Building A Wireless Home Network with Windows XP

The reasons are easy to understand. Wireless network communication means your home-based customers can now have all their computers communicating with each other and the Internet without the need, expense, or trouble of running even a single wire. Multiple PCs can use the Internet simultaneously without your customers needing to pay an extra dime to their ISP. Also, a consumer-based wireless router such as the one we'll be using in this recipe includes a built-in firewall, so a wireless network gives your customers both convenience and security. Let's dig in.

Before you can get started building a wireless network, you need to select your technology. Today, there are three wireless networking standards to consider.

The most popular standard, 802.11b, is widely adopted and available at many public places, including airport lobbies and probably your local Starbucks. This wireless standard transfers data at 11 megabits per second (mbps),

The next standard, 802.11a, is like a big brother to 802.11b. It's much more expensive and, as a result, much less common. 802.11a transfers data at 54 mbps, almost five times faster than 802.11b. But that extra speed comes at a price: a range of just 25 to 75 feet, about half that of its cheaper, slower alternative.

id
unit-1659132512259
type
Sponsored post

Unfortunately, these two standards are incompatible. An 802.11b wireless network device cannot communicate with an 802.11a wireless network device.

This incompatibility is solved by the third standard, known as 802.11g. It's the newest standard in wireless networking and offers the best features of the other two. It offers the faster 54-mbps rate of 802.11a, but will also communicate with 802.11b devices at the slower speed. It also offers the same range as 802.11b, approximately 100 to 150 feet indoors.

Confused? Just remember that 802.11a devices can communicate only with other "A" devices, while "B" and "G" devices can communicate with each other. The setup is essentially the same regardless of which device you choose.

Also, don't let the concept of "relatively slow" prevent you from recommending 802.11b to your more budget-minded customers. Most high-speed broadband offer Internet connections of "only" 1 mbps to 3 mbps. Compared with that, the 11-mbps data-transfer rate of the "B" wireless standard doesn't seem so slow after all.

Ingredients

Now that we have the standards out of the way, let's look at what's actually involved in building a home wireless network with Windows XP.

First, here are the components you'll need:

To show you how easy it is to set up a wireless network in your customers' homes, we'll use the popular Linksys Wireless G Broadband Router (model no. WRT54G) and, just to make it interesting, a Linksys 802.11b Wireless USB network card (model no. WUSB11 version 2.6). Here's what they look like:

Linksys Wireless G Broadband Router with built-in Firewall and 4 port 10/100 switch

Linksys 802.11b wireless USB network interface card (NIC).

A typical standard 'wired' network interface card (NIC). (Linksys brand shown)

Regardless of what brand of wireless router you choose, the steps you'll need to follow will be the same. But each manufacturers menu's and options will vary. To keep things as simple as possible, choose one brand and stick with that same brand for all of your wireless networking needs. While it might be cheaper to buy a wireless router from one manufacturer and a wireless network card from another, the setup and compatibility between the two will mostly likely require much more time and become a very frustrating experience. Of course, if you purchase the same products we are using in this recipe, you can follow each step exactly as shown and have your wireless network up and running in no time.

Let's get started

I'm going to show you how to hook up two computers on a wireless network. For that reason, we will only need one wireless network card. Why only one? Because the wireless router can be placed right next to one of the computers. Also, because it will be so close, we can run a very short network cable from the computer directly to the router. This is called "Infrastructure" mode.

Can't you simply hook one computer to another using only two wireless network adapters? Or must you purchase a wireless router? Well, you can hook up a limited number of computers to each other using nothing but wireless cards. This is called "Ad-hoc" mode. But doing so limits your use of the wireless network. For example, you will not be able to share resources from any wired network (including the Internet) to any wireless network using this setup. You will only be able to share files and printers between the wireless computers -- nothing more.

DIRECTIONS

First, let's unpack your wireless router. In the box should be a power adapter, manual, CD-ROM containing software, short Ethernet "patch" cable, and the wireless router itself. Your router package may contain other items, but this is the bare minimum you'll need and should expect to find.

Start by switching off the computer. If your customer's computer has a high-speed Internet cable/DSL/satellite modem, turn that off, too, and unplug it from the back of the computer. Then plug the modem into the wireless router in the port labeled "Internet" or "WAN" (wide area network).

If the cable/DSL/satellite modem plugs in to your customer's computer with a USB cable, you will need to remove the USB cable entirely and replace it with a standard Ethernet cable. Some cable modems allow for one connection or the other. (If you aren't sure which type you're working with, remember that a USB cable has a small rectangular plug, and an Ethernet cable has a plug similar to a telephone, only slightly larger.) Should your cable/DSL/satellite modem not have an Ethernet jack (very rare, thankfully), you will need to replace it with one that does.

Next, plug one Ethernet "patch" cable from your cable/DSL/satellite modem into the Internet or WAN port on the wireless router. Using the included power adapter, apply power, and turn on the wireless router.

