Chapter 14. Configuring Your Wi-Fi Network

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Ad hoc networking

• Sharing an Internet connection

• Troubleshooting with Ipconfig

• Understanding different network layouts

• Serving Wi-Fi to an area with interference

• Creating a hotspot

In Chapter 13, "Setting Up Your Access Point," I showed you how to set up a very simple network using a Wi-Fi access point/router combination. The equipment needed for that kind of network has become quite inexpensive, and it should do for a great many home and small office applications. This chapter fills in some gaps from Chapter 13 and discusses some of the other topics involving Wi-Fi that can come up in networks. I'll start by showing you how ad hoc, or peer-to-peer, networking works with Wi-Fi. Next, I'll show you how to share your Internet connection with another computersomething you might want to do if your computers are connected using ad-hoc networking.

I'll go on to a number of topics that are involved in setting up networks and show you a number of different ways to arrange, or lay out, networks. (The arrangement of a network is called its topologyin case you want to use a flashy network engineering term with your friends.)

Finally, I'll finish the chapter by showing you a good way to set up a Wi-Fi hotspotin case you ever decide to share your wireless network with the world.