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193 Chapter 7 Creating a Home Network In this chapter, you will learn about Windows 7 home networking. You’ll learn how to use the Network and Sharing Center and other Windows features to connect to the Internet, connect your computers to a home network, use HomeGroup, share printers and libraries, and protect your network. Whether you have one computer or five, one of the first things you’ll want to do is connect to the Internet. An Internet connection isn’t just for e-mail or surfing the Web. Windows also depends on an Internet connection to activate your copy of Windows—which you may have already done the first time you started Windows 7—and to get the latest Windows updates. LinkED Chapter 9 covers Windows updates and how to apply them to your copy of Windows 7. Checking your current network connections Windows 7 provides a handy place to manage your network settings and tasks: the Network and Sharing Center. Even if you have not set up a home network, you can get a quick look at what kinds of network connections are already in place. For example, you may have already connected your computer to a digital subscriber line (DSL) or cable modem to connect to the Internet. The first time you start a new computer, it looks for Internet or network connections, and attempts to configure them for you. If you don’t have a network, the Network and Sharing Center is where you can set it up. Getting StartED with Windows 7 194 To check your current connections, go to the Network and Sharing Center: 1. Click the Windows Start button, and in the Start menu’s search box, type Network. 2. In the results list, under Control Panel, click Network and Sharing Center. The Network and Sharing Center appears, as shown in Figure 7-1. Figure 7-1. The Network and Sharing CenterNetwork and Sharing Center provides a snapshot of your current connections, and links for connecting or changing network settings. In Figure 7-1, the diagram under View your basic network information and set up connections shows a computer connected through a network to the Internet. This page doesn’t really tell you whether the network uses just a broadband modem or whether there is also a router. Normally, the first time you start your computer, Windows looks for a wired or wireless network connection, and prompts you for information to connect to it. However, if you did not set up an Internet connection, your basic connection may be similar to that shown in Figure 7-2. 195 Chapter 7: Creating a Home Network Figure 7-2. This computer has no network or Internet connection. Connecting to the Internet To connect to the Internet, you need Internet access, usually via DSL or cable and a broadband modem, or via dial-up access through a phone line. If you want to share that Internet access with more than one computer, or you want your computers to share libraries or printers on a network, you will need a router. NotED Usually the broadband modem and the router are two separate devices, but some cable or phone companies also offer a combination modem/router, or can suggest models you can buy that work with their system. Getting StartED with Windows 7 196 The router takes the Internet access from your modem and then provides that access to each computer connected to the router. Your computers can connect to the router through a wired connection (also known as an Ethernet connection) or a wireless connection (sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi). For wireless connections, you need a wireless router and a wireless card on the computer. Wireless routers also include Ethernet jacks so you can use a wired connection to your computer. Figure 7-3 shows the network components that link two computers to a network and the Internet. Figure 7-3. Two computers sharing an Internet connection through a router The most popular choices for connecting computers in a home network are wired and wireless. In addition, two other wired options use the existing electrical or phone wiring in your house: HomePNA and power line. Connecting through a wireless network One of the neat things about a wireless network is that it enables you to use your computer almost any place in the house without having to run long lengths of wires or drill holes through your walls. You can also connect other devices to your wireless network, such as wireless network printers. You can even have your laptop on, move around your house from room to room, and still stay connected. In many cases, the only extra equipment you need to buy for a wireless network is a wireless router. Almost all new laptop computers have wireless cards built in. You can also use desktop PCs on a wireless network. Though desktop PCs usually don’t have wireless cards built in, you can easily install one 197 Chapter 7: Creating a Home Network or plug in an external Universal Serial Bus (USB) wireless adapter. A USB wireless adapter can be used with laptop computers as well. If you do need to add a wireless adapter or card, be sure to run the installation program provided by the wireless device manufacturer. If your computer comes with a wireless card already built in, the drivers and software to use it should already be installed. NotED There are several different standards for wireless networks. Their long technical names are 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n. Sometimes they are referred to as wireless B, wireless G, and wireless N. There is another standard, 802.11a, but it is rarely used or found in home wireless equipment. Wireless B is the oldest of the three, and the slowest. Under the best conditions, the network speed is up to 11 megabits per second (Mbps). It has a weaker signal and uses a radio frequency that is prone to interference by cordless phones and microwave ovens. Wireless G is faster, up to 54Mbps, but uses the same radio frequency as wireless B and is still susceptible to interference. Wireless routers and cards that work with wireless G will also work with wireless B, but not the other way around. If you do use a computer with only wireless B on a wireless G network, it will slow down the entire wireless G network to the slower 11Mbps of wireless B. Most new computers with built-in wireless use wireless G, as do most new wireless routers. Wireless N, or Draft-N, is the latest generation, but it is not a formally approved standard. It promises much faster speeds, greater distance, and less interference. The major wireless manufacturers have different implementations of the wireless N technology, so a wireless N router from one manufacturer may not work with a wireless N card from another manufacturer. Though wireless N offers much higher potential speeds of 100Mbps or more, and possibly up to 600Mbps, the hardware costs are much higher too. The bottom line is that today, 802.11g is the most commonly used standard and is the most compatible between brands. It is also backward compatible with 802.11b. You cannot go wrong using 802.11g routers and cards together. Getting StartED with Windows 7 198 The Network and Sharing Center provides a wizard to walk you through connecting to a wireless network. Before you connect, review the following list to make sure everything else is ready:  Your wireless router is turned on and is connected to your broadband modem.  