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Now go to Control Panel and check to see if you have a wireless network adapter already installed. Most of the laptops and netbooks these days come with an internal wireless network adapter (look for ON/OFF WLAN switch).

If not, visit the Newegg page and buy one of the USB adapters. They are fairly cheap and most work directly out of the box. PC/Cardbus/ExpressCard adapters are also available for purchase. A good choice would be the D-Link WUA-1340 available here.

Once you have all the hardware you’re ready to set up the network. Read the manual that came with the router and connect your internet connection to the router. Basically, you have to connect the cable from your cable/DSL router to the wireless router, turn the router on, connect to the router’s signal, access a web configuration page and do some minor tweaks.

Modern wireless routers are extremely easy to configure, and most come with wizards and walkthroughs that explain everything as you go along. Here is a screenshot of my configuration panel that I access by typing 192.168.10.1 in the address bar of my browser. That address is the IP address of the wireless router, and may be different for your router, but it is clearly pointed out in the router’s manual.

Networking Basics - Vol 1.

Freebies Domain

Before diving in to the how-to part of this guide, it is essential to know some basic terms and acronyms. You don’t need to learn them immediately, just look them up as you encounter them in the guide. This will help you make logical connections between the terminology and real-life situations.

1. Computer Network – computers that are linked to each other (by a physical transport layer) using Optical fiber, Ethernet, Wireless LAN, HomePNA or Power Line. By connecting computers or network-capable appliances you can choose to share and access resources and information.

2. LAN - A local area network is a computer network with a limited range, usually considered to be less than 1KM. Common examples where a LAN might be implemented are at home, office, or small group of buildings, such as a school, or an airport. LANs are characterized by high speed data transfer rates.

3. Network Architecture –
•The client-server architecture differentiates client systems from server systems. A common example that illustrates this model are websites. Your computer establishes a connection to the server which sends back the web page over the Internet. An analogy would be broadcasting (one to many distribution model). This model is illustrated in the first image.
•A peer-to-peer (or P2P) architecture uses the cumulative bandwidth of network participants rather than centralized resources (servers). On a peer to peer network every participant is both a client and a server. This architecture is widely used in various file sharing software, including the notorious BitTorrent protocol. This model is illustrated in the second image.
The client-server architecture


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