Home and Small Office computer Networking
If you have two or more computers and a wired/wireless router, you can easily set up a network that will allow you to do things like print wirelessly from your laptop to a printer hooked up to your network (the printer can be connected to another computer or a print hub). You can also access and transfer files from computer to computer. Personally, I find wireless networking really useful on my laptop. My laptop can still print and access data on my desktop anywhere in my home. Below is an example of a home network consisting of both wired and wireless computers.
There are five things you must do to each computer that will be on the network:
1. Give each computer on your network a unique name.
2. Set the Workgroup of each computer on your network to the same name (the Workgroup name can be anything but it has to be the same on all computers on your network). The Workgroup name is the name of your network.
3. Enable File and Printer Sharing.
4. Configure your firewall to allow File and Print Sharing.
5. Once File Sharing has been activated you can share files within a given folder by right clicking on the folder and then select “Sharing and Security...”. Then put a check in the box “Share this folder on the network” and optionally “Allow network users to change my files.”
The first 3 tasks can be accomplished with the Network Setup Wizard in Windows XP and the Network and Sharing Center in Windows Vista. The Network Setup Wizard is located in the control panel. Here are videos on using the Network Setup Wizard in Windows XP and in Windows Vista. In Windows 2000 you have to do this manually (Start->Setting->Control Panel->System->Network Identification->Properties).
Optional:
For some online applications it may be useful
to edit the settings on your router so that static DHCP is enabled for each
computer on your network. Setting up static DHCP for each computer will allow
port forwarding to work. In general, port forwarding will be required for all
application that allow remote computers to connect to your computer. Editing
settings on your router is done by typing your routers IP address into your web
browser's address field (usually type 192.168.0.1).
Videos
1.
Setting up a network for file and printer sharing in Windows XP
2.
Setting up a network for file and printer sharing in Windows Vista