink port to the original hub's free port, as shown in Figure 16.11.

Figure 16.11. You can expand your network by cascading hubs. The instructions included with your hub describe how to connect two hubs using a patch cable. Some hubs have a dedicated uplink port, whereas others have a switch that turns a regular port into an uplink port.

Now, skip ahead to "Configuring A Peer-To-Peer Network."

Installing a Wireless Network

If you are installing a wireless network, after installing your network adapters you have to configure wireless security and networking options.

NOTE

This section tells how to set up a wireless network in a home or small office. On a corporate wireless network, your network administrator will most likely be the one to configure the wireless adapter and security settings.

CAUTION

If you want to use file and printer sharing on your Wireless network, you must make the network secure by assigning a cryptographic "key" to the network. Otherwise, random people will be able to get at your computer.

If you want to set up an "open" wireless hotspot to share your Internet connection with friends, neighbors or the world, that's great, but you must not use file and printer sharing on the same network. Please see Chapter 19, "Connecting Your LAN to the Internet," for safer options.

Here's the scoop: It can easily happen that separate groups of people with wireless network gear set up within radio range of each other. In my office, I can pick up signals from four separate wireless networks: mine, the office next door's, a friend's from nearly a block away, and one other (I can't tell whose it is). Even in the suburbs, it's not uncommon to find that you can receive signals from several neighbors. And people do actually drive around with laptops in their car, looking for free Internet access.

So, to be able to distinguish your network's signal from others, and to secure your network, you must make four choices when you set up a wireless network:

• A SSID (Service Set Identifier), a short name that you give your network, up to 32 characters in length. This could be your last name, company name, pet's name, whatever makes sense to you.

• An encryption type, a choice of protocol, and "strength" of the code used to secure the network against eavesdropping. The choices are, in order of increasing security, none, WEP 40 bit (also called 64 bit), WEP 128 bit, or WPA 128 bit. WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy, but that turned out to be overoptimistic as WEP security can be broken in as little as a few hours by a determined interloper. WPA, or "Wi-Fi Protected Access," is the new improved encrypting scheme, but not every network adapter and driver supports it. Select the highest security method supported by all of your network gear, including any access points or routers. (If your router doesn't support WPA, you may be able be able to install updated firmware to get it. Windows XP Service Pack 2 provides WPA support for Windows XP. You would need to download updated driver software to get WPA support for older versions of Windows.)

• An encryption key, a string of hexadecimal digitsthat is, the numbers 0 through 9 and the letters A through F. Some wireless networking software lets you generate a key from an ordinary text password, but this method doesn't work when you use equipment from different manufacturers. I recommend that you just deal with the cumbersome numeric key. 40-bit security requires a 10-character key, which would look like this: 47A014C65F. 128-bit security requires a 26-character key. (If you're doing the math, you're right, that adds up to only 104 bits, but that's the way it works.)

  This should be kept secret, as it's the key to your network and your shared files.

• A channel, which selects the frequency used to transmit your network's data. In the US, this is a number between 1 and 11; the numbers may be different in other countries. The most common channels used are 1, 6, and 11. Start off with channel 6.

If you have a router or access point, you are setting up what is called an infrastructure network. Windows XP has a wizard to help you choose the correct settings. If you have an access point or router, skip ahead to the next section, "Using the Wireless Network Setup Wizard."

Joining an Ad Hoc Network

If you aren't using an access point or wireless router, you're setting up what's called an ad hoc network. In this case, you'll have to configure each computer manually, using this procedure:

1.	The Notification area at the bottom of your screen should show a small Wireless Network icon with a red X that indicates that there is no active connection. Right-click this icon and select Open Network Connections.
2.	Right-click the Wireless Network Connection icon and select Properties.
3.	Select the Wireless Networks tab and click Add.
4.	In the Wireless Network Properties dialog (see Figure 16.12), enter your chosen network name (SSID). Set Network Authentication to Open and Data encryption to WEP or WPA (only if all of your devices support WPA). Figure 16.12. Enter your choice of a network name and security settings.
5.	Uncheck The Key Is Provided for Me Automatically. Enter your chosen network key of 10 or 26 hexadecimal digits (numbers 09 and/or letters AF). Enter it again to confirm.
6.	Check This Is a Computer to Computer (ad hoc) Network, and then click OK.
7.	If other people's networks are listed in the top of the dialog, click Advanced, select Computer-To-Computer (ad hoc) Network Only, and click OK. This will prevent your computer from recognizing access points.

Now with your ad hoc network established, go to your other computers and repeat this process.

NOTE

If you use the Advanced setting "Computer-to-Computer (ad hoc) Networks Only" and later want to use wireless networking in an office, home, or Internet café, you will have to change this setting back to Any Available Network before you can use those networks.

Using the Wireless Network Setup Wizard

As I mentioned in the previous section, you have to select four things in order to set up a wireless network: an SSID (name), encryption type, encryption key, and channel number. If you're using a wireless access point or router, starting with Windows XP Service Pack 2, you can use the Wireless Network Setup Wizard to help you select and copy these settings to each computer on your network, and even to your router if it supports automatic configuration via a USB memory device.

If you want to add a computer to an existing Wireless network, see the next section, "Joining an Existing Wireless Network."

