Quantcast
Subscribe to magazine

Upgrade Guide

Here's how to hook up your PCs in a wireless network, step by step.

  • 0 Yes
  • 0 No

If you want to network your Windows 9x PCs or notebooks, but don't want to string network cables through your walls, wireless networks offer a tidy alternative. Though less expandable and slower than cables, they work within a radius of about 150 feet through walls, ceilings, and floors, so you can sit on the deck with your notebook and get files from your desktop, or send files to a printer in your home office. Add Internet-sharing software, and you can even surf the Internet.

To install a wireless network, you'll need an ISA or, better, a PCI wireless network card for each desktop, and a PC Card for each notebook. You can buy the necessary components separately or in kits, which usually handle two PCs or one PC and one notebook. Wireless networks are a bit more expensive than wired networks; prepare to pay $100 to $150 per PC.

Most wireless networks operate at the leisurely speed of 1 to 2 mbps. Although that's much slower than the 10- or 100-mbps speeds of wired networks, it's still good for casual use and for going online.

The steps involved in installing a wireless network vary by manufacturer, but here's an overview of the process for both desktops and notebooks.

  • Recommend this story?
  • 0 Yes
    0 No

Print 65% more pages than with refilled inks. Trust Original HP Inks. Hit Print Reliably.

Featured APC Accessories For Your System
10% Off Entire Cart at Online Store

  • APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
  • APC SurgeArrest Performance Highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection.

Focus on Personal Productivitysponsored by Microsoft

  • Personal Finance 2.0 These free and fee-based Web services not only aggregate data from your online bank accounts, they give you tools for managing your money.
  • High-Tech Travel Tips Plenty of stories provide advice for elite mobile professionals. But what about you, the unproductive traveler?

People who read this also read:

  • 2007 Microsoft Office Suites Comparison This paper compares and contrasts four suites of the 2007 Microsoft Office system: Microsoft Office Standard 2007, Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007, Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 and Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007. This paper is intended to help organizations understand the applications and capabilities offered, and to identify the suite that best fits their needs.
  • Windows Vista Migration: The Business Proposition It's not so much a matter of "if" but "when" for most organizations regarding migration to Windows Vista. Laying the groundwork now for this migration can yield higher ROI than waiting until later. This Computerworld Technology Briefing explains it all.

PC World's Marketplace