Setting Up A Wireless Network

You Can Set Up Your Home Wireless Network In Just Four Easy Steps

There is a dizzying array of technologies and terms with which one must become familiar for home network setup. While understanding these may seem difficult, grasping a few core concepts can make purchasing for and setting up a home network vastly more simple. Here are the most common concepts associated with home network configuration.

Setting up any network generally involves making two separate networks work together, exchanging information correctly such that information is sent to the right computer or device. These networks are the Wide Area Network, or WAN, which in most home networks is represented by the internet at large. By contrast, the Local Area Network or LAN includes all the interconnected machines in your home. Each of these are completely separate networks. You can run your LAN however you choose and, in general, your choices in doing so don't affect the state or policies of the WAN.

The LAN and WAN are connected at the router, aptly named because it routes information around the LAN and to the WAN. Routers feature a variety of connectivity methods to help ensure that any device you may have can tie into the network.

Wired connections are perhaps the most common method. Employing technology known as ethernet, these carry data directly to their destinations via cables. Ethernet is generally more secure than other connection types, as the data cannot be eavesdropped upon by outside sources. Wired connections are also less prone to interference or random connection drop-outs, both of which are more common on wireless links.

Wireless connectivity is becoming increasingly more common, however. Wireless-capable routers use one or more of several versions of the wireless specification referred to as 802.11X (where X can be A, B, G, etc.) For the casual user, the differences between these are mostly academic, as almost every device and router will speak at least one in common. Even so, if you need increased range or other specialized features then studying these differences may be of interest.

Wireless networks also pose potential security risks if not properly set up. Whereas ethernet networks are more like one-on-one conversations with the routers speaking directly to connected devices, wireless networks are more like conversations at parties. Everyone in the room hears what is said, and it's up to the person being addressed to respond, and to others not to interrupt. If you don't wish for your conversations to be overheard then security measures are an essential part of any wireless network configuration.

There are a variety of technologies available for securing wireless connections, of which Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) are the most common. Given the choice of either, WPA is the better option as it is more secure. In general, both methods require that all systems on the network share a common key or password. Without that password, the wireless traffic is vastly more difficult to eavesdrop upon by outside observers.

Setting up a home network is a fun, challenging project. Hopefully the above has served as an excellent introduction to the terminology and concepts involved.