If you own multiple PCs, you have probably
thought about how great it would be if your computers could talk to each
other. With your computers connected, you could:
In this article, we'll look at all of the different methods you can use to create a home network. Be sure to read the companion articles about power-line networking, wireless networking and phone-line networking. This specialized information, including our own experiences with different networking solutions, can help you decide which method is right for your home. At the moment, wireless networking appears to be the easiest and one of the least expensive options. You can buy an 802.11b or 802.11g access point, connect it to your cable modem or DSL modem in a few minutes, and have all your computers talking on a network very quickly. See How WiFi Works for details.
Ways to Connect
Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages, and in this article we'll discuss them in detail. But all of these methods (except physically carrying diskettes) require you to configure your computers to share printers, files and an Internet connection and to set up some level of security. This configuration process is common to any form of networking, so that's where we'll start. We'll discuss how to set up sharing with Windows 98 and Windows XP, since they are the most common versions of the Windows operating system used at home. The procedure is different if you're using another version of Windows, but the basic information is still useful. For those of you using Linux, UNIX or other operating systems, you may prefer to skip the networking basics and go straight to Building a Network. Once we establish a basic understanding of the configuration process, we'll discuss phone-line networking, power-line networking, Ethernet networking and wireless networking in detail. By the time you finish this series, you'll be able to choose the network technology that suits your needs and configure the whole thing!
Networking Basics
Step 3 is extremely important. It is also very educational -- if you understand the configuration process, you understand everything a home network is capable of doing for you.
Easy Networking However, if you have problems, or if your kit does not include a configuration program, you'll need to know how to set your network up manually. You also need to understand a manual setup if you plan to do-it-yourself. To assist you with setting up your network, we'll discuss the following tasks, which apply no matter which networking technology you choose:
Once you understand these tasks, you'll understand just what your new network can do! Naming the PC Each computer in your home network needs to have a different name, and they all need to be in the same workgroup.
Here's how you can name your PC and create a workgroup:
Now that we've got names and a workgroup, let's move on to file sharing.
Networking Basics:
File Sharing Windows XP Sharing a folder is extremely easy in Windows XP. Simply open the Windows Explorer (Click the Start button, click on All Programs, choose Accessories and click on the Windows Explorer icon). Find the folder you wish to share. Right click on the folder, and in the menu that appears select "Sharing and Security..." Click on the Sharing tab. Click on "Share this folder on the network" and give the folder a unique name. When you share a folder, you have an option to make the folder (and all the files in it) read-only. If it is read-only, people can look at the files in the folder but they cannot change any of the files. If not, then they can modify files in the folder, delete files, rename files and add new files. A check box lets you specify if the folder is read-only or not. To access a shared folder, open the Windows Explorer, Choose "My Network Places" in the list on the left, find the shared folder that you wish to access and open it. Windows 98 To use file sharing in Windows 98, first check that File and Printer Sharing is enabled. You do this by running the mouse pointer over the Network Neighborhood icon on the desktop and clicking the right mouse button once. Select Properties from the menu. In the large white box, the item "Client for Microsoft Networks" should be visible.
Sometimes the software required to make a computer a client of a particular type of network isn't loaded. When a computer is a "client" of a network, that computer can communicate and share information with other computers that are clients of the network. When you first set up networking on a Windows 98/ME computer, the set-up process normally adds the "Client for Microsoft Networks" software. Occasionally it doesn't. If that's the case:
Once the software is installed, you should be back to the original Network window. Now let's enable file sharing:
You must now select which folders you want to share. Sharing your entire hard drive is not recommended. It is too easy for someone to accidentally delete an important system file if the whole disk is shared. Instead, create folders that will be used specifically to share files. You may want one folder for the entire family and another one limited to you and your spouse. Once you have identified the folder(s), move the pointer over the folder and click the right mouse button to get the pop-up menu. Select the Sharing... menu item. A window will open with several options. The default choice for sharing is Not Shared. Change this to Shared As and type in a name for the shared folder. The "Shared As" name does not have to be the same as the name of the folder, but it makes it easier to remember if it is.
Networking Basics:
File Sharing Security If you activated Share-level Access Control, you need to select the level of access and supply a password. Read-only access means that anyone accessing this folder over the network can only look at or retrieve files. They cannot put new files in the folder or delete or modify existing files. Full access is just that: the ability to read, write, delete and create files in this folder. You can also choose to allow either type of access depending on which password is provided. Restricting access to certain files is crucial for most businesses and can certainly be important to you at home. For example, you may have documents or images that you would not want your children to be able to see or change. Or perhaps you have important financial information that you wish to keep private. Whatever the reason, it is useful to be able to restrict access to information on each computer through the use of share-level password protection. Also, you can implement the user log-on feature by creating individual user accounts in the Users window, which is in the Control Panel.
Once shared folders are set up, accessing them is simple. Double-click Network Neighborhood with the left mouse button to open up a window showing all computers in the local area network (LAN). Double-click the computer you wish to access. A window will open with a list of shared resources. Double-click the desired folder and a prompt will appear, asking for the password. Type in the password you designated for that folder, and you're connected to that folder!
Networking Basics:
Printers Windows XP Sharing a printer is extremely easy in Windows XP.
