Overview:

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:

• Share your high-speed WisperTel Internet connection among all the computers in your home
• Access shared files such as photographs, MP3s, spreadsheets and documents on any computer in the house
• Play games that allow multiple users at different computers
• Send the output of a device like a DVD player or Webcam to your other
  computer(s)
• Share a single printer between computers

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What Kind of Network is Right for Me?

Now that you've decided to start a network, it's time to decide what kind of network best suits your networking needs.

Basically, there are two kinds of networks, wired and wireless. The most basic difference is that wired networks communicate through data cables, while wireless networks communicate through radio signals.

Wired networks have been around for decades. By far the most common wired networking technology found today is known as Ethernet. The data cables, known as Ethernet network cables or Cat 5 cables, connect the computers and other devices that make up the networks.

Wireless networks are relatively new. They don't use cables for connections; instead, they use radio waves, like cordless phones.

Why choose a wireless network? * Freedom—work anywhere * Quick, effortless installation * No cables to buy * Save cabling time and hassle * Easy to expand

A Wireless Network

Wireless networks are rapidly becoming more popular and coming down in price. Since they don't require cables, you can use the devices anywhere in an office or home, even out on the patio. There's no need to roll out an Ethernet network cable to each room of a house; you can network anywhere—without wires. Outside of the home, wireless networking is available in hotspots at coffee shops, businesses, airports—great when you're on the road and need to get some work done. For convenience, wireless networking is the answer.

Why choose a wired network?

* Lower cost
* Faster speed—up to 1000Mbps
* Longer possible range

Wired networks have been around for years. They use the most affordable products and provide the fastest speeds of transmission. The distance between devices, such as computers, on a network is also much less restricted in wired networking—up to 300 feet with Cat 5 Ethernet cables. When you need to move large amounts of data at high speeds, such as professional-quality multimedia, wired networking is the most efficient way to do it. If you want to install a wired network purchase a non-wireless router, ethernet cards for your PC's (if not already installed) and Ethernet cables to connect to each computer.

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 WisperTel connection in a few minutes, and have all your computers talking on a network very quickly. For that reason we are going to focus on how to setup a WiFi network in your home.

First we will discuss the basic technology that makes WiFi networking possible. Then we will discuss the hardware you need to create a WiFi network, and help you understand how to set up and access a WiFi hotspot in your home.

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How to Setup a WiFi Network:

One of the best things about WiFi is how simple it is. Many new laptops already come with a WiFi card built in -- in many cases you don't have to do anything to start using WiFi. It is also easy to add a WiFi card to an older laptop or a desktop PC. Here's what you do:

• If you want to setup the network with wireless cards, buy a 802.11a, 802.11b or 802.11g network card. 802.11g has the advantage of higher speeds and good interoperability on 802.11b equipment.
  

For a laptop, this card will normally be a PCMCIA card that you slide into a PCMCIA slot on your laptop. Or you can buy a small external adapter and plug it into a USB port.	Laptop PCMCIA Card Price Range: $30 - $80	Laptop or Desktop USB Adapter Price Range: $30 -$80
For a desktop machine, you can buy a PCI card that you install inside the machine, or a small external adapter that you connect to the computer with a USB cable. Install the card or adapter Install the drivers for the card or adapter	Desktop PCI Card Price Range: $30 - $80

Once you turn your Wireless Access Point on, you will have a WiFi hotspot in your house. In a typical home, your new hotspot will provide coverage for about 100 feet (30.5 meters) in all directions, although walls and floors do cut down on the range. Even so, you should get good coverage throughout a typical home. For a large home, you can buy inexpensive signal boosters to increase the range of the Hotspot.

If you are setting up your 802.11 network from scratch, you will have to choose between 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g. 802.11b is slightly less expensive, but it is the slowest of the three options. For home use, 802.11g costs just a little more, but is up to 5 times faster. If you will be doing a lot of file transfers between computers in your home, 802.11g is definitely the way to go.

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Configuring a New Hotspot in your Home

Most wireless access points come with default values built-in. Once you plug them in, they start working with these default values in 90 percent of the cases. However, you may want to change things. You normally get to set three things on your access point:

• The SSID -- it will normally default to the manufacturer's name (e.g. "Linksys" or "Netgear"). You can set it to any word or phrase you like.
  
• The channel -- normally it will default to channel 6. However, if a nearby neighbor is also using an access point and it is set to channel 6, there can be interference. Choose any other channel between 1 and 11. An easy way to see if your neighbors have access points is to use the search feature that comes with your wireless card.
  
• The WEP key -- The default is to disable WEP. If you want to turn it on, you have to enter a WEP key and turn on 128-bit encryption.
  

Access points come with simple instructions for changing these three values. Normally you do it with a Web browser. Once it is configured properly, you can use your new hotspot to access the Internet from anywhere in your home.

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WiFi Security

WiFi networks can be open or secure. If the network is open, then anyone with a WiFi card can access your network. If it is secure, then the user needs to know a WEP key to connect.

WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy, and it is an encryption system for the data that 802.11 sends through the air. WEP has two variations: 64-bit encryption (really 40-bit) and 128-bit encryption (really 104-bit). 40-bit encryption was the original standard but was found to be easily broken. 128-bit encryption is more secure and is what most people use if they enable WEP.

For a casual user, any hotspot that is using WEP is inaccessible unless you know the WEP key.

If you are setting up a hotspot in your home, you may want to create and use a 128-bit WEP key to prevent the neighbors from casually eavesdropping on your network.

Whether at home or on the road, you need to know the WEP key, and then enter it into the WiFi card's software, to gain access to the network.

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