IP ADDRESS AGONY Your computer is a fountain of useful information, a treasure trove of music and video that wants nothing more than to share its wealth with the world. But, alas, a peculiar affliction seems to have rendered it unable to converse with its own kind. You just finished connecting it and two other …

Say you’re approaching the end of a large download, and in the middle of a Skype call to clients in China, without warning, your Wi-Fi connection drops, leaving your download and VoIP call in limbo. You retry the wireless connection, but your router, though blinking contentedly in your den, seems to be off the air. Two hours later, for no apparent reason, your Wi-Fi connection miraculously resurfaces. Wireless networking can be a blessing and a curse: great when it works and a mind-numbing frustration when it doesn’t. A common complaint among many who have moved to Wi-Fi is that their wireless connection mysteriously fades in and out. These steps will help you create a stable, always-on wireless connection. 1. Change channels. Interference is a likely cause of intermittent connections, such as the one described above. All 802.11b and 802.11g networks operate at 2.4GHz, in a small swath of spectrum once …

Your wireless network, once secure, provides a great way to share files and printers throughout your home. In Windows XP, go to Control Panel > Network Connections and click “Set up a home or small office network.” When asked for a connection method, choose “This computer connects to the Internet through another computer on my network or through a residential gateway.” Unless you’re networking only Windows XP systems, choose “Create a network setup disk” when given the chance. This creates a floppy you can use to run the wizard on non-XP systems. Now run the wizard on each additional system on your network. On non-XP systems, browse the floppy and run the file netsetup.exe. When configuring each system, assign each PC a different name but use the same workgroup name. The Network Setup wizard automatically enables sharing on any printer connected to a PC during setup, but before you can …

Because wireless signals often travel beyond the physical confines of your home or office, you must take extra precautions to secure your network. Otherwise, any hacker on the street with a suitable radio can gain access to your network. The Tools page in the DI-624’s configuration utility allows you to change the router’s password. To secure your new Wi-Fi network, go to your wireless router’s configuration utility again by entering its IP address in your browser. Using the router documentation or built-in help, if necessary, find the option that lets you change the default password. With the DI-624, this option lives within the Tools page. Apply the change but leave the configuration routine open for the next step. For an extra layer of security, enable MAC address filtering. Set the SSID The next step in securing your network is changing its name, which is usually referred to as the service …

Explore Windows configuration options for establishing your Internet connection. wireless systems won’t connect to the Internet just yet, you may need to take another step or two. On a Windows XP system, try disabling the Windows wireless-configuration feature to establish a connection. This step is also necessary if you want to use the bundled utilities. To disable this feature, click the XP Networking icon (it looks like two computer monitors) in the system tray at the bottom right of your screen. When the Wireless Network Connection dialog appears, click the Advanced button and select the Wireless Networks tab. Uncheck “Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings” and click OK to accept the change. Now reboot your system to bring the connection to life. Install a PCI card in each desktop system you want to connect to your network. For operating system versions other than Windows XP, a simple reboot …

Learn how to install a Wi-Fi adapter in your PC. Install a PCI card in each desktop system you want to connect to your network. A Wi-Fi adapter connects your computer to the network. If your computer doesn’t already have the adapter that you need built in, you can add one. Tip: If you’re lucky enough to have a notebook with built-in Wi-Fi, you won’t need the PC Card adapter. Install the Wi-Fi adapter in each system that will connect wirelessly to the router. If you’re using the D-Link PC Card and PCI adapters, install the software from the CD before installing the hardware, then shut down your system, install the adapter, and reboot. After Windows boots, the Found New Hardware wizard should appear and initiate the driver installation. Select “Install the software automatically” and click Next. If you see a message warning that the driver has not passed Windows …

Learn how to install and configure your wireless router. Routers act as the gateway between your broadband connection (DSL or cable modem) and your home network. As the name implies, these devices route traffic between your network and the Internet. Most include built-in DHCP servers that automatically assign the right IP address information to each computer on your local-area network, or LAN. A separate WAN, or wide-area network, interface on the router connects your entire home or office network to your broadband modem, allowing you to share your Internet connection through the router. Most routers also have firewall capabilities, and some include more advanced security features. Connect your modem to the WAN port on the router and your PC to an open Ethernet port on the router. Before you install your router, power down your PC and modem, then disconnect the Ethernet cable from your PC and connect it to …

A broadband connection brings the Internet into your home at blazing speeds. And with a wireless, or Wi-Fi, network, you can get that access on multiple computers throughout your home–and even outside it–without cords. What’s more, today’s wireless-networking products make broadband Internet sharing easy, inexpensive, and secure. In this course, you’ll learn you how to distribute broadband Internet access among multiple notebook or desktop systems, and take the necessary steps to keep your network protected. You’ll find your Ethernet adapter’s IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway within its Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties. The core of a Wi-Fi network is a wireless router or gateway. In this course, we’ll use the D-Link DI-624 AirPlus Xtreme G 802.11g router (click here to check current prices). If your computer doesn’t already have a wireless network adapter built-in, you’ll need to install one for each system that connects to the network. We’ll install …

How to know whether your neighbors or others are using your wireless network is rather complicated. If your neighbors are experienced Wi-Fi hackers, you might not be able to tell at all. If they’re just stealing your Internet connection, you may be able to tell from the logs on your router. You could look for logs such as current LAN clients, connection or status log, or connected MAC addresses. Check MAC ID addresses To find out who’s on your wireless network, you’ll need to start by taking inventory of all the devices that are meant to be connected. Find out their MAC IDs and their IP addresses (if they’re static). To find out the MAC ID/IP address on a PC, click the Start menu and choose Run. Type cmd and click OK. In the screen that opens, type “ipconfig /all” (without the quotes) and hit Enter. The MAC address will …