To access a shared folder, you also use the "Printers" icon in the control panel. Click on the "Add a Printer option. Click "Next" in the Wizard that appears. Indicate that you wish to search for printers on the network. Then browser for the printer on the network and select it. You will then be able to print on the network printer as though it is connected to your own machine. Windows 98 To share a printer, first make sure you have completed the steps outlined above to activate File and Printer Sharing. Then:
To access the printer from another computer:
Once the wizard finishes installing the software, the printer will appear to your system just like a local printer.
Networking Basics:
Internet ICS lets you connect one computer to the Internet by whatever means (modem, DSL, ISDN or cable) and share that connection with any other Windows 98/ME computer on the network. Though simple in theory, the first implementation of ICS proved problematic for many users. Windows 98 v.2 improved ICS, and Windows XP makes it even simpler. Windows XP
Windows 98
By default, the ICS components are not installed on your computer. You only run ICS on the computer that is actually connected to the Internet:
While file and printer sharing are still relatively easy on either operating system, Internet-connection sharing using only software can be a good deal trickier. In most cases, if you are sharing a high-speed connection with several computers in your home (and especially if you are doing it wirelessly) it is easier to purchase a wireless hub/router and let it do the connection sharing for you. Lynksys' or Netgear's wireless hubs/routers are inexpensive, very easy to set up and also have the added benefit of providing a hardware firewall to protect your network.
Networking Basics:
Routers Much of the work required to get information from one computer to another is done by routers -- they're the crucial devices that let information flow between, rather than within, networks. Routers are specialized computers that send your messages, and those of every other Internet user, speeding to their destinations along thousands of pathways. When information needs to travel between networks, routers determine how to get it there. A router has two separate but related jobs:
In performing these two jobs, a router is extremely useful in dealing with two separate computer networks. It joins the two networks, your home network and the Internet in this case, passing information from one to the other. It also protects the networks from one another, preventing the traffic on one from unnecessarily spilling over to the other. Regardless of how many networks are attached, the basic operation and function of the router remains the same. Since the Internet is one huge network made up of tens of thousands of smaller networks, routers are an absolute necessity. For more information, see How Routers Work.
Networking Basics:
Firewalls You should note that some spam is going to get through your firewall as long as you accept e-mail. And, while some firewalls offer virus protection, it is worth the investment to install anti-virus software on each computer.
The level of security you establish will determine how many threats can be stopped by your firewall. You can restrict traffic that travels through the firewall so that only certain types of information, such as e-mail, can get through. The highest level of security would be to simply block everything. Obviously, that defeats the purpose of having an Internet connection. But a common rule of thumb is to start out blocking everything, and then begin to select what types of traffic you will allow. This is a good rule for businesses that have an experienced network administrator who understands what the needs are and knows exactly what traffic to allow through. For most of us, it is probably better to work with the defaults provided by the firewall developer unless there is a specific reason to change them. Windows XP provides a software firewall as part of the operating system. You can activate it from the same dialog you use to activate Internet Connection Sharing (see above). Hardware firewalls are incredibly secure and not very expensive. One of the best things about a firewall from a security standpoint is that it stops anyone on the outside from logging onto a computer in your private network. For more information on firewalls, see How Firewalls Work.
Building a Network
Ethernet Networking
Pros and Cons
And a few disadvantages:
Go on to the next page for complete information on this networking technology.
What You Need for
Ethernet There are two different ways to connect Ethernet cards: coax and Cat 5 cabling. Coax was once the more popular of the two, but today just about everyone uses Cat 5 because it is easier to configure. Cat 5 has a cable that looks a lot like a telephone cable. You run one cable to each computer, and each cable connects to a hub at the other end. A basic hub for a home network is a small box that typically costs from $25 to $50 (depending on its speed and how many connections it can support).
The hub takes the signal from each computer and sends it to all of the other computers in your home. Hubs come in several sizes, noted by the number of ports available -- a four-port hub can connect four computers, an 8-port hub can connect up to eight computers and so on. Most hubs are stackable. A stackable hub has a special port that can connect it to another hub to increase the capacity of your network. So if you start with a four-port hub but eventually have five computers, you can buy another four-port hub and connect it to the one you already have, increasing the potential number of computers on your network. A cable/DSL router usually has a four-port Ethernet hub built in. To connect the computers, you will need Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Category 5 cable. This type of cabling is designed to handle the 100-Mbps speed needed by Ethernet. The RJ-45 connector at the end of the cable looks very similar to the RJ-11 connector on a phone cord but is slightly bigger (and not compatible). You can buy Cat 5 cables in predetermined lengths with the connectors already attached. If you plan to install the Cat 5 cabling in the walls of your house, you can buy the cable in rolls, cut it to length and connect the cable to special RJ-45 wall boxes. Unless you have done this type of installation before, you will probably want to hire a professional. Because of the large number of possible configurations in an Ethernet network, you most likely will not have any type of automated installation software. This means that you will have to manually configure all the options as we discussed at the beginning of this article. If you have problems, the best source of information is probably the manufacturer of whichever NIC cards you decide to use. For more information, see How Ethernet Works. If you don't mind running the cables along the floor, you can install an Ethernet network for two computers in your home for $100 or less. That includes the cost of two Ethernet cards, a small hub and two cables. Each additional computer will cost about $30 to $40 to connect using inexpensive network cards. *Note: If you want to connect just two computers, you can avoid the hub and use a crossover Cat 5 cable. With a crossover cable, you directly connect one NIC card to the other without a hub. This only works for two computers -- to connect more than two you need a hub.
Other Types of Home
Networks
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