To set up a new wireless network, follow this procedure:

1.	Open My Network Places from the Start menu. In the Network Tasks list, select Set Up a Wireless Network for a Home or Small Office. When the wizard appears, select Set Up a New Wireless Network.
2.	In the first screen (see Figure 16.13), enter a name for your wireless network, and indicate whether you want Windows to create a random key for you, or if you want to enter your own. Also, if all of your wireless equipment supports WPA encryption, check the Use WPA box at the bottom of the screen. Then, click Next. Figure 16.13. The first page of the Wireless Network Setup Wizard lets you select a network name and choose what type of encryption to use.
3.	If you elected to enter the key manually, Windows will display a page asking for the network key. Unless you're concerned that someone is peeking over your shoulder, Uncheck Hide Characters As I Type. Enter 10 or 26 hexadecimal digits (digits 09 and/or letters AF; upper/lowercase doesn't matter), as shown in Figure 16.14, and enter it again to confirm. Click Next to proceed. Figure 16.14. If you're entering a key manually, uncheck Hide Characters As I Type so you can see what you're typing.
4.	Now for the clever part (see Figure 16.15). If you have one of those USB-based keychain Flash memory devices, or if you have a USB-connected digital camera memory card reader that presents the memory cards as disk drives on your computer, you can use this device to copy the settings from one computer to another, and even to your wireless router if it has a USB port. What Windows will do is to copy a file containing the settings, and an "autoplay" program that will load the settings when you plug the card into each computer. (You can also make this selection and use a floppy disk, if you wish.) You can also choose to copy the settings manually. Make your selection and click Next. Figure 16.15. Select the means you wish to use to copy the wireless settings.
5.	If you chose to use the USB device, Windows will ask you to insert the device, and then select the corresponding drive letter. You can also select your floppy drive here. Click Next and Windows will copy the necessary files. After Windows copies the files, click Print Network Settings to get a copy of the settings. You'll need this as a backup and may need it to configure your router. Click Next and Windows will prompt you to go configure your access point and other computers before proceeding. (When you've done that, come back to this computer, reinsert the USB drive and click Next so Windows can erase the secret key information from the USB drive.) If you chose to copy the settings manually, click the Print button and Windows will open up a Notepad window containing the wireless settings. Click File, Print to print a copy. The printout will look like this: Wireless Network Settings Print this document and store it in a safe place for future reference. You may need these settings to add additional computers and devices to your network. Wireless Settings Network Name (SSID): brians network Network Key (WEP/WPA Key): bb5976c32f3f4e8d9fc6a0a969 Key Provided Automatically (802.1x): 0 Network Authentication Type: open Data Encryption Type: WEP Connection Type: ESS Key Index: 1
6.	At this point, the wizard has already set up the Windows XP computer you're using to automatically connect to your new network, once it's up and running.
7.	Configure your router or access point next. If it has a USB port and you're using a USB device, plug the USB memory unit into the router. It should blink its lights and load the settings within 30 seconds. If you're using a manual setup, use the printed list of settings and enter this information into your router's setup screens.
8.	Finally, configure the other computers on your network, using one of these methods: If you're using a USB device, plug the device into the computer. The Wireless Network Setup Wizard should run automatically, and will add the computer to the wireless network. If you're using a floppy disk, insert the disk in each computer, and use My Computer or Windows Explorer to locate and double-click file SetupSNK.EXE. This will add the computer to the wireless network. If you're adding computers manually, go to each computer. Use the printed sheet of setup information to add the computer to the network. I'll cover this procedure in the next section.
9.	If you're using a USB device, when you're finished with the other computers, go back to the first computer, reinsert the disk, and click Next on the screen remaining from when you first ran the wizard. This will erase the sensitive key information from the USB drive.

If you later need to add more computers to the network, you can re-run the wizard on the computer you started with, and it will walk you through the process of re-installing the setup software on your USB drive, or re-printing the instruction sheet. Or, you can follow the procedure in the next section to join them to the network manually.

When all of your computers have joined the wireless network, skip to next section and continue with "Configuring a Peer-to-Peer Network."

Joining an Existing Wireless Network

If you are using a wireless connection on a corporate network, your wireless configuration can and should be managed by your network administrators. Most likely, your administrator will install a security "certificate" file that will identify your computer as one authorized to use the wireless network. And it's also likely that you won't have to make any manual settings to use the network.

However, if your home or small office wireless network has already been configured and you're just adding a new computer, or, if you are taking your computer into someone's work or home and want to use their wireless network, you will have to take some steps to be able to use the network. You can use the Wireless Network Setup Wizard discussed in the previous section, or you can connect to and use the network by following this manual procedure:

1.	In the notification area at the bottom corner of your screen, locate the Wireless Connection icon (shown here to the right). Double-click it.
2.	Windows will display a list of the names (SSIDs) of the wireless networks that it "hears", as shown in Figure 16.16. Click on the network you wish to use and click Connect. Figure 16.16. Windows displays the names of the networks whose signals it can receive. NOTE If the network you want to use doesn't appear, it could be because the signal is too weak. Also, some people prevent their router from broadcasting the SSID name over the airwaves. (This doesn't really provide much extra security, as hackers can find the network anyway.) If the network you want to use isn't broadcasting its SSID, you'll have to enter the information manually. Follow the procedure under "Joining an Ad Hoc Network" earlier in the chapter, except don't check This Is a Computer to Computer (ad hoc) Network in step 6.
3.	Windows will determine what type of security the network is using, and if the network is encrypted, will prompt you to enter the network key. Enter the 10 or 26 digit key that was used to set up the network to begin with.

NOTE

We'll talk more about managing connections to multiple wireless networks in Chapter 18, "Windows Unplugged: Remote and Mobile Computing."

After the wireless connections are made, you can continue setting up the rest of your network, as described in the following sections.