Your computer has a wireless card that is turned on.  The computer and the wireless router do not have too many walls or too much distance between them. NotED If you are setting up the wireless router for the first time, check the documentation provided with the router. For the initial router setup, you may want to connect the router directly to the computer with an Ethernet cable, and complete the router setup before attempting to set up a wireless connection. When setting up a wireless router, always set an encryption password to prevent unwanted guests from tapping into your network, hacking into your computers, or intercepting data wirelessly between your computer and your router or the Internet. There are several standards for wireless encryption, with very similar sounding acronyms: Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, and WPA2). WEP is the oldest and the least secure and is not recommended. WPA2 is the most secure and highly recommended. Your wireless router manual and online setup will show you how to set the encryption for your model of router. It is illegal to tap into somebody else’s private wireless network without their permission, even if all you want to do is use it for a free Wi-Fi connection. To connect to a wireless network, follow these steps: 1. Make sure your broadband modem is on, click the Start button, and then type Network in the Start menu’s search box. 2. Click Network and Sharing Center. 3. Click Set up a new connection or network. 4. Click Connect to the Internet and then click Next. 199 Chapter 7: Creating a Home Network 5. Click Wireless. Windows will detect any nearby wireless networks and list them. If you live in a densely populated area, you may see other wireless networks listed besides your own. Figure 7-4 lists two possible wireless networks. The green bars indicate their signal strength. The more green bars, the stronger the signal. Figure 7-4. Viewing available networksavailable networks 6. Click your wireless network and then click Connect. 7. If you set up security protection when you previously installed your wireless router, you will be prompted for a network security key. Type the network security key and then click OK. If you do not remember your network security key, check the documentation that came with your wireless router on how to reset the security key. When your computer is successfully connected to the Internet, your connection will be similar to Figure 7-5. Getting StartED with Windows 7 200 Figure 7-5. A successful wireless network connection Connecting through a wired network A wired network requires a separate network cable from your router to each computer. If you are adding a wired network to an existing house, that means running a hundred or more feet of network cable, possibly through your attic, through a crawl space, outside your house, or through walls. Sometimes you make this less noticeable by bringing the cable through the ceiling or floor of a closet, and then running it openly on the floor along a wall. NotED Some newer homes are constructed with the wiring built in, just like your electrical lines and phone lines. In fact, the type of cable used for this, called Cat5e, is also used for telephone wiring. The Cat5e cable contains eight color-coded wires, and electricians use different combinations of these wires depending on whether they are for your phone or your computer network. If you are fortunate enough to already have this network wiring prewired, hooking up your computer is a snap—connect your router to a central location where all of the room cables come together, and then hook up your computer to a jack in one of the rooms. 201 Chapter 7: Creating a Home Network Almost all computers, laptop or desktop, have an Ethernet jack (also known as RJ-45), so you rarely have to add anything to the computer except the cable. The network cable can be quite expensive if you buy premeasured lengths with the jacks on both ends ready to connect. But if you are running long lengths of network cable throughout your house, it will be worth your time to learn how to make your own cables. The Cat5e cable is available in bulk at most home improvement centers in rolls from 50 to 100 feet. To complete the cable, you’ll need plastic jacks and a special crimping tool to hold the wires in the jacks. For the price of two precut 25-foot lengths of network cable, you can almost pay for a 500-foot roll, the jacks, and the crimping tool. For a wired network, you can use either a wired-only router or a wireless router. Wireless routers usually have about four jacks for wired connections, as well as the wireless connections. Because most people do not have houses already wired for computer networks, a wired network may seem like a lot of extra work. However, there are several reasons for using a wired network or connection:  A wired network is usually much faster than a wireless network. Depending on the router and network switch (if used), wired networks can run at 10, 100, or 1000Mbps. The common speed for most wired home networks has been 100Mbps, or almost twice as fast as the 802.11g wireless network’s 54Mbps.  Wired networks are not affected by interference from other devices in the house. If you work from home and connect to your work through a virtual private network (VPN), a wireless network connection may occasionally drop your connections long enough that you have to reconnect to your VPN.  