Setting up a home network
Two computers and one fast connection is now an ordinary household. Sharing that connection takes an afternoon.
What you need
A router sits between the modem and your machines and hands each one an address. Most will work as shipped, but change the administrator password before anything else.
- A cable or DSL modem from your provider
- A four-port router
- One network cable per computer
Where to put it
Keep the router near the modem and off the floor. Run the longest cable first: it decides where everything else has to sit. Do not staple cable to the skirting board; clips cost little and do not cut the wires inside.
Checking the connection
Open a command prompt and type ping 192.168.0.1. Four replies mean the router is answering.
Sharing a printer
Plug the printer into the machine that is switched on most often, then share it from that computer's printer settings.