Networking researh paper - Essay Example

Other requirements include wireless networking adapter or a PC card adapter, a modem and a network hub. In case of wide-ranging wireless networking, it is always wise to use an HP Network Assistant “to validate your wired and wireless network settings” (Hewlett-Packard Development Company). Wireless networks are based on IEEE 802.11 standards which is a set of standards developed by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) to carry out WLAN technology with specifications or protocols like 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n having frequency bandwidth of 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz.

Setting up a Wireless Network at Home Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) allow a user to connect to a local area network through wireless networking, like a small network in a house or an office. The user does not have to waste time in adjusting wires, cables and plugs. He can take the system he is working on anywhere he wants inside the house or inside the range of access points. Thus, setting up a WLAN saves time and money wasted on setting up cables. Computers inside WLAN can be networked together through simple configuration without the need of having them connected through wires.

How to Set Up? It is important to have respective service packs installed in our PCs. “A service pack is a collection of updates and fixes” that should accompany with the operating system (Fisher 2010). If we have Windows Vista operating system, then we must install Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Similarly, for Windows XP, we should install Windows XP Service Pack 3. The main purpose of service packs is that they save us from security breaches like network intrusion, viruses, Trojan horses, and etcetera.

Equipment Required One should go for the wireless equipment that supports 802.11g because the performance is high with this protocol. Such equipment is also called Wi-Fi which confirms that the equipment belongs to the 802.11 family. Since all current high speed wireless networks are using IEEE standards, especially 802.11g, the term Wi-Fi is used to distinguish wireless networks from other traditional wired networks. We would first need a broadband internet connection which is a high speed connection, very fast as compared to a dial-up connection using a telephone line.

Then, we need a modem. For a wireless network, a cable modem is recommended which is a device that enables high speed internet connectivity. Afterwards, we would need a wireless router, that is, a device that will facilitate the flow of data traffic between all the PCs that are to be networked together. Fourth, we will need to know if we are already having a built-in wireless network adapter in or PC or not. Most laptops today have built-in wireless network adaptors which save one from buying an external adapter.

If we do not have this, they we will need to buy adapters for all the computers we want to be networked together. If we have laptops, we should buy PC card-based adapters and in case we have desktops, we should buy USB adapters. It would be wiser to go for the network adapter that is manufactured by the same vendor that manufactured the router. Procedure We should have the cable modem and the router hooked up to the wall. The modem is to be connected to the broadband internet