How to Secure Your Wireless Home Network

How to Secure Your Wireless Home Network

This article describes a few tips a user can take to help secure his 802.11b/g home wireless network. At least enough to keep honest people honest.

Steps
Enable Encryption on your Access Point. Using 128-bit encryption or higher makes your Wireless Network more secure. WEP and WPA are entirely different encryption schemes. WEP has been proven insecure. Using WPA is recommended because it's more than trivially secure, but is sometimes a bit harder to setup right than WEP is. If you want your network to really be secure, WPA is the way to go.
Set the 'Administrator' password on the router. Anybody who gains access can use the 'default' password to lock you out, or grant themselves more privileges (i.e. disable MAC address filtering or add one more MAC address to the MAC address filtering list so they don't always need to 'clone' your MAC address to get in). If you forget it, most routers have a hardware reset that will restore all of the settings to factory defaults.
Don't use easily guessed Keys, such as "ABC123", "Password", or a string of numbers in order. Use something hard to guess that contains both letters and numbers. Special characters such as !@#$% are not supported by most routers. The longer the key, the better. Using the Passwords Page on GRC.com is recommended.
Change your SSID (Wireless Network Name)from the default to something unique. Don't use your phone number, address, or anything that may identify you. If you leave it 'linksys' (or whatever default) your Windows notebook will automatically connect to every other network it encounters with the same name, and not every wireless network is a good and secure thing to connect to.
Do not disable the 'SSID Broadcast' feature of your Access Point or Router. Although this may seem counterintuitive, and people casually browsing for open networks will be less likely to notice your network, anyone with any hacking experience can easily get that information with special "packet-sniffing" programs so disabling SSID Broadcast won't really improve security. Also, with SSID Broadcast disabled when your computer is trying to connect to your network it will be actively advertising the name of your network and a hacker can set their laptop to pretend to be your router and gain access to your computer. It's also just plain inconvenient to disable SSID Broadcast; connecting computers and wireless printers will become harder and certain connection-enhancing features will be unavailable.
Use MAC Address filtering on your Access Point or router. This registers the hardware address (MAC Address) of your networked devices, and prevents unknown devices from joining or accessing the network (unless they 'clone' or spoof one of your 'allowed' MAC addresses).

Tips
You need to set the same WPA Settings on your Wireless Computer and you may need to manually Add the settings on your Wireless Computer.
Use the 'Shared Key' method of encryption, so that all data passed between clients is encrypted properly.
Check your Access Point or Routers' documentation on how to enable or disable these features.
Disable remote admin, or set up a strong password for the router configuration page.
For more information on wireless encryption, visit, http://www.grc.com/securitynow
A good article on wireless security that also explains the reasons for the counterintuitive advice to not disable SSID Broadcast is http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/wireless/?p=205
You may need to upgrade the Firmware of your Access Point or Router if it doesnt have any of these feature.

Warnings
A WEP network is easily cracked in a minute. See http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/news/article.php/3670601 for more info.
If you use a weak key then even WPA can be easily cracked within a day using a combination of special precomputed tables and 'dictionary attacks'. The best way to generate a secure key is to use an offline random number generator or write the entire alphabet in uppercase and lowercase and numbers 0-9 on separate pieces of paper, mix the paper up and randomly pick up pieces and return them, mixing them up again each time; each character you pull out becomes a character in your key.
Be sure to register all devices on your network, including computers, laptops, media players, and networked storage if you are using MAC filtering.
Windows doesn't have individual wireless settings for different wireless domains. This means that the settings that 'share' files at home with your LAN will 'share' files with anybody else's wireless network, even a wireless network masquerading as one you trust.
Disable 'File and Printer Sharing' in the wireless 'Connection Properties' for your portable computer. Only use the 'Client for Microsoft Networks' half of Microsoft's file sharing. This means that your portable must connect to a machine that shares file/folders in order to access things, and that OTHER computers can't ask to connect to your portable to access files on your machine. At least not through Microsoft's 'File Sharing'. Other running services and backdoors may exist.
A user with a 'cantenna' can access your wireless network from a very long way off. Just because your notebook doesn't get a signal on the porch doesn't mean someone else can't access or monitor your network from a mile away.

How to Configure a Router to Use DHCP

How to Configure a Router to Use DHCP

Many people don't want to deal with the hassle of assigning each PC on their network a static IP address. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, or DHCP for short, eliminates the need to do this by allowing it to automatically configure IP settings. This manual will be using a Linksys WAP54G router as an example. Other routers will differ.

Steps
Connect to your router (by typing 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 into the URL bar) and log in. Check your user manual or documentation if you do not know the log-in credientials.
Make sure you are in the Setup -> Basic Setup category.
Scroll down until you see 'DHCP Server' - if it is disabled, select 'Enable'
If you want, you can change the number that the DHCP IP assigning starts. This is optional, and is totally dependant on personal preference.In this picture, the maximum number of DHCP clients is 3. You may need to increase this number according to how many people will need a dynamic IP address on your network. Once the max is reached, no one else can get an address until one expires!
Use the DNS servers provided to you by your ISP, or use the following DNS servers: 205.152.37.254, 205.152.132.235, 205.152.132.23; There are many DNS servers out there. It's best to use your ISP's if possible.
Scroll down and click 'Save Settings'
Open up the network configurations for the computers on your network (Control Panel -> Network Connections -> Local Area Connection or Wireless Connection) and select 'Obtain IP address automatically'

Tips
Refer to your product manual for instructions for your specific device. You should be able to follow this as a rough guide for most devices.

Warnings
Enabling DHCP on an unsecured wireless network is a big no-no. Doing so enables anyone to connect to it without any knowledge of networking and steal your bandwidth.
Make sure you have physical access to your network device in case you have to reset it back to factory defaults.

Things You'll Need
Router
Computer
Network Cable or Wireless LAN Card

How to Tell If an Outside User Is on Your Wireless Network

How to Tell If an Outside User Is on Your Wireless Network

Wireless security is very important these days. You don't want anyone stealing your bandwidth or getting into your network to perform malicious attacks on your computer. This is a guide to help you know when someone else is on your wireless network. Since every wireless router is different, this article will discuss the basics and use one of the most popular wireless routers, the Linksys WAP54G as an example. The steps for your router may differ. This guide assumes you are connected to your router (either through a network cable or over its wireless signal) correctly.

Steps
Open your web browser and input your default gateway's IP address. To find this:

Go to Start > run, and type cmd
Type ipconfig next. It will list the default gateway here. Once you have your default gateway address, open your web browser and type it in the URL bar.
Input your router's username and password.

Default for Linksys products is usually username: (blank) password: admin
Default for Netgear routers is Username: admin password: password
Default for Dlink routers is Username: Admin; Password: (blank).
Default UNs and PWs can be found sometimes under the router, on the label or using google.
If you are having trouble finding the UN and PW then try http://www.portforward.com this website is usually used for opening ports for torrent programs and games,but when it shows you how to open your ports it tells you the default UN and PW for the router. The router list is HUGE.
If you are using the default username and password, go to the Administration tab to change it to something more secure. From the Router's user interface you will probably have a setting to log Users going through the router enable it if not already.
Get a pen and paper, and use the steps shown above finding the default gateway to find your MAC or also called physical address of all computers/devices that use wifi/wireless in your home or that will be using it and write them down. From time to time check the log to see if any unknown addresses show up. If so, then someone is leeching off your internet. MAC/physical addresses are unique hexidecimal code that identifies each Network card inside every PC that uses Ethernet. No two MAC addresses are the same.

