Windows XP Home Network Setup: Essential Steps
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One of the most common home network setups uses the Windows XP operating system. XP is also one of the most commonly-used operating systems installed on computers. This article will show you how to set up a home network with Windows XP -- which, thanks to Windows 7's XP mode, may still be relevant after Microsoft's newest operating system is released.
As of August 2009, Windows XP still powered 71 percent of all computers (source: http://www.lockergnome.com/blade/2009/09/04/windows-xp-still-holds-71-market-share/ ). Even though Windows 7 is on the way (to be released October 2009), some of the techniques here could still be applied to Windows 7 provided the relevant features can still be accessed using Windows 7's "XP mode.”
Lots of homes nowadays have more than one computer, with all of them sharing one Internet connection (the household carries a single subscription to the Internet service provider of their locality).Computers are becoming cheap and powerful, to say nothing of their usefulnesss for both school and work.
With lots of computers in the home, it is essential to build a home network. This article can be used not only for creating a home network, but its concepts and techniques can also be applied to a small office network.
Computer networking offers a lot of advantages in terms of cost and productivity, such as:
- Family members can share files and programs instead of needing to transfer them physically from one location to another with a USB stick or other physical methods.
- The monetary savings of having one vs. multiple ISP subscriptions. If the ISP allows home networking (some will NOT so you'd better check with the ISP before subscribing), you can share your single Internet subscription with other computers in your home by using a router. In this case, you only have to pay a single monthly bill for your Internet connection.
- Inspiring teamwork and coordination. One good example is gaming and entertainment. If computers are interconnected through the network, this will increase everyone's enjoyment with such diversions as playing multiplayer games in a home network.
The Requirements and the Basics
To network computers using Windows XP, you will need the following:
- At least two computers in your network.
- A LAN card for each computer.
- One router for connecting the computers and the Internet.
- One Internet subscription line.
Home and office networks can be set up as shown in the screen shot below:
If you need wireless connectivity within your home, especially if wiring seems difficult or costly, you may consider buying a wireless router. Also, a network can be mixed. Based on the screen shot above, it is possible that PC1 is using wire connection to the router while PC2 is using a wireless connection. To achieve this, you'll need to use a wireless router (a wireless type of router is a router that can accept both wired and wireless connections).
Once you have this set of hardware components as well as an Internet connection, it is time to connect your router to the computer.
Next: Configuring the Router >>
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