If you are new to the computer world and want to get more out of your computer experience by learning how to build a wireless network within your home, then here are a few steps you need in order to get started.
A Wireless network is a network that uses radio waves to communicate via your home wireless router. When we talk about radio waves we are speaking about signals that transmit to and from your router so that you can view the internet from anywhere in your home without using a cable. In a home network signal travel through your cable line, small satellite dish or telephone line from your internet service provider through your modem (switch), which is subsequently connected to your computer to provide you internet access.
Before wireless we connected to the internet through a large area network cable (LAN) from the back of our modem to our computer. We also connected and some still use this method today, to the internet through dial-up, which of course is the least expensive method of connecting to the internet. Dial-up is the method by which you plug your phone line directly into your computer and connect to the internet through an ISP such as AOL. Which ever method you use, the downfall with using a wired network is that you computer or laptop will have to remain in the same location that the cable is located in order for you to connect to the internet unless you get smart and purchase a 10 foot cable or phone line, which in this case will cause a huge mess in your home.
With a wireless network, it is not messy at all as you connect to internet through radio waves that are transmitted throughout your home from your router. To build a wireless network all you need is internet service in your home, a wireless router, a modem from your ISP, wireless LAN cards for every additional computer or laptop in your home. If you have a laptop, then the wireless LAN cards look like credit cards and for wireless LAN cards for your computer, they are card like with an antenna sticking out of them.
Now that you have your equipment, the first thing you do is connect your computer to the router and the modem to the router, Before, your modem was connected directly to the computer, but in order to do wireless, everything will need to connect directly to the router. The modem will be connected to the internet port on the router and the computer will be connected to one of the ports on the router other than the internet port normally port one.
If you need assistance in setting up the router as you will need to make some minor adjustments with your router such as closing off your port so that you are not providing internet access to everyone in the neighborhood as I have seen this happen far too often. Your router comes with a manual that shows you how to set-up the router for your wireless network so follow the steps given in the manual.
After your base computer is set and you are able to surf the web through your wireless router from the base computer, then you are now ready to add additional computers or laptops to your wireless network. To verify that you have close the port so that only the people in your home will have access, every laptop added to the wireless network will be prompted to enter the secure password before they are granted access. After the password is entered, they are ready to begin surfing the web. That is all there is to it and you will love it as now you can roam from room to room with your laptop surfing the web whenever you go in your home and if you are in areas where you can not get a signal then you may want to invest in a long range wireless router.
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