Finding who is on your network
Navigate to the Setup tab.
Scroll down until you see 'DHCP Server' if it is enabled, continue to the next step.
Click on the "Status" tab and then on "Local Network" just below the main tabs.
Click the button that says "DHCP Clients Table". This list will tell you the computer name of everyone connected to your network on DHCP (DHCP automatically configures a computer's IP and DNS settings)

Tips
If you are concerned about people connected to your network, click the Wireless tab then click on Security and enable WEP or WPA (recommended). Everyone that wants to connect will need the WEP or WPA key to connect. Note:WPA (wifi protected access) is stronger.
If you want to deal with assigning your own IP address, disable the DHCP server on your router. You will have to assign your own internal IP address, but it will keep some people out that do not know your subnet (or how to do it)
Use a different subnet. This will keep people guessing if your DHCP server is off. To do this, just change the router's IP address (on the Setup page) to something other than default (192.168.1.1). Try 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.1
Installing a firewall will HELP prevent cracking of your computer
Enable MAC address filtering. Only allow MAC addresses of computers you know.
Once you're connected to your network, disable the broadcast option. This will stop the router from broadcasting its name. You will still be able to connect, since you know the name.

How to Virtualize Your IT Environment

How to Virtualize Your IT Environment

IT professionals dream of robust networking environments that exist in a dynamically expanding and contracting dream world. They want their networking environments to be capable of processing weekly payroll, end of month commissions and end of year accounting. This kind of server “morphing” is possible through Server Virtualization.

Steps
Server Virtualization – The First Steps
Assess & Validate: Conduct an environmental assessment to define each department’s server processing needs. Deploy custom configured resource/environmental auditing agents to poll all servers to identify current totals of: CPU, memory, adaptors, and file/system capacity and total used and unallocated disk space (be sure to account for all archive file space as it often takes up 30%-40% of all data storage - much of it in duplicate and triplicate form). During this same assessment you would also identify; CPU, memory and adaptor usage peaks, read, write, and wait cycle peaks, and identify all data that has not been accessed over extended periods of time.
Rationalize and Critique: Critique your current server environment. Identify and consolidate processing-compatible applications to single servers, or you can virtualize your existing multi-server environment to share processing attributes from a common pool. Only the second choice will aid you in the reduction of purchasing new servers for every new application. As a result you would increase utilization of your existing servers from a typical 10 - 20% to a more effective and efficient 40 -50%. More importantly, you drastically decrease your “unexpected” outages while turning your one-to-one, limited-growth environment into a completely flexible and scalable solution without throwing out your existing investment.
Identify all mission critical servers. Leave those servers in a one-to-one relationship for your heavy-hitting applications such as SAP, PeopleSoft, Siebel and large OLTP databases (such as Oracle). Then, consolidate your non heavy-hitting applications (File and Print, Exchange, SQL, etc.) and virtualize the remaining servers to form a common pool of hardware resources. Finally, configure the above mentioned CPU, memory, and adaptor resource pool to be shared with the heavy hitting servers/ applications – whenever it is needed.
Stop Investing
Look around. Imagine the amount of gas that would be saved if we would all carpool with at least one more person. Stop thinking the only solution is to buy another server; chances are you are not taxing the existing servers you already have. Start “carpooling” your data and available resources!
Tap into your existing hardware pool and reduce the number of servers you feel you have to buy simply to increase on-demand processing capacity. Odds are high that you don’t need to add a server to increase your CPU and/or memory horsepower. In fact, if your IT environment is typical, you not only may not need to add to your existing server pool, but chances are you would be positioned to cascade much of your existing servers and reduce your related server budget for years to come... starting today!
Autonomic Computing: In the very near future, many of today’s production-level servers will not only be virtualized, but will be configured for and capable of performing internal performance audits or “automated health checks” (from I/O processing needs at the CPU and memory level to page and buffer credit settings at the kernel level). They will automatically adjust and/or reconfigure themselves according to their immediate system needs and be able to virtually morph - growing and contracting at will - to meet almost all on-demand needs - all with either pre-designed human involvement (decision making points – particularly when you are just starting your deployment) or, eventually, without any human intervention at all.
Virtualizing your servers will enable them to identify their own CPU, Memory, and adaptor requirements. They will reach out to idle servers and borrow capacity in order to complete immediate tasks. Then, without human prompting, these virtualized servers will return the capacity when it is no longer needed.
The ultimate goal of server virtualization is autonomic computing; capacity on-demand that provides an effective road map for managing your information systems… regardless of size, processing demands, resource needs, time of day or night, or human availability.

How to Find the MAC Address of Your Computer

How to Find the MAC Address of Your Computer

This article describes a quick method to find the MAC (Media Access Control) address of the network adapter or adapters installed in your computer.

Step

Windows
Click on the Start Menu.
Click on 'Run...'
Type 'command' without quotes and press Enter.
At the command prompt, type 'ipconfig /all' without quotes. (space between g and /)
Alternatively, if using Windows XP, you can use the command 'getmac'.
Your MAC Address is listed under 'Physical Address' as a series of 6 groups of two digits, letters and numbers, separated by dashes,

Alternate Windows Method
Open "Network Connections"
Select your Local Area Connection and right-click, select "Status".
In "Support" tab, click "Details".
Your MAC Address is the "Physical Address" listed in Network Connection Details.

Linux
If you're running Linux, use the ifconfig command. You may need to reference it from your /bin or /sbin directories.

Mac OS X
Choose "System Preferences..." from the Apple menu. Then select "Network." Double-click on "Airport" or "Built-in Ethernet" depending on how you access the Internet or your network.
Notice that your MAC Address is called an Airport ID or Ethernet ID.
Try the linux 'ifconfig' method in Terminal.app. This will work on MacOS X since it uses the Darwin kernel (based upon BSD).

Tips
Your MAC Address can also be found with third party networking utilities, or by checking the network adapter properties under Device Manager.

Warnings
It is possible to temporarily change your MAC address with appropriate software, if your hardware allows it (older hardware may have the MAC permanently burned in). This is known as "MAC address spoofing", and is generally not recommended unless you need it. Since the MAC is needed to find your computer at a local level, changing your MAC address will tend to confuse the router. This is only useful for pretending to a router that you are using a different computer.

How to Boost a Router Signal

How to Boost a Router Signal

Wireless routers typically have ranges of 100 feet or more, however there are many factors that can lower this range, making your signal and signal strength lower than you might like. Interference can be caused by metal, other signals and other devices that use wireless frequencies like cell phones and microwave ovens. There are many methods you can use to boost your signal strength.

Steps
Check for interference
Replace devices in your home that can interfere with network traffic on the 2.4GHz frequency range. These devices include many cordless phones, microwave ovens, and the like.
Check your signal strength with these devices on and off to determine if they are the cause of your signal problems.
Buy a wireless network analyzer to track down the source of interference.
Change your signal channel
Routers can broadcast on a series of channels, between one and eleven. Change to a channel that will allow your router a clear signal between other wireless networks.
Use a software utility to analyze which networks are using which channel.
Configure your system for an unused channel.
Reposition your Router.
Raise the router up as far as possible to increase the effective broadcast range.
Move the router away from any metal including metal shelving, filing cabinets and similar common objects.
Move the router closer to the receivers, if possible.
Raise your transmit power.
Check your router's documentation and configuration utility for the ability to change the Xmit power of your router: the amount of power it uses to transmit the signal. generally you can boost this number by up to 50mW, however you do risk overheating or damaging your router.
Replace the Antenna.
Unscrew and replace the broadcast antenna on your router with a model that delivers more power. Not all routers allow for new antenna to be attached, but many do.
Install a Repeater.
Purchase a repeater. A repeater is a piece of hardware that acts like a wireless network expander. The repeater takes the signal from your router and boosts it to increase the range.
Wireless repeaters are increasingly common and affordable and will probably be available in your local computer store, or on the Internet.
Install a Wireless Amplifier
Purchase and attach a wireless amplifier, also known as a booster, directly to your router. A booster can be more affordable than a repeater as they only increase the strength of your existing signal, rather than the strength and range.
Use a bi-directional amplifier to increase both your inward and outbound speeds.
Make a Reflector with Tinfoil. Note that a tinfoil router may boost your signal, but will also make it more directional.
Cut a tinfoil circle with the tinfoil on the inside of a piece of paper or some cardboard large enough to wrap around the router. If you want to get fancier than this, cut a shallow parabola and put the hole for the antenna at the focal point.
Place the tinfoil circle over the router.
Place the antenna in the center of the circle or parabola.

Tips
Older and traditional homes have walls made from wooden studs, while newer construction in office buildings, malls and condominiums are often constructed with metal studs in the wall. metal studs can interfere with a router signal quite badly, so consider your building type when diagnosing your signal.

Tips
Older and traditional homes have walls made from wooden studs, while newer construction in office buildings, malls and condominiums are often constructed with metal studs in the wall. metal studs can interfere with a router signal quite badly, so consider your building type when diagnosing your signal.

Warnings
Do not overheat your router.
Remember: in some states this can be illegal so do you homework first.

Things You'll Need
Router also known as an access point.
Tinfoil
Paper or cardboard

How to Set up DHCP Network Settings on Windows XP

How to Set up DHCP Network Settings on Windows XP

Depending on your operating system the following instructions for Windows XP may vary.

Steps
Click on the start button
Go to settings and left-click on "Network Connections"
You should see an icon labeled as "Local Area Connection". Right-click on that icon, left-click on "Properties" (There may be more than one network connection, depending on how many network cards you have in your PC. "Local Area Connection" indicates a wired Ethernet port, whereas "Wireless Network Connection" is for various types of wireless network connections including WiFi.)
A window pops up, in the middle you will find a list of items, one of which is "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)". Left-click on it and then left-click on the Properties button.
A new window will pop up, select "Obtain IP address automatically"
Also select "Obtain DNS server address automatically"
Click OK and close the previous windows.

Tips
To make sure you are receiving a proper IP, go to start and left-click on "Run" and type in 'cmd', hit Enter.
In the black window (Command Prompt) type "ipconfig" and then hit Enter.
You should receive an IP address appropriate to the device you are connected to.
If you are receiving an IP address that is not valid, type "ipconfig /release" then hit enter. This will set your IP address to 0.0.0.0
Then type "ipconfig /renew" this should set your IP address to the proper IP address.

Warnings
If directly connected to your modem, you may need to check with you Internet Service Provider (ISP) to determine what the IP address should be.
If connecting through a Router or Firewall check the user manual for the appropriate IP address you should be receiving (typically it would begin with '192.168.'[NOTE: This address is denoted by the IEEE as a private network address])
If your computer is connected to the internet, use the DHCP server. For IP addresses on a private network, you probably don't have access to a DHCP server and should contact someone to set up your private network.

How to Set up DHCP on a Local Area Network

How to Set up DHCP on a Local Area Network

Setup a quick and easy DHCP server on Windows using dhcpd32.

Steps
Decide what range of IP addresses you would like to use. You should use a "Private IP Range", otherwise you may well have problems related to traffic to and from your network being routed incorrectly. For a simple LAN, stick with 192.168.0.100, a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 and a pool size of 50. This will allow up to 50 machines to be set up on your network without having to change anything.
Set the IP address of your computer to 192.168.0.2 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (an address in the same subnet as the addresses in the pool, but not an address in the pool itself!)
Download dhcpd32 from http://tftpd32.jounin.net/
Unzip the file to your computer and run dhcpd32.exe
Set the "IP pool starting address" to the address you want the first computer to use DHCP to have. (192.168.0.100 if you're not sure!)
Set the "Size of pool" to a little more than the number of computers and devices you think you'll need on your LAN. (if in doubt, 50 is a nice number)
Leave the "Boot File" field blank
If you have a DNS server on your network, or one accessible to the machines on your network, enter it's IP address in the "WINS/DNS Server" box. If you don't, or don't know what it means, leave it blank.
Set "Mask" to your subnet mask. If you don't know what that is, follow my addressing scheme and set it to 255.255.255.0
Leave the "Domain Name" and "Additional Option" boxes as they are.
Press "Save".
Your DHCP server is now set up!

Tips
If you're running Windows 98SE, ME or XP you may be able to use the built-in Windows Internet Connection Sharing which includes a DHCP server.
Using this server along with a proxy server such as AnalogX Proxy gives you a free and flexible alternative to Windows ICS.
If you don't know how to specify an IP address for your computer that runs the DHCP server, use on of the links here:
Windows 2000 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308199&sd=tech
95 or 98 http://www.speed.net/support/ipchange/win98.html
XP http://www.portforward.com/networking/static-xp.htm
To have your machine ask for an IP address by DHCP, run "ipconfig /release" then "ipconfig /renew" for Windows 2000 and XP, or "winipcfg" in Windows 95, 98 and ME, select your network card in the dropdown box, click "release" then "renew".

Warnings
If you don't know about private ranges and subnet masks, either read up on them or use my address scheme. Improper addressing can cause you, and possibly others, a BIG headache.

How to Add a Wireless Router to Your Network

How to Add a Wireless Router to Your Network

Steps
Make sure you have a broadband cable or dsl connection to the Internet, unless you plan on using the new network for local file sharing between your computers.

Choose a wireless standard, there are four different standards commonly used at this time, which are: A, B, G, and N. It will generally cost more for the faster standards (G and N) than the slower ones (A and B.) For serious gaming, pick Pre-N, for Internet surfing or business work pick B or G. (N is not a released standard yet, it is in the late stages of development.)
Buy a router that has your preferred wireless signal, some popular brands are Linksys, Netgear, D-link and Buffalo.

Connect the router to the ethernet cable from the broadband modem and turn the router on. The router should automatically broadcast the wireless signal, and if the modem is working, so should the Internet.
Keep in mind that you will also need a wireless adapter for the computer as well if not already installed or built in to the computer. It is recommended (if possible) to use the same brand name router and adapter.

Be sure to secure your wireless network, by turning on the WEP encryption, changing the administrator password, and adding MAC filtering. Refer to your router's documentation for information on these settings.

Tips
MIMO is costly, so unless you want ultimate coverage and transfer speed there is no need to buy it.
Unless you have gigabit (extremely fast) Internet, your Internet speed will not be affected much by a high-end router rather than a cheap router. Only computer transfer speed is affected, because the Internet speed is so much slower than all of the standards.
The N standard has not yet been published, that is, agreed upon by the international standards organization,(IEEE 802.11n) so any N or pre-N router may or may not be compatible with other wireless standards in the future.The G standard should be more than enough more most users. The MIMO technology, (multiplex in multiplex out) has been shown to be successful in increasing range and data thoughput. This is expected to be a key component of any future N standard, but is currently available in some pre-N models.
The speeds of the wireless do not represent the speeds that you will be getting to the Internet. The speed indicated by the router is the connection between the router and the individual computer(s). Normally the Internet connection speed is much slower than the connection from the computer(s) to the router (e.g. internet connection is anywhere from 1-6Mb/s and a wireless G connection is up to 54Mb/s).

How to Setup a Private Network

How to Set up a Private Network

A private network is one which either does not connect to the internet, or is connected indirectly using NAT (Network Address Translation) so its addresses do not appear on the public network. However, a private network allows you to connect to other computers that are on the same physical network. This is desirable when you wish to communicate with a group of other computers or share data and internet connectivity is not necessary.

Steps
Plan your network. This is probably the hardest part of setting up a network.

Draw any routers you may be using to separate major portions of your network first. Smaller private networks do not require routers, but may still use them for administrative reasons. Routers are only required if a.)Dividing your network into multiple smaller networks, b.) Allowing indirect internet access using NAT. Next, add any switches and hubs. For small networks, only one switch or hub may be necessary.
Draw boxes to represent the computers and lines connecting the devices together. This drawing will serve as your network diagram.

Although diagrams intended only for your own use may use any symbols you desire, use of industry standard symbols make this task simpler and eliminates confusion for others. Typical industry standard symbols are:

Routers: Circle with four arrows arranged in a cross. Or just a cross if drawing a quick draft.
Switches: Square or rectangle, with four staggered arrows, two in each direction. Represents the concept of signals being "switched" - relayed only out the port which leads to the intended user based on address.
Hubs: Same as switch, with a single double-headed arrow. Represents the concept of all signals being blindly repeated out all ports without concern for which port leads to the intended recipient.
Lines and squares can be used to represent connections leading to computers.
Create an address plan

IPv4 (IP ver. 4) addresses are written like this: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (four numbers separated by three dots), in all RFC-1166 compliant countries. Each number ranges from 0 to 255. This is known as "Dotted Decimal Notation" or "Dot Notation" for short. The address is divided into two portions: the network portion and the host portion.

For "Classful" networks, the network and host portions are as follows:
("n" represents the network portion, "x" represents the host portion)

When the first number is 0 to 127 - nnn.xxx.xxx.xxx (ex. 10.xxx.xxx.xxx)
These are known as "Class A" networks.

When the first number is 128 to 191 - nnn.nnn.xxx.xxx (ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx)
These are known as "Class B" networks.

When the first number is 192 to 223 - nnn.nnn.nnn.xxx (ex. 192.168.1.xxx)
These are known as "Class C" networks.

When the first number is 224 to 239 - The address is used for multi-casting.

When the first number is 240 to 255 - The address is "experimental".

Multicast & Experimental addresses are beyond the scope of this article. However, do note that because IPv4 does not treat them the same way as other addresses they should not be used.
For simplicity "non-classful networks", sub-netting, and CIDR will not be discussed in this article.

The network portion specifies a network; the host portion specifies an individual device on a network.

For any given network:

The range of all possible host portion numbers gives the Address Range.
(ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the range is 172.16.0.0 to 172.16.255.255)
The lowest possible address is the Network Address.
(ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the network address is 172.16.0.0)
This address is used by devices to specify the network itself, and cannot be assigned to any device.
The highest possible address is the Broadcast Address.
(ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the broadcast address is 172.16.255.255)
This address is used when a packet is meant for all devices on a specific network, and cannot be assigned to any device.
The remaining numbers in the range are the Host Range.
(ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the host range is 172.16.0.1 to 172.16.255.254)
These are the numbers you can assign to computers, printers, and other devices.
Host Addresses are individual addresses within this range.
Assign network(s). A network, for this purpose, is any group of connections separated by a router.

Your network may not have routers or, if accessing the Internet with NAT, have only one router between your private network and the public internet. If this is your only router, or if you have no routers, your entire private network is considered one network.

Choose a network with a host range large enough to provide an address to each device. Class C networks (ex. 192.168.0.x) allow for 254 host addresses (192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.254), which is fine if you have no more than 254 devices. But if you have 255 or more devices, you will either need to use a Class B network (ex. 172.16.x.x) or divide your private network into smaller networks with routers.

If additional routers are used, they become "internal routers", the private network becomes a "private intranet", and each group of connections is a separate network requiring its own network address and range. This includes connections between routers, and connections directly from a router to a single device.

For simplicity, the remainder of these steps will assume you have only one network, of 254 or less devices, and uses 192.168.2.x as an example. We will also assume you are not using DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) to assign host addresses automatically.
Write "192.168.2.x" in the corner somewhere. If you have more than one network it's best to write each address near the network it belongs to.
Assign host addresses within the range of 1 to 254 to each computer. Write the host addresses next to the devices they belong to on the diagram. At first you may wish to write the entire address (ex. 192.168.2.5) next to each device. However, as you become more proficient simply writing the host portion (ex. .5) may help save time.

Switches will not require addresses for the purpose discussed here. Routers will require addresses as described in the "Important Notes" section.
Write down the subnet mask near the network address. For 192.168.2.x, which is a Class C, the mask is: 255.255.255.0 The computer needs it to tell which part of the IP address is the network and which is the host.

IPv4 originally used the first number (ex. 192) to determine this based on the address class, as described above. However, the advent of subnetting and nonclassful networking made it necessary to provide a mask because other ways of dividing the address into network and host portions are now possible. For Class A addresses the mask is 255.0.0.0, for Class B it's 255.255.0.0 (More information in the Important Notes section.)
Connect your network. Gather all needed materials including cables, computers, ethernet switches, and (if used) routers. Locate the Ethernet ports on the computers and other devices. Look for the 8-pin modular connector. (RJ-45 style) It looks like a standard telephone jack except it's a bit larger because it has more conductors.

Connect the cables between each device, just as in your map. If an unforeseen circumstance causes you to vary from the diagram, make notes to show any changes.
Boot all the computers connected to the network. Power on all other connected devices. (Some devices have no "power switch" and will power up simply by plugging them in.)
Configure the computers for networking. Go to internet options (this varies depending on the Operating System), and go to the dialog box that lets you change the TCP/IP protocol. Change the radio buttons from "Obtain from DHCP server automatically" to "Use the following IP address:". Type in your IP address for that computer, and the appropriate subnet mask (255.255.255.0).

If you have no routers, leave the "Default Gateway" and "DNS server" fields blank.

If connecting to the internet using NAT, use the Host Address assigned to the router between your private network and the internet as both the DNS server and the Default Gateway. Do not use the Network Address (192.168.2.0)

If using more than one router see the Important Notes section.

If configuring a home network with a relatively new router, This section can be ignored as long as the network is connected correctly, The router will assign network addresses to everything on the network going into your network, until it hits another router.
Verify connectivity. The simplest way to do this is with Ping. Bring up MS-DOS or the equivalent on other OS's, (In Windows open the command prompt which is located in the Start Menu - Accessories - Command Prompt) and type in: ping 192.168.2.[insert host number here]. Do this on one host and ping to all other hosts. Remember, your router is considered a host. If you cannot reach one, read over the steps again or contact a professional.

Important Notes
Adding NAT (Network Address Translation) to the network described above. NAT allows private networks to connect to public networks, by converting IP addresses on the private network to ones allowed on the public network. All devices will appear from the Internet's perspective to be connected to one of its public networks according to the public addressing plan (as defined by IANA - Internet Assignment Numbering Authority). "Dynamic NAT" allows multiple private IPs to "take turns" using a public IP.

A related technology, PNAT (Port Network Address Translation) - also known as PAT (Port Address Translation) or NAT "Overloading", allows multiple private IPs to "share" one public IP at the same time. It manipulates both OSI Layer 3 and OSI Layer 4 information so connections from multiple private IPs appear to come from one computer with one public IP.

Many computer, electronics, and even department store sell small routers designed to allow multiple users to share a single internet connection. Almost all of these use PAT, to eliminate the need for more than one public IP (extra public IPs may be expensive, or not allowed, depending on your provider).

If you use one, you will need to assign one of your private network's Host Addresses to the router.

If using a more complex commercial router, you will need to assign a private Host Addresses to the interface connecting to your private network, your public IP to the interface connecting to the Internet, and configure NAT/PAT manually.

If using only one router, the interface used to connect the router to your private network will become both the "DNS Server Interface" and the "Default Gateway". You will need to add its address to these fields when configuring your other devices.

If your network is divided using one or more internal routers, each router will require an address for each network connected to it. (IP Unnumbered is beyond the scope of this article) This address will need to be a host address (just like a computer's) from the host range of the network. Typically, the first available host address (that's the second address in the address range ex. 192.168.1.1) will be used; however any address in the host range is fine as long as you know what it is. Do not use the network address (ex. 192.168.1.0), or the broadcast address (ex 192.168.1.255).

For networks containing one or more user devices (ex. printers, computers, storage devices) the address the router uses for that network will become "Default Gateway" for the other devices. The DNS server, if present, should remain the address used by the router between your networks and the internet. For networks interconnecting routers, no default gateway is needed. For networks containing both user devices and routers, any router on that network will do.

A network is a network, no matter how big or small. When two routers are connected by one cable, even though a Class C (the smallest network) contains 256 addresses, all will belong to the cable. The network address will be .0, the broadcast will be .255, two of the hosts will be used (one for each interface the cable connects), and the other 252 will simply go to waste because they cannot be used anywhere else.

Generally, the small home routers described above are not used for this purpose. When they are, understand the ethernet interfaces on the "private network" side usually belong to a "switch" which is built into the router. The router itself connects to this internally using only one interface. When this is the case, only one host IP will be used by all of them, and they will all be on the same network.

When a router has multiple interfaces with multiple IP's, each interface and IP will create a different network.
The concept of a subnet mask. The general concept will help in understanding why this number matters.

Dotted decimal notation is a human way of writing IP Addresses to make them easier to work with. What the computer "sees" is 32 ones and zeros in a row like this: 11000000101010000000001000000000. IPv4 originally broke this into 4 groups of 8, hence the "dots" - 11000000.10101000.00000010.00000000, each group is an "octet" of 8 bits. Dotted decimal writes the value of the octet in decimal to make it easier for people to read - 192.168.2.0

A complex set of rules concerning the order of the ones and zeros in the first octet was used to create the "Classful Addressing Scheme"; however, no subnet mask was needed. For all Class A's the first octet was network, for Class B's the first and second were network, for Class C's the first three.

In 1987, intra-nets started becoming larger and the Internet was on its way. Wasting whole Class C ranges of 254 host addresses on small networks became a problem. Class A and B networks often wasted addresses because physical limitations forced networks to be divided by routers before they could get large enough to use so many addresses. (Class B's host range (256 X 256) - 2 = 65534 addresses; Class A's (256^3) - 2 = 16777214.)

Subnetting divides a large Classful network into many smaller "sub-nets" by increasing the number of ones and zeros used to address networks(leaving fewer for the hosts in each network). A small subnet can then be assigned to a small network without using a large number of extra addresses. To say which bits are the network address we use a 1. The "mask" (ex. 255.255.255.192) when converted to binary (ex. 11111111.11111111.11111111.11000000) defines exactly how many more bits are added to the network portion (ex. two host bit). In this example, one Class C with 254 hosts becomes four sub-nets with 62 hosts each. Of these sub-nets only two may be assigned to networks; the first and last cannot be used according to RFC-950.

Further discussion of the rules of subnetting is beyond the scope of this article. What matters here is that even though we are using Classful addresses, Windows (and other software) doesn't know this. And hence, will still need a mask to tell it how many bits we want to use for the network portion. By saying 255.255.255.0, we're saying that 11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000 is the subnet. By that, we say that the first three octets are the network, and the last is the host - we want to make it a Class C.

Tips
Many devices can determine if you are using a crossover or straight-through cable. If you are not so lucky to have auto-sensing on at least one of the devices connected by a cable, you must use the correct type between them. Computer/router-to-switch will require a straight-through; computer/router-to-computer/router a crossover. (Note: The ports on the back of some home routers actually belong to a switch built into the router, and must be treated as a switch)

Straight-through is a CAT-5, CAT-5e, or CAT-6 Ethernet Cable with the wires connected as follows:

On both ends: Orange Stripe; Orange; Green Stripe; Blue; Blue Stripe; Green; Brown Stripe; Brown

Crossover is a CAT-5, CAT-5e, or CAT-6 Ethernet Cable with the wires connected:

On one end: Orange Stripe; Orange; Green Stripe; Blue; Blue Stripe; Green; Brown Stripe; Brown
On the other end: Green Stripe; Green; Orange Stripe; Blue; Blue Stripe; Orange; Brown Stripe; Brown

The above conforms to TIA/EIA-568 standard, however, all that is important for a crossover to work is for pins 1 & 2 (transmit) to switch places with pins 3 & 6 (receive) on the opposite end. For a straight-through pins should be the same on both ends. Color sets (ex. Orange Strip & Orange) mark twisted pairs. Keeping pin sets on the same twisted pair (i.e. pins 1 & 2 on one color set, and pins 3 & 6 on another) allows best signal quality.

Note: TIA/EIA standard has not been established for CAT-7 or greater cabling.

For more information see: How to Make a Network Cable
Hubs are cheaper when connecting only a few devices, but they don't know which interface leads where. They simply repeat everything out all ports, hope it gets to the right device, and let the receiver decide if it needs the information or not. This wastes a lot of bandwidth, only allows one computer to talk at one time, and slows the network down when more computers are connected.
Switches cost more, but are smarter. They use addresses to decide where to send data, allow more than one device to talk at once, and don't waste the bandwidth of the other devices' connections.

Never connect hubs in any way which forms loops or rings, it will cause packets to be repeated around the ring forever. Additional packets will be added, until the hub is saturated and cannot pass traffic.

Best practice is to not connect switches this way either. If connecting switches this way, ensure the switch supports "Spanning Tree Protocol" and that the feature is active. Otherwise packets will repeat ad infinitum as with hubs.

Warnings
IANA (The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) has reserved the following three blocks of the IP address space for private networks: 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255, and 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255

Although devices which do not affect public systems, "in theory", do not have to conform to this policy, in practice DNS service, and other software may become confused by use of addresses outside these ranges if not specially configured.

Problems may also arise should a software, hardware, or human error issue cause private IP's outside this range to be used on the public internet. This could be caused by anything from failure of a router to initialize properly to accidentally connecting one of your devices directly to the internet at a later time.

Networking experts never deviate from this policy if private IP data may affect devices outside their own networks, and rarely do so on isolated intra-nets without specific reason. Service providers have the responsibility to protect the Internet from IP conflicts by denying service, should a private IP address outside these ranges affect a public system.

As a matter of security as well, do not deviate from the allotted private address ranges. The addition of Network Address Translation to a private network handing out private addresses is a low level method of security and has been referred to as a "Poor Man's Firewall."

How to Connect Two Computers

How to Connect Two Computers

These instructions show how to connect two computers for the purpose of sharing data. This will let you share files and folders, printers, play network games, etc.

Steps
Choose a Network Address

Any network address will do for this purpose, so long as you understand the basics of how IPv4 works as explained below.
IPv4 (IP ver. 4) addresses are written like this: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (four numbers separated by three dots), in all RFC-1166 compliant countries. Each number ranges from 0 to 255. This is known as "Dotted Decimal Notation" or "Dot Notation" for short. The address is divided into two portions: the network portion and the host portion.

For "Classful" networks, the network and host portions are as follows:
("n" represents the network portion, "x" represents the host portion)

When the first number is 0 to 127 - nnn.xxx.xxx.xxx (ex. 10.xxx.xxx.xxx)
These are known as "Class A" networks.

When the first number is 128 to 191 - nnn.nnn.xxx.xxx (ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx)
These are known as "Class B" networks.

When the first number is 192 to 223 - nnn.nnn.nnn.xxx (ex. 192.168.1.xxx)
These are known as "Class C" networks.

When the first number is 224 to 239 - The address is used for multi-casting.

When the first number is 240 to 255 - The address is "experimental".

Multicast & Experimental addresses are beyond the scope of this article. However, because IPv4 does not treat them the same way as other addresses they should not be used.

For simplicity "non-classful networks" and sub-netting will not be discussed, as we will be connecting only two devices. If you wish to connect additional devices, see How to Set up a Private Network after reading this article.

The network portion specifies a network; the host portion specifies an individual device on a network.

For any given network:

The range of all possible host portion numbers gives the Address Range.
(ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the range is 172.16.0.0 to 172.16.255.255)
The lowest possible address is the Network Address.
(ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the network address is 172.16.0.0)
This address is used by devices to specify the network itself, and cannot be assigned to any device.
The highest possible address is the Broadcast Address.
(ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the broadcast address is 172.16.255.255)
This address is used when a packet is meant for all devices on a specific network, and cannot be assigned to any device.
The remaining numbers in the range are the Host Range.
(ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the host range is 172.16.0.1 to 172.16.255.254)
These are the numbers you can assign to computers, printers, and other devices.
Host Addresses are individual addresses within this range.
Connect the two computers together.

To connect with a Crossover cable, simply plug an end of the cable into the Ethernet Port of each computer.
To connect with a Hub or Switch, use two strait through cables to connect each compuet to the switch or hub.
See "Things you will need" section for more information on "Strait Through" -vs- "Cross-Over" Cables.
Configure the computers for networking. Go to internet options (this varies depending on the Operating System), and go to the dialog box that lets you change the TCP/IP protocol. Change the radio buttons from "Obtain from DHCP server automatically" to "Use the following IP address:".

Give each computer a different address from the host range. Do not use the network address or the broadcast address.
Leave the "Default Gateway" and "DNS server" fields blank.
For the subnet mask, use the following:

Class "A" Networks
When the first number is 0 to 127
The Mask is - 255.0.0.0

Class "B" Networks
When the first number is 128 to 191
The Mask is - 255.255.0.0

Class "C" Networks
When the first number is 192 to 223
The Mask is - 255.255.255.0

IPv4 originally used the first number (ex. 192) to determine which part of the address is network and which part is host based on the address class. However, the advent of subnetting and nonclassful networking made it necessary to provide a mask because other ways of dividing the address into network and host portions are now possible.(More information in the Important Notes section.)
Verify connectivity. The simplest way to do this is with Ping. Bring up MS-DOS or the equivalent on other OS's, (In Windows open the command prompt which is located in the Start Menu - Accessories - Command Prompt) and type in: "ping [insert IP address of the other computer here] (ex. 192.168.1.1). If you cannot reach the other computers address, read over the steps again or contact a professional.

Tips
To share your files, right click on any folder and choose Sharing to make them shared.
You can also do this with your printers to be able to print from one computer while the printer is connected to the other.

Things You'll Need
Straight Through -vs- Cross-Over

Straight through is a CAT-5, CAT-5e, or CAT-6 Ethernet Cable with the wires connected as follows:

On both ends: Orange Stripe; Orange; Green Stripe; Blue; Blue Stripe; Green; Brown Stripe; Brown.

Cross-over is a CAT-5, CAT-5e, or CAT-6 Ethernet Cable with the wires connected:

On one end: Orange Stripe; Orange; Green Stripe; Blue; Blue Stripe; Green; Brown Stripe; Brown
On the other end: Green Stripe; Green; Orange Stripe; Blue; Blue Stripe; Orange; Brown Stripe; Brown

The above conforms to TIA/EIA-568 standard, however, all that is important for a cross-over to work is for pins 1 & 2 (transmit) to switch places with pins 3 & 6 (receive) on the opposite end. For a strait through pins should be the same on both ends. Color sets (ex. Orange Strip & Orange) mark twisted pairs. Keeping pin sets on the same twisted pair (i.e. pins 1 & 2 on one color set, and pins 3 & 6 on another) allows best signal quality.

Note: TIA/EIA standard has not been established for CAT-7 or greater cabling.

For more information see: How to Make a Network Cable

A cross-over cable is all you need to connect two computers directly.

You may wish, however, to purchase a switch/hub with two Standard "Straight-Through" Ethernet Cables. This is especially useful if you plan to add more computers later.

Note: If planning to connect 3 or more computers, hubs are less expensive but waste bandwidth by repeating all signals out all ports - leaving it to the receiving computers to ignore packets not addressed to them. Switches allow more efficient use of bandwidth by sending packets only to the intended recipient.

Many computers can determine if you are using a crossover or straight through cable. If you are not so lucky to have auto-sensing on at least one of the devices connected by a cable, you must use the correct type between them. Computer-to-switch/hub will require a straight through, computer-to-computer a crossover.

Check to see if your computer has an Ethernet Adapter in the back of the computer. Most new computers have this. You can tell by the documentation from the computer or by looking at the back of the computer. It looks like a phone jack, but larger, with 8-pins. Do not confuse this with a "modem" jack for dial-up phone service. Phone/modem jacks will have 2, 4, or 6 pins.


Important Notes
The concept of a subnet mask. The general concept will help in understanding what this number does, and why it matters.

Dotted decimal notation is a human way of writing IP Addresses to make them easier to work with. What the computer "sees" is 32 ones and zeros in a row like this: 11000000101010000000001000000000. IPv4 originally broke this into 4 groups of 8, hence the "dots" - 11000000.10101000.00000010.00000000, each group is an "octet" of 8 bits. Dotted decimal writes the value of the octet in decimal to make it easier for people to read - 192.168.2.0

A complex set of rules concerning the order of the ones and zeros in the first octet was used to create the "Classful Addressing Scheme"; however, no subnet mask was needed. For all Class A's the first octet was network, for Class B's the first and second were network, for Class C's the first three.

In 1987, intra-nets started becoming larger and the Internet was on its way. Wasting whole Class C ranges of 254 host addresses on small networks became a problem. Class A and B networks often wasted addresses because physical limitations forced networks to be divided by routers before they could get large enough to use so many addresses. (Class B's host range (256 X 256) - 2 = 65534 addresses; Class A's (256^3) - 2 = 16,777,214.)

Subnetting divides a large Classful network into many smaller "sub-nets" by increasing the number of ones and zeros used to address networks(leaving fewer for the hosts in each network). A small subnet can then be assigned to a small network without using a large number of extra addresses. To say which bits are the network address we use a 1. The "mask" (ex. 255.255.255.192) when converted to binary (ex. 11111111.11111111.11111111.11000000) defines exactly how many more bits are added to the network portion (ex. two host bit). In this example, one Class C with 254 hosts becomes four sub-nets with 62 hosts each. Of these sub-nets only two may be assigned to networks; the first and last cannot be used according to RFC-950.

Further discussion of the rules of subnetting is beyond the scope of this article. What matters here is that even though we are using Classful addresses, Windows (and other software) doesn't know this. And hence, will still need a mask to tell it how many bits we want to use for the network portion. By saying 255.255.255.0, we're saying that 11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000 is the subnet. By that, we say that the first three octets are the network, and the last is the host - we want to make it a Class C.

How to Setup a Virtual Private Network with Windows

How to Set Up a Virtual Private Network with Windows

Imagine you are on business overseas working to secure a new account with an offshore supplier. This is a big meeting for you and your company. If you clinch the deal, you are in line for a big promotion. The morning of the presentation, you turn on your laptop and discover your hard drive has crashed. Panicking, you call your office to request an electronic copy of your presentation, but because of the time difference, your call goes unanswered.

However, if you knew how to set up a virtual private network (VPN), you could access the file from any computer in the world! A VPN allows you to connect to a computer from anywhere in the world and access the files.

Steps
Setting up a VPN in Windows is a two step process.
Set up one computer to share files (server).
Set up another computer to access them (client).
Begin by setting up the server:
Open Internet Explorer and go to www.whatismyip.com. Write down the IP address. You will need it to configure the client.
Click the Start button and click Run.
Type control and hit Enter.
Click Network and Internet Connections.
Click Network Connections.
Click Create a New Connection, which is the first option on the left toolbar.
The New Connection Wizard will open. Click Next.
Choose Set up an advanced connection, the last element on the list. Click Next.
Choose Accept incoming connections. Click Next.
You will see the Devices for Incoming Connections screen. Do not select anything on this screen. Click Next.
Select Allow virtual private connections. Click Next.
Select to whom you want to give access. Click Next. If a user is not listed, you will have to add an account. See “Related Wikihows” for more information.
Do not change anything on the Networking Software screen. Click Next.
That’s it! Your computer is now set up to allow for VPNs. Click Finish to complete the wizard.
Now proceed to connect the client:
Click the Start button and click Run.
Type control and hit Enter.
Click Network and Internet Connections.
Click Network Connections.
Click Create a New Connection, which is the first option on the left toolbar.
The New Connection Wizard will open. Click Next.
Select Connect to the network at my workplace and click Next.
Select Virtual Private Network connection and click Next.
Type the name of your network in the blank box. Click Next.
Enter the IP address you wrote down earlier and click Next.
Select Add a shortcut to this connection to my desktop and click Finish.


Tips
Both computers must be connected to the internet.
The user name and password must be entered exactly as you saved them.
The IP address must be written exactly as listed on the screen.
If the VPN doesn’t work, turn off your firewall.


Warnings
Do not give access to the “guest” account. It does not require a password, allowing anyone to access the VPN.

How to Create a Wireless Network

How to Create a Wireless Network

Computer networking is a great way to collaborate with other computer users in your home or office. While it is becoming increasingly easy for the basic computer user, it can still be a difficult, frustrating experience for many people.

Before you begin
Understand the difference between town-wide wireless broadband (IEEE 802.16/WiMAX) and a home wireless network (IEEE 802.11). This article deals only with the latter generally known as WiFi (which requires no subscription, no roof aerial, no roof mounted dish). Wireless routers are variously known as gateways, access points, transmitters, hubs and switches. They are generally external and will be known as routers for this article. Wireless adapters are also known as modems or receivers and can be internal or external.


Steps
If buying router and adapter separately, ensure your wireless router is at least as new as your wireless adapter so that they use compatible standards (known as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n). For maximum compatibility choose Tri-mode or dual-mode 802.11b/g standards.
If you are not using Windows XP, check that drivers are available for the chipset of the wireless adapter for your operating system before you buy.

Set up your new router
If you want to share a broadband connection via a wireless router, plug the new wireless router into your internet connection point (filter/splitter if ADSL, directly into phone socket if DSL)
If you have one, turn on your broadband connection and existing external modem FIRST (wait for all lights to return to normal).

Plug your router into your PC with an ethernet cable

Turn on your new wireless router SECOND (wait for it to start up fully).

Go to your internet browser and type http://192.168.0.1 (Belkin), http://192.168.1.1 (Linksys), http://192.168.2.1 (Others) and enter your username and password for your router (often this is "admin" and "admin")

Enable wireless capability (SSID) and enter your username and password given to you by your internet service provider.

Choose WPA (or WEP if your card cannot handle WPA) security and enter a passkey and write it down.


Detecting your wireless adapter
Note the manufacturer and model of your wireless adapter then plug it into your PC.  If your operating system does not recognise the wireless adapter then get drivers from any discs that came with the adapter or, failing that, from the internet.  In Windows XP, either right click on the .inf file and click install, or enter Device Manager and Update Drivers on the Unknown Device.  Once Windows XP recognises your wireless device it should appear in Network Connections and offer you a choice of routers to connect to within range.

Connecting to a network
Choose your router (usually the manufacturer name aka SSID), the security method and enter the passkey in order to connect to it. Use Auto DHCP unless otherwise instructed.

This should find the wireless router (click refresh until it does) and connect to the network through the new router.


Tips
Sharing files (or ensuring that your computers are really networked) and/or a printer in Windows XP, requires Print and File Sharing enabled on all computers.

In Windows XP or Vista, go to Start > Control Panel > Network Connections (click "Switch to Classic View" if you cannot see the Network Connections icon) > right click on your Local Area Connection ethernet adapter > Properties > check File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks > Click "OK"

In Mac OS X, click on the Apple menu on the Menu Bar and click on "System Preferences...". Then, click on "Sharing". Then you may select which service that you want to be shared on your wireless network. For further support, click on the Apple Support Page link for sharing on your wireless network. Apple Sharing Support

A passkey is not the same as a HEX key


Warnings
Turning on your equipment in the wrong order could cause your new setup to not work! Be sure to power on each item in order. It really does matter.

Remember to set up your security settings to prevent unauthorized access to your network. WPA encryption is much more secure than WEP.

Also remember to change the default passwords and usernames on your wireless router. Many wardrivers will travel around finding hotspots and then trying the default codes for that type of access point. This could result in you getting locked out of your own router and having to manualy reset your network.


Things You'll Need
1 Wireless adapter/modem/receiver (internal or external)
1 Wireless access point/router/transmitter/hub/switch (always external) only necessary if you need to do more than communicate between two PCs in your house.
Paper to write down your passwords

How to Change the Name of a Wireless Network

How to Change the Name of a Wireless Network

Here I will explain how to change the name of your wireless network. This will effect how others see your network by giving your network a unique name. All you will need is your router setup manual or information and a web browser. What you will be doing is editing your router settings. Refer to your manual to learn how to edit them.

Steps

Most routers are configured through a default IP address in your network, commonly 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1, 192.168.1.254, or similar address. For example mine is "192.168.1.1". You enter the IP address of your router into your web browser's address bar and hit "enter".

At your router's control panel navigate to the Wireless section of the router control panel.

The setting you will be wanting to change may be called one of two things... Wireless Network Name or more commonly "SSID". In this field you can change your wireless name to whatever you please.
Now whenever someone comes within range of your wireless network, instead of seeing a default name for the router, they will see your personal router name.

How to Do A Remote Shutdown For A PC On A LAN

How to Do a Remote Shutdown for a PC on a LAN

Do you need to shutdown a server or other remote computer? Need to do this from the convenience of your own PC? Here's how to shutdown a remote Windows computer from your own desktop.


Steps
Open the command prompt. This may be done by clicking on the "Start" button, and selecting "Run".
Type in cmd and press Enter.
Type in shutdown -m \\computername, replacing "computername" with the name of the computer you wish to shutdown or the computers ip address.
Experiment with the shutdown command's switches.

-r will force a restart, disabling any services or user interaction from interrupting it.
-c "comment" will force a comment to appear on the system being shutdown.
-t xx will force a timeout for "xx" seconds. For example, -t 60 would perform a shutdown after a 60 second timeout.
-a will abort the shutdown
A full command example: shutdown -m \\myserver -r -c "This system will shutdown in 60 seconds" -t 60


Tips
For a complete list of the switches (options) for the "shutdown" command, type in shutdown ? inside of a command prompt window.
The target computer and your PC need to be in the same Domain or Workgroup for this to function correctly.
This will only work on Microsoft Windows based systems. Linux and Mac will require different terminal commands.
You may also run this shutdown command directly from the "Run" dialog. Opening a command prompt is merely a convenience in case you happen to type in the wrong system name or need to search for the name of the system to shutdown.


Warnings
Perform this only on your own network or where you are authorized to do this.
IT departments typically block access to using this command on a remote computer. Even if they do not hinder your ability to do this, performing this may be grounds for disciplinary action, a write-up at work, or worse, depending upon your IT department's policies.

How to Hear Audio From The Remote PC When Using Remote Desktop

How to Hear Audio from the Remote Pc when Using Remote Desktop

When using remote desktop you may want to hear audio from the remote computer. Whether you want to listen to music or hear the annoying error beeps, this guide will show you how.

Steps
Start the Remote Desktop Client and enter your login information
Click the "Options" button in the bottom right corner of the window
Click the "Local Resources" tab near the top of the screen
Click the drop down list in the "Remote computer sound" section and select "Bring to this computer"
Click the "Connect" button

Tips
If you have limited connection speed go to the "Experience" tab and uncheck all the options under the "Allow the following" section to maximize your audio quality

Warnings
Driver problems and the remote computer's setup may cause you not to hear any audio or even get errors after following these steps. If this happens disconnect from the remote computer and reset the remote computer sound option to "Do not play"

How to Emulate a Remote Linux Desktop from Microsoft Windows

How to Emulate a Remote Linux Desktop from Microsoft Windows

Need to access your Linux desktop from a Microsoft Windows Machine? Follow these simple steps to make your Windows Machine emulate your Linux Desktop.

Steps
Download PuTTY freely at: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html.

Download RealVNC freely at: http://www.realvnc.com/download.html.

Install both programs as instructed.

Open PuTTY.

Enter your IP address in the Host Name box and Port should be 22. You can find your IP address by typing 'ipconfig' at your command prompt.

Select SSH as your Protocol.

Enter a name for your session (to be saved later for quick recall in subsequent sessions) in the Saved Sessions box.

Click Save.

Click Open.

This will take you to the black PuTTY window.

Open a tunnel on your remote Linux machine by using the following command: vncserver :01. This will
open a tunnel that will allow you to emulate your remote desktop.

Exit PuTTY and reopen the program.

Select your saved session and click Load.

In the far left menu bar scroll to the bottom and select Tunnels.

On the Tunnels screen enter 59## in the Source Port box, where ## is your tunnel number. In the case above, your Source Port # would be 5901.

In the destination box, enter your IP address as your Destination. Local and Auto should be selected below this.

Go back to your first screen by selecting Session from the menu on the far left.

Click Save. If you do not click Save you will lose all tunnel data necessary for you next session.

You should now be ready to emulate your Linux Desktop.

Click Open in the PuTTY window.

Start RealVNC Server once the program is open.

Enter localhost:#, where # is your tunnel number, in the small window that pops up. In the above example, you would enter localhost:1.

Enter your password when RealVNC Server prompts you for your Linux password and hit OK.

Tips
If your Linux box is shutdown this will not work.

If your Linux box is restarted you will need to repeat the steps above as your tunnel will be automatically closed.

If a limited number of people are accessing the machine, it may be a good idea to assign tunnel numbers to each person. This will prevent people wasting time trying to find an open tunnel (one tunnel per login).

Invoke VNC Server with specified geometry (to fit your screen): vncserver -geometry widthxheight :##

Invoke VNC Server with specified geometry (to fit your screen) and color depth (8 to 32): vncserver -geometry widthxheight -depth 32:##

Kill VNC Server (to reassign tunnel): vncserver -kill :##

Get VNC Server help: vncserver -help.

Warnings
Never give out your password or username.

Always be careful to check system requirements when installing new programs.

Things You'll Need
PuTTy Program (free)
Real VNC Program (free)
Windows Machine (in front of you)
Linux Box (computer you'd like access)

How to Make a Network Cable

How to Make a Network Cable

The steps below are general Ethernet Category 5 (commonly known as Cat 5) cable construction guidelines. For our example, we will be making a Category 5e patch cable, but the same general method will work for making any category of network cables.

Steps
Unroll the required length of network cable and add a little extra, just in case. If a boot is to be fitted, do so before stripping away the sleeve and ensure the boot faces the correct way.

Carefully remove the outer jacket of the cable, exposing about 1 1/4" (30 mm) of the twisted pairs. Be careful when stripping the jacket as to not nick or cut the internal wiring. After removing the outer case, you will notice 8 wires twisted in 4 pairs. Each pair will have one wire of a certain color and another wire that is white with a colored stripe matching its partner (this wire is called a tracer). Sometimes a rip cord (white thread) is also present.

Inspect the newly revealed wires for any cuts or scrapes that expose the copper wire inside. If you have breached the protective sheath of any wire, you will need to cut the entire segment of wires off and start over at step one. Exposed copper wire will lead to cross-talk, poor performance or no connectivity at all. It is important that the jacket for all network cables remains intact.

Untwist the pairs so they will lay flat between your fingers. The white piece of thread can be cut off even with the jacket and disposed (see Warnings). For easier handling, cut the wires so that they are 3/4" (19 mm) long from the base of the jacket.

Arrange the wires based on the wiring specifications you are following. There are two methods set by the TIA, 568A and 568B. Which one you use will depend on what is being connected. A straight-through cable is used to connect two different-layer devices (e.g. a hub and a PC). Two like devices normally require a cross-over cable. The difference between the two is that a straight-through cable has both ends wired identically, while a cross-over cable has one end wired 568A and the other end wired 568B.[1] For our demonstration in the following steps, we will use 568B, but the instructions can easily be adapted to 568A.
568B - Put the wires in the following order, from left to right:

white orange
orange
white green
blue
white blue
green
white brown
brown

568A - from left to right: white/green, green, white/orange, blue, white/blue, orange, white/brown, brown. You can also use the mnemonic 1-2-3-6/3-6-1-2 to remember which wires are switched.

Press all the wires flat and parallel between your thumb and forefinger. Verify the colors have remained in the correct order. Cut the top of the wires even with one another so that they are 1/2" (12.5 mm) long from the base of the jacket, as the jacket needs to go into the 8P8C connector by about 1/8", meaning that you only have a 1/2" of room for the individual cables. Leaving more than 1/2" untwisted can jeopardize connectivity and quality. Ensure that the cut leaves the wires even and clean; failure to do so may cause the wire not to make contact inside the jack and could lead to wrongly guided cores inside the plug.

     

Keep the wires flat and in order as you push them into the RJ-45 plug with the flat surface of the plug on top. The white/orange wire should be on the left if you're looking down at the jack. You can tell if all the wires made it into the jack and maintain their positions by looking head-on at the plug. You should be able to see a wire located in each hole, as seen at the bottom right. You may have to use a little effort to push the pairs firmly into the plug. The cabling jacket should also enter the rear of the jack about 1/4" (6 mm) to help secure the cable once the plug is crimped. You may need to stretch the sleeve to the proper length. Verify that the sequence is still correct before crimping.

Place the wired plug into the crimping tool. Give the handle a firm squeeze. You should hear a ratcheting noise as you continue. Once you have completed the crimp, the handle will reset to the open position. To ensure all pins are set, some prefer to double-crimp by repeating this step.
Repeat all of the above steps with the other end of the cable. The way you wire the other end (568A or 568B) will depend on whether you're making a straight-through, rollover, or cross-over cable (see Tips).

Test the cable to ensure that it will function in the field. Mis-wired and incomplete network cables could lead to headaches down the road. In addition, with power-over-Ethernet (PoE) making its way