If you download or upload lots of files or large files, a wired connection is much more reliable because it has twice the speed of, and almost never drops connections like, a wireless network. And if you play online games with your PC, Xbox, or PlayStation, the speed and reliability of the wired connection may give you a slight competitive advantage. Getting StartED with Windows 7 202 NotED Many newer computers support 1000Mbps (also called 1-gigabit) network connections, and many wired and wireless routers are available that support this faster speed on the wired connection. If shopping for routers or switches that support 1000GB speeds, look for labels or specifications such as 10/100/1000 or Gigabit router or switch. Don’t worry about whether computers and networks will work with each other if they have different speeds. They’ll automatically adjust to each other to use the highest common speed that they both can use. After you have all of the network wires and outlets in place in your house, connecting to a wired network is even simpler than a wireless network. When you connect a network cable to your computer, Windows automatically detects the network and connects to it. You will not be prompted for a network security code, because it is assumed that anybody who has physical access to connect your router and a computer with an Ethernet cable must be trustworthy. To connect to the Internet through a wired connection, follow these steps: 1. Turn on your broadband modem. ExplainED Broadband modems are intended to always be on and connected to the Internet. Generally, you do not turn off your modem unless you are having problems and want to reset it by turning the power on and off. 2. Connect your broadband modem to your router. Usually this connection is an Ethernet cable. Sometimes you may have the option of using a USB cable instead. If you have a choice, always use the Ethernet connection; it’s more reliable. 3. Connect the computer to the router, with an Ethernet cable. 4. Click the Start button, and then type Network in the Start menu’s search box. [...]... connection may look similar to Figure 7- 7 or Figure 7- 8 Figure 7- 7 A previous local area connection is broken, and there is no network access 203 Getting StartED with Windows 7 Figure 7- 8 Windows did not detect any wired or wireless networks, or there previously was one that is now broken If your network information is similar to one of the examples in Figures 7- 7 or 7- 8, you can check the following: Are... Figure 7- 14 Type the homegroup password, or click the link to find it 5 Type the password that was created by the first computer in the homegroup, as shown in Figure 7- 15 Figure 7- 15 To join the homegroup, enter the homegroup password 211 Getting StartED with Windows 7 Windows verifies the password and then confirms that you have joined the homegroup, as shown in Figure 7- 16 6 Click Finish Figure 7- 16 You... homegroup computer KEVINWIN7 is available, as shown in Figure 7- 20 The green check mark means it is the default printer Figure 7- 20 HP Photosmart C4400, shared by another homegroup computer KEVINWIN7, is the default printer on this computer 221 Getting StartED with Windows 7 NotED Whether you are using homegroup in Windows 7, or File and Printer Sharing in Windows XP or Windows Vista, there is a universal... your home network to join the homegroup 2 07 Getting StartED with Windows 7 Figure 7- 11 Windows generates a homegroup password password that other Windows 7 computers in your home network will need to join the homegroup 5 Follow the instructions on your screen and then click Finish After you have set up the first computer in a homegroup, when you add other Windows 7 computers to your home network, they... computers on the network To add a shared printer from a non -Windows 7 computer or device to a Windows 7 computer, follow these steps: 1 Click the Start button, and in the Start menu’s search box, type Printers 2 In the list that appears, click Add Printer The Add Printer wizard is displayed, as shown in Figure 7- 21 2 27 Getting StartED with Windows 7 Figure 7- 21 To install a printer that is shared on your network,... running Windows 7? If computers in your home network are running Windows XP or Windows Vista, you can use their version of file and printer sharing Or if your other computers are running Windows Vista (and none are running Windows XP), you might also consider upgrading the Windows Vista computers to Windows 7 According to Microsoft, most computers that can run Windows Vista should also be able to run Windows. .. Share Printers The Change homegroup settings window appears Windows detects that there is a shared printer available in the homegroup, as shown in Figure 71 8 219 Getting StartED with Windows 7 Figure 7- 18 Windows will detect when a shared printer has been added to the home network, and will offer to install it 3 220 Click Install Printer Windows searches for drivers on this homegroup computer, or on... follow these steps: 1 Click the Start button, and then type homegroup in the Start menu’s search box 2 Click HomeGroup Windows detects that another computer has already created a homegroup and offers to join the homegroup, as shown in Figure 7- 12 209 Getting StartED with Windows 7 Figure 7- 12 Windows notifies you that another computer has already created a homegroup that you can join 3 Click Join now The... regular computer A home server works similarly to the first alternative, of having one computer on all the time A home server doesn’t run Windows 7, but may run a special version of Windows, Windows Home Server, or another operating system 223 Getting StartED with Windows 7 designed to run as a home server Though it is running an operating system, controlled by a mouse and keyboard, you cannot use a home... If this is the first Windows 7 computer on your home network, you will be prompted to create a homegroup, as shown in Figure 7- 9 Figure 7- 9 Windows can guide you through setting up a homegroup 2 06 Chapter 7: Creating a Home Network 3 Click Create a homegroup The next screen prompts you to choose what you’d like to share with other computers in your homegroup, as shown in Figure 7- 10 Most items are preselected, . similar to Figure 7- 7 or Figure 7- 8. Figure 7- 7. A previous local area connection is broken, and there is no network access. Getting StartED with Windows 7 204 Figure 7- 8. Windows did. homegroup and offers to join the homegroup, as shown in Figure 7- 12. Getting StartED with Windows 7 210 Figure 7- 12. Windows notifies you that another computer has already created a. in the homegroup, as shown in Figure 7- 15. Figure 7- 15. To join the homegroup, enter the homegroup password. Getting StartED with Windows 7 212 Windows verifies the password and then