1. Choose Your Networking Hardware
You will need at least two pieces of hardware: a broadband wireless router and a wireless-network adapter.
The router controls traffic between the devices in your network and the Internet, combining outgoing messages and routing them to the Internet, as well as directing incoming traffic to individual devices.
The wireless-network adapter enables a device (typically a PC or a printer) to send and receive messages over the wireless network. It is essentially a small, two-way radio transmitter.
Wireless networks use one of several flavors of the 802.11 standard. The most flexible version is 802.11b/g. The “g” standard is backward-compatible with the “b” standard, so this type of router can connect to network adapters that use either the “b” or “g” standards (though it will not connect to older, slower “a”-type adapters).
Once you have purchased the router and the network adapter(s), the next step is to connect the router to the Internet.
2. Enable the encryption
Wireless networking does expose your data to an increased
chance of being hacked. By default, wireless networking
comes standard with encryption disabled in order to
be easy to install. By enabling the encryption, you
will tremendously enhance the security of your data.
3. Plan for sufficient
wireless coverage
It is important to check for sufficient wireless
coverage in the area you will be using the wireless
network. This can be easily done with a single
wireless access point and one wireless network
card.
Position the access point where you think coverage
will be best. Move the system with the card around
in the work area making note of any areas you have
connection problems. You can fill in these problem
areas with additional access points for uninterrupted
wireless network coverage in your business.
4. Keep
realistic expectations
Wireless networking is great for home or small business
use. The convenience and ease of installation make
it a true do-it-yourself project. However, since
the speed is less than standard 10/100 wired networking,
it is not advisable to use wireless networking
for large groups of users simultaneously.
5. Networking can be complicated or simple depending on what type of network you are trying to setup. If you have any questions or trouble you can always contact us.
Here are a few links that might help:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome
http://www.pcmag.com/article
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