Wireless is more

Want to free yourself from the clutter of computer cables, surf the web from the sofa, and download music in the garden? It's easy - all you need is a wireless home network.

However, as with any network, getting started can be a daunting task without some guidance to steer you through the maze of products on offer and practical advice on putting them to work.

Fortunately, we're here to provide just that, starting with a look at the benefits of a wireless home network and what it can and can't do. We'll then explain exactly what hardware and software you need, how much it's likely to cost, and how to make it work with different computers and devices.

We'll also look at how best to connect your network to the internet and prevent anyone else from gaining access to it.

Look, no wires
As well as making it easier to put a home network together, wireless technology brings with it numerous benefits beyond being able to share files between devices and share printers. One of the most attractive benefits is the ability to connect PCs, games consoles and other devices to the internet from anywhere in the house or garden.

In some cases you can even share an internet connection with neighbours to reduce costs or extend high-speed access to those beyond the reach of broadband. However, check with your internet service provider (ISP) whether the terms and conditions in your contract permit this.

A wireless network makes it easier both to work and to play at home, but there are limits to what you can do with a wireless set-up. The distance between devices is the main limiting factor, with current technology restricted to around 30-40 metres indoors, no matter what manufacturers might claim.

That may sound like more than enough for most homes, but walls and furniture soak up the wireless signal so it may not reach every room. Plus there's interference to consider, especially if you live in a flat or any other densely populated area.

Another key consideration is speed, or rather the lack of it. A wireless network will always be a lot slower than a wired one, which means that large documents will take longer to open and print than you might expect, especially if you're used to using a wired network at work.

On the plus side, web access shouldn't be affected, as the wireless network will typically be a lot faster than your internet connection, even when using broadband. But performance could be an issue if you want to stream movies and you may find that a wired connection is better for this.

A few technical bits
At first glance, these may seem mind-boggling but they are worth mastering, if only to make sure that everything you buy will work together. First of all, forget about Bluetooth. This is for connecting devices wirelessly over short distances and is commonly used to connect keyboards, mice and other peripherals to a PC, for example.

Instead, you need to think about Wi-Fi, the term applied to wireless networking or, to give it its proper technical name, 802.11 wireless.

If you're new to wireless networking, it's easy to get confused by the different 802.11 wireless standards and technologies, but the main thing you need to know about is the letter after the numbers.

Let's start with 802.11b. This is limited to transferring data around the network at speeds of just 11Mbps, which is roughly a tenth of what's possible on most wired networks, making it pretty slow. Most manufacturers of wireless networking kit have now given up on the 'b' products and have switched to 802.11g, which gives a far more respectable speed of 54Mbps.

The 'b' and 'g' technologies are fully compatible and can be mixed together in a network, which is handy as you may find 'b' networking features built into older notebook computers, for example.

A third Wi-Fi standard - 802.11a - is just as fast but, because it operates at a different radio frequency, it is totally incompatible with 'b' or 'g'. As it's mostly big companies that use 802.11a products, we'll ignore it here, so just look for products labelled 'g' or '54g' (the 54 refers to the speed of data transfer).

Moreover, don't pay too much attention to products that offer speeds beyond 54Mbps. Despite some amazing claims by manufacturers, these don't in practice deliver that much extra.

The hardware question
If you're going to set up a wireless home network you don't necessarily have to buy extra hardware to build one. Many notebook and handheld PCs, for instance, now come with wireless interfaces built in.

However, for older notebooks, and to connect desktop PCs, you will need an add-on wireless network adapter. You might also want to buy one to get a faster connection on an older notebook with the slower 'b' wireless technology built in.

Wireless adapters come in various shapes and sizes but the most popular are those in the PC Card format that's used in notebooks. Expect to pay £20-£50 for a branded PC card adapter for home use, such as the Belkin 54g Wireless Notebook Network Card, which can be bought for around £22.

Alternatively, it's possible to get wireless adapters to plug into a USB socket for notebooks without a free PC Card slot or on desktops where you don't want to install an internal PCI card. USB adapters cost roughly the same as wireless PC Cards. The 3Com OfficeConnect Wireless 11g USB Adapter, for example, sells for around £35.

Not all are as small as the pocket-sized 3Com adapter, though, especially those designed for use with desktop PCs. Note also that while only the aerial sticks out on a PC Card or PCI adapter, a complete USB wireless adapter will be vulnerable to knocks and, on a notebook, getting lost. PCI adapters that fit inside a desktop PC start at around £30.

However, with the aerial typically located at the back of the PC, range can be an issue and adapters with separate antennae cost more. D-Link's DWL-AG520, for example, will set you back just over £60, but it does have an external aerial and support for all three wireless standards.

To install an internal wireless card, you will need a spare PCI slot but software set-up is much the same in all cases. Typically, you'll be instructed to load the necessary software drivers and utilities from a CD-Rom then install the hardware and Windows should take care of the rest for you.

With Windows XP, the operating system will also configure your wireless connection virtually automatically. However, if you're using earlier versions of Windows you'll need to use the software provided with the wireless adapter and follow the instructions very carefully to configure a suitable link.

To be honest, the process is far easier in XP because wireless networks for the home were not available when Windows 98, Se and Me ruled the roost.

Access points
It's possible to build what's known as an ad hoc network simply using wireless adapters in all your PCs. But it will only support a small number of users and can't easily connect to a wired network or the internet without additional hardware.

It's more common, therefore, to use a dedicated piece of equipment called an access point, which sends and receives signals on behalf of other devices.

