How to set up a wireless network at home

Wireless networking is hot now with the advancement in new wireless technologies that make for fast data transfer, greater coverage and much more reliable connection.

With the wireless network you can easily connect to the other computers and laptops that are also wirelessly connected. You can move your devices around at home without the need to have those clumsy cables attached to your PC or laptop.

What you need to have a wireless network

The important equipments that you need to have a wireless network set up at home are a wireless router and the wireless network adapter. Access points rather than routers are used by businesses when going wireless, but in the home network it is better to have a wireless router.

Based on the number of computers that you want to connect wirelessly you might need a number of wireless network adapters. Each computer that you want to connect wirelessly should have a wireless network adapter.

Installing a wireless network at home is often a lot easier than it may look at first. With all the plug & play capabilities, installing a home network today is easier that it has ever been.

For those wishing to make the installation process as smooth as possible should spend a few extra dollars and look to buy all the necessary gadgets with an USB connection instead of PCI based equipment. This way it won't require opening the case of the CPU and screwing it into the various PCI slots.

Below is a general guide to setting up a home wireless network connection for connection through PCI or USB mode.

Steps involved in setting up the wireless network

The following are the steps involved in setting up the wireless network. A basic knowledge on networking would be helpful to you to set up your network. However we assume that you know the basics of computers!

1. Shutdown your computer and open the case.

1. The first step in setting up the wireless network connection is to install the wireless network adapter in each of the computer that you are going to connect. For this you might need to open the box and find the free PCI slot to fix the PCI wireless network adapter. You can also use a USB wireless network adapter. In this case just plug it to the USB port that is free. USB adapter can be plugged while the system is running.

1. Use the CD that comes along with the wireless network adapter and install the drivers. This step will be easy since the application in the CD usually starts on its own when you insert the CD in the drive. You have to follow the instructions on screen to install the drivers.

1. Choose a location for the wireless router and just plug it in. See whether the WLAN led is lit up.

1. Start your computers in which you have installed the wireless network adapters and Open up the browsers.

1. Type the default IP address of the router. Check the manual that comes along with the router to find it out. It might be 192.168.2.1. If you type it correctly then you will get the interface for configuration screen for your wireless router.

1. Turn off the DHCP Server option in the configuration page. This should be turned off otherwise any person who has a device for wireless access would be able to access your wireless network connection.

1. Now assign IP address for each client (computer) that is in the same network. Go to “My Network Places/ (wireless adaptor)/TCP-IP settings” to enter the IP address when there is wireless between two computers.

1. Run the wireless network adapter's Status program to find out the status of your wireless connection. You can get information about your network and the strength of the signal you get.

1. If the signal is weak, try relocating the wireless router to some other place till you get strong signal.

Follow the above steps to connect your computers wirelessly at home. You can any number of computers to this network. All you need to buy is another wireless network adapter for the computer that you are going to connect.