A network is a system of two or more computers that are connected in some manner that gives each computer on the network access to the files and peripheral equipment (such as printers or modems) on all the other computers on the network. What's the big deal about having a network at home? Here are some of the ways it can benefit your whole household:
- You can work anywhere, even in bed if you want. Suppose that you have an important presentation for your boss and it's due tomorrow morning. But it's Sunday morning, and you're having your second cup of coffee in your bedroom. It would be so cozy and comfy to stay in bed and use your laptop, to finish the presentation. Then you realize that you don't have to leave your cozy bed and stumble to the downstairs computer to find the most recently saved version of the document - you can open that file right there, from the laptop in your bedroom.
- Your kids won't argue as much. Sally doesn't have to stop using the computer in the den just because Bobby needs to retrieve his homework assignment from it. Bobby can go to the computer in the basement and access the file from there. There's no need to copy the file to a floppy disk; it's as available and handy as it would be on the basement computer.
- You can put an end to the demands for the computer with the Internet connection. Because you can set up your network so that everyone in the household can be on the Internet simultaneously, those arguments about whose turn it is to surf the Internet are a thing of the past.
- You can buy yourself an expensive piece of jewelry with the money you save on peripherals. Okay, not quite, but you will save money because you won't have to buy a printer and modem every time you buy a computer. Everyone can share those tools across the network. Even better, the sharing is simultaneous, so you can avoid "It's my turn!" arguments.
- You can become a god (or goddess). Another benefit of setting up a home network is that when you install it, you become the network administrator (that's what the people who installed the network at your office are called). You may even get to invent user names and passwords. You'll be in charge of decisions about whether Mom can see Bobby's files, or Bobby can see Mom's files. All this knowledge and power make you a computer geek, which in some circles is considered a high compliment.
Putting your network together is no big deal
You create connections between your computers using the following elements:
- Hardware in each computer that permits the computer to communicate.
- A cable or a wireless technology that sends data between the computers (using the hardware you installed).
- Software (called a driver) that operates the hardware.
Believe it or not, installing the hardware and software you need on each computer is not complicated at all. In fact, anyone who knows how to turn on a computer and use the keyboard and mouse can create a network in an amazingly short amount of time. Many people who installed their own home networks found it so easy and satisfying that they helped neighbors, friends, and relatives. Some have gone on to neighborhood fame and fortune as part-time consultants to other households who want home networks. They never give away the secret that all of this is extremely easy to do.
Network operating systems
You don't have to start creating your network with computers that already contain the hardware and software required for networking, because you can install that stuff yourself. However, you must have computers that already run on an operating system that can participate in a network environment.
You can use any of the following versions of Windows for your network (of course, Macintosh users have networks, too):
- Windows XP
- Windows 2000
- Windows NT
- Windows Me
- Windows 98SE (Second Edition)
- Windows 98
- Windows 95
As a practical matter, Windows 95 and Windows 98 are obsolete, and increasingly fewer people still have computers running those versions of Windows. As a result, you'll have a harder time finding specific instructions for performing tasks on those versions. However, if you happen to have a computer running Windows 95 or Windows 98, most of the instructions given for Windows 98SE should work for you.