As well as a wireless interface, the access point will have one or sometimes several ports to connect to an ordinary wired network. Some may also incorporate a router, so called because it tells data which route to take through the network.

Others will have a broadband modem, which can be shared by both wired and wireless users. Those with a built-in router normally come with a firewall and other security features, which are absolutely essential to protect any network connected to the internet.

Basic wireless access points start at around £48, while those with built-in routers and firewalls cost a little bit more. For £88, for example, you can get a Linksys WRT54G, which combines a wireless access point and a router for use with an existing broadband modem.

If you've already go t a router, a Netgear WG602 wireless access point will connect it to your wireless PCs for £66. Both types are easy to install with either custom set-up software or more common web-based interfaces, enabling them to be configured and managed remotely from a browser.

Bear in mind, however, the need to set up not just the wireless interface but the router in a combined wireless access point/router device. This needs to be configured to match the settings specified by your internet service provider, which may only provide technical support on certain devices.

That doesn't mean you can't use other products. You nearly always can, but you may have to turn to online user forums for help if you run into difficulties. To be safe, ask your ISP which types of wireless equipment it will help you with.

Wizard move
Having installed wireless adapters in each of your PCs, and plugged in the access point or router, you're ready to start networking. Well, almost. There are still one or two important steps needed to make everything work together. Unfortunately, with older versions of Windows this can be a bit tricky.

Windows XP users with the latest Service Pack 2 software updates installed can take advantage of the new Wireless Network Setup Wizard, which takes care of much of the difficult stuff.

The idea here is to answer a few simple questions and then get the wizard to generate a configuration file that can be used to set up everything on your wireless network. More than that, the wizard can copy the file onto a USB memory drive, together with enough software to set up other wireless systems automatically.

All you have to do is plug the USB drive into the other devices to connect them to the wireless network. The exact details will obviously vary but here, briefly, is what's involved.

Having started the Wireless Network Setup Wizard, you begin by giving the wireless network a name or, more technically, a Service Set Identifier (SSID). You then decide the type of security encryption to apply, with WEP normally pre-selected as the default, and the wizard should be able to complete the rest of this stage for you.

You'll be prompted to insert a USB memory drive into the PC, at which point the wizard will copy over the files it needs to configure everything on your wireless network. Finally, you can then take the USB memory drive and plug it into other PCs, access points and so on, to add them to the network.

Note that the wizard is only designed to configure a network where computers connect via a central access point or router. Also bear in mind that it only handles the wireless side of things and won't, for example, configure a built-in broadband modem or firewall.

Plus there's another limitation, in that wireless manufacturers have yet to wake up to the new Windows technology and build USB ports into their access points and routers. However, they will do so soon, and in the meantime you can still use the wizard to configure PCs and print out the settings needed for access points and routers.

Without the magic
Users without Windows XP updated with Service Pack 2 will have to configure everything manually but it shouldn't be too difficult. It's best to start by configuring the access point and/or router, which you normally do using a web browser.

The first time you connect to your wireless network you may be presented with a quick setup routine to lead you through the initial configuration process. You'll probably also find that a default name (the SSID) has already been given to the wireless network, which you can either accept or change to something more memorable.

Again, it's a good idea to protect your network using security tools such as address filtering, which allows you to specify which devices can access the network, or WEP encryption. It won't hurt to set up the network without protection, at first, just to make sure that everything is working, as long as you remember to go back and add the protection later.

Next it's the turn of the computers that you want to link to the network. With anything other than Windows XP you'll have to use the software provided by the manufacturer of the wireless network adapter. XP users can sit back and let Windows handle everything.

In fact, the installation routine for most adapters will usually create a suitable connection for use by XP and, typically, tell you that a wireless network has been detected as soon as the access point/router is switched on.

This message will appear as a popup on the Windows Taskbar, inviting you to see a list of wireless networks in your area and connect to one. You're likely to find other neighbouring networks listed here and users of those networks will be able to see yours. This is why it's so important to configure some kind of security.

Spread it around
Having set up your wireless network, you will probably want to use it to share files and printers. However, it's not a good idea to make it possible to share entire hard disks as you can't then protect individual folders.

To stop the kids getting access to your bank details, for example, it is far better to create one or more folders and share those. Create the folders directly on the hard disk, not the Desktop. Then, to share them, right-click the folder icon and in Windows XP select Sharing and Security. Note that in earlier versions of Windows you may have to select Properties, then Sharing.

To share a printer, open the Printer and faxes window, right-click the printer required and choose Sharing. The printer doesn't need a wireless interface of its own - it just has to be connected to a networked PC - but you may have to install additional drivers if other users are running different versions of Windows.

Signal strength
A poor wireless signal can lead to a decrease in network performance and even loss of data. Software included with your wireless adapter card will tell you how strong the signal is and the speed at which data is currently being transferred across the network, which will be reduced in steps as the signal degrades.

Windows XP users can view this information by right-clicking the wireless connection icon on the Taskbar and choosing Status.

Signal strength can be improved by reducing the distance between your PC and the wireless access point or router, and by trying to set up the network with as few walls, doors and other obstructions as possible in between these two points.

If working in the garden you may need to move the access point or router next to a window, or buy an extension aerial. Interference from cordless phones, burglar alarms and even microwave ovens can affect signal strength, as can the proximity of other wireless networks.

Minimise interference by keeping your wireless devices away from other radio sources or by turning these off altogether.