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Before your wireless devices can talk to each other, you are going to have to do some basic network configuration. Setting up networks is pretty easy these days, especially if you use the Windows Network Setup Wizard to walk through the setup process.
1. Choose Start --> All Programs --> Accessories --> Communications --> Network Setup Wizard.
2. In the resulting Network Setup Wizard, click Next, read the on-screen instructions to connect all of your hardware, and then click Next again.
3. Choose whether or not you want your network to share an existing Internet connection. (You may be asked a different series of basic questions based on how you answer.)
4. Enter a description and name for the computer. Click Next.
Give each computer a descriptive name, because this is how it will be identified to other computers on the network.
5. Enter a workgroup name.
The workgroup name must be the same on every computer on the network.
6. Choose whether or not you want to allow file and printer sharing and click Next again.
If you enable file and printer sharing, other people on your network can access shared folders and printers on your computer. If you choose not to enable file and printer sharing, the Windows XP Firewall prevents others from accessing items on your computer.
7. Review your settings in the next screen and click Next to apply them.
When the Network Setup Wizard is done, you will be asked if you want to create a network setup disk. Windows Network Setup disks uses floppy disks, so unless all of your computers have floppy drives creating a disk may not be very useful.
Some things may need to be configured manually, such as the following:
- Set a network's workgroup name: You can think of the workgroup name as the name of your network. The workgroup name needs to be the same on all of your computers in order for them to see and communicate easily with each other.
- Set up DHCP: Each computer on your network is identified by a unique IP address. A Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server is the program that hands out IP addresses to each computer on the network.
- Use Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS): If you have one computer that connects directly to the Internet through a modem, you can share that computer's Internet connection using Windows ICS.
- Set up your router/WAP to use the Internet: You can adjust Internet connection settings, including setting a MAC address if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) requires you to use a specific one.
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