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http://indoorcoverage.com/wireless/
Set Up A Wireless Network And Unchain Yourself From Your Desk
By Gregg Hall
You no longer have to go to Starbucks to enjoy Internet connections. That's right, you can enjoy your coffee from the privacy of your home and access the Internet. Internet has come home as well, and Internet connections can now be shared among family members without stringing wires through the living room. On the negative side, however, setting this up can be quite a chore.
With a network, not only can you share Internet connectivity, but you can share files. You can put a file on a shared drive, and then anyone on any computer in your house can access it.
Additionally, you can share a printer. You can literally press "print" while working on your laptop in the bedroom, and the printer in your office will start spewing out your latest reports.
To start out with, you need a gateway the Internet. Any computer can serve as your gateway. This system must be directly plugged into the Internet in order for other users to be truly wireless. Thus one computer is stationary, you cannot move it.
To connect your systems to the Internet, set up your gateway. Click on the Start menu and scroll up to the Control Panel. Then double click the Network Connections icon. At this point you can run through the series of steps in the Network Set up Wizard. Make sure to select "set up a home or small office network."
Continue moving through the wizard until you reach the "select a connection method" page. You'll need to select the option that states that your computer is directly connected to the Internet. Keep moving through the steps until you arrive on the final page with your reward: the finish button.
At this point you only have one computer hooked up to the Internet, and you can't move it around the house. To gain mobility, you'll need to go through the same steps with each of your other computers, only this time, you should select
the option that states you're your computer is connected to the Internet through a network and not directly connected to the Internet.
Unfortunately this sort of network does have a downside: the connection relies on the gateway. When you turn your gateway off, the rest of your systems drop their Internet connection too. You might also want to consider purchasing a router. Check out our article configure a network that always stays on.
Overall a connection offers the freedom that no other Internet service does. You can even sit outside your home within a reasonable distance and access the Internet. Imagine that: shopping online from your deck. You could work from the kitchen, the bedroom, and even the bathroom. And while no one wants to become a workaholic, some people need the variety of setting to stay productive. So take the necessary steps to get hooked up and go today.
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