Now plug an Ethernet "patch" cable from the computer into one of the remaining, usually numbered, Ethernet ports on the wireless router. If your wireless router includes an Ethernet port labeled Uplink, do not use this port.

Turn on your cable/DSL/satellite modem, and turn on your computer. At this point, once your cable/DSL/satellite modem has initialized and your computer has booted, you should be able to access your Internet without any further configuration.

If not, uninstall any firewall software and disable the built-in firewall. Since your wireless router acts as a hardware firewall, these software firewalls are no longer needed. Even if your customer wants to continue running the software firewall, do not attempt to reconfigure or install it until your wireless networking setup is complete and verified as working properly.

Do not continue to the next step of this process until you have verified that your Internet is working properly. Some configuration of the wireless router may be necessary for some ISP connections to work properly. See your wireless-router documentation for specific instructions on configuration options, as the steps vary from one manufacturer to another. The good news is, you probably won't need it.

Installing a Wireless NIC With Windows XP

Some USB devices require you to install the included software and drivers prior to plugging the USB device into your computer. I'll show you how to install the Linksys NIC with Windows XP. If you're using a different NIC, see your wireless NIC manufacturers' documentation for the proper installation instructions for the type of wireless NIC you have purchased.

Step 1: Begin

Turn on the computer, and when it has finished loading the operating system, plug the wireless USB NIC into any available USB port on the back of the computer using the USB cable provided.

The Windows XP "Found New Hardware Wizard" will appear on the computer's display. Insert the Linksys driver/software CD-ROM (included with the USB wireless NIC) into the machine's CD drive. If the Autorun feature is enabled, once the CD is recognized, the drivers will install automatically. If this does not happen, simply click the Next button.

Then, when the driver has installed, click Finish.

Again, these instructions are designed for those installing the Linksys WUSB11 version 2.6 NIC with Windows XP. If you're using other models and manufacturers of wireless USB NICs, you may need to specify the exact location of the driver to Windows XP during this process. If this is the case, refer to your installation manual for specific installation instructions.

Step 2: Configure

Click Start and then click on Control Panel (some users may have to click Settings first, depending on your Windows XP Start Menu configuration). If your Control Panel opens with a dialog that says Pick a Category, click on Switch to Classic View, located on the left side of the window.

Now double-click on the Network Connections icon.

Right-click Wireless Network Connection and then click on Properties.

If your customer wants to share files and printers with others on the network, make sure they have Client for Microsoft Networks, File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks (only), and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in your list as shown in this example:

Make sure there is a check in the box next to "Show icon in notification area when connected." Uninstall any additional items that may be in this list. If, after uninstalling these items, your computer requests to restart, allow it to do so. Then return to this point following the steps above once more.

Next, click on the Wireless Networks tab. Be sure to put a check in the box next to "Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings." The name of your wireless network should appear in the first window. In this case, it will say "linksys." Click once on the name to select it, and then click the Configure button.

The next window that appears will automatically fill in the first field, "Network name (SSID)." For Network Authentication, choose "Open," and for Data Encryption choose "Disabled." The last box should remain unchecked unless you are trying to establish a network with just wireless NICs (Ad-hoc mode) and are not using a wireless router.

Now click the Advanced tab (not the Advanced button), and make sure there is no check in the box next to "Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet." This is Windows XP's built-in firewall, and you want to make sure it is disabled for now. Now click the OK button, and then click the last OK button.

Step 3: Connect

Once again, right-click on the Wireless Network Connection icon. Then click once on View Available Wireless Networks.

Your wireless network should again appear in the window that opens. Place a check in the box next to "Allow me to connect to the selected wireless network, even though it is not secure." Then click the Connect button.

Click Start, then click Turn Off Computer, and then click Restart.

Once Windows XP restarts, you should be able to access your network to share files and printers, and you should be able to surf the Internet. Congratulations!

Step Four: Complete

To share your C: drive on your wireless network, double-click the My Computer icon located on your desktop, right-click your C: drive and select Properties. Click the Sharing tab, and select Shared As. Then click the OK button.

If you want others on your network to be able to use a printer plugged into this computer, double-click the Printers icon in your Control Panel. Then, right-click on the printer you wish to share. Then select Properties. Click the Sharing tab, select Shared As, and click the OK button.

More details about file and printer sharing can be found here on YouthTech.com.

Your wireless network setup is now complete. After verifying all network functionality, please enable MAC Filtering and 128-bit WEP security on the wireless router. Also, enable the same 128-bit WEP security on every wireless network adapter. Details on wireless security and tips can be found on the Linksys site.

(Part 1 of a two-part Recipe. Next week: Building a Wireless Home Network with Win98/ME.)

CAREY HOLZMAN is president of Discount Computer Repair in Glendale, Ariz.