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If you have more than one computer in your home, you quickly discover what a hassle it is to be shoved aside when someone else needs the printer--which happens to be attached to your PC. You're also probably tired of running up and down the stairs to transfer files using floppy disks. And no one likes fighting over the only computer with Internet access. No wonder you're interested in home networking.

But aside from family unity, there's also the little matter of comfort. Where would you rather answer important e-mail--in your home office, hunched over your desk, or in the living room, with your feet on the ottoman? Better yet, how about out on the veranda?

There was a time when this flexibility was a luxury reserved for the brave souls who threaded cables behind their walls to set up an ethernet network--and had mastered the arcane secrets of networking kung fu. But over the past few years, a variety of home networking packages have appeared on the scene, and they're relatively easy to use. You can use your home's existing wiring--or in some cases, no wires at all.

I cover three different options here, based on the three established home networking standards: HomePNA 2.0 (Home Phoneline Networking Alliance), which centers on your home's phone line system; HomePlug, which uses your existing power lines; and the 802.11b (Wi-Fi) standard, which lets you go wireless. (There's also the more recent Wi-Fi5, also known as 802.11a, Wi-Fi's speedier successor.)

For shopping advice, product info, and details about how each technology works, read "How to Buy Home Networking Products." And if you're interested in finding out how the different technologies performed in PC World lab testing, go to "How Fast Are They Really?"

Be Prepared

Setting up a home network will go much more smoothly if you prepare a few things beforehand, no matter which option you choose. Although all networking kits come with adapters and the other components you need, such as phone line cables or USB cables, you'll still want to have a few other things worked out before you plug anything in.

• Visit the home networking company's Web site and make sure you have the most current drivers for your operating systems. You might have Windows Me on your PCs at home, for instance, and you may not get the right drivers for Me on the CD bundled with the networking kit.
  
  
• Have your Windows installation CDs handy for each PC to be networked; you may need to install Windows' own network drivers while setting up your home network.
  
  
• Choose a name for your network (also referred to as a workgroup). Something descriptive is usually best, such as your family name or the name of your small business. Wireless networks will also need another name (a network identification code or SSID, which stands for Service Set Identifier). It doesn't matter if the workgroup name and SSID are the same.
  
  
• Decide on unique names for each computer. Although you can use literal, descriptive names like "Office" or "Games," you might as well be creative. I once named a dozen computers after famous comedians from the 1940s and 1950s.
  
  

• See more like this:
• home network,
• how to set up a home network,
• HomePlug,
• HomePNA,
• wireless networking,
• power-line network,
• phone line network