Broadband internet costs are getting lower. Laptop’s prices are coming down by the week. Pc rates are even getting below the sub Rs 10, 000 mark. If the trend continues, then it’s likely that most homes will have multiple computers at home.
Now, if a broadband internet connection has to be shared amongst all the computers, then they will have to be network together. You can imagine what a wiry mess it will be trying to connect computers present in different rooms.
That’s where Wi-Fi or wireless internet comes in very handy. Now you can connect two computers together with a wireless link, hook one of them up to the internet, and no wires to trip over. And why stop at two? It can work up to 100 feet away- so why not connect the entire home?
That’s exactly what I did. I bought a brand new laptop recently and already have two pc s at home. I set up Wi-Fi at home to seamlessly integrate the whole lot. Here’s how you can do it too.
The easy way to build a Wi-Fi at home is to buy a special ADSL modern with a build-in wireless access point. Then you buy a wireless module for each pc you want to connect, tell them to connect to the access point, and off you go. This has the advantage that any pc can surf at any time, whether the others are on or off.
A cheaper alternative, particularly if you already have an ADSL modem, is to connect one computer to the internet, and tell the others to connect to the internet through it.
Being a natural cheapskate, this is the option tried –and I have to say, it wasn’t all easy to install. It took a lot of time with customer support engineers, to get my network up and running.
You have to do some pretty intense things, like configuring DNS servers and subnet masks (whatever they are). It’s not so complex, but it’ll give you a nosebleed the first time. But if you’ve done it once, it’s easy to do it again. And it’s well worth the effort.
Wi-Fi in the home is becoming increasingly popular-and as the kit becomes cheaper and easier to install, it’s a phenomenon that that will grow for sure.
Once you try Wi-Fi, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Being able to surf the web and check email from anywhere in the house (or even the tree house in the backyard!) will soon become the norm for you. So, give it a shot, you’ll be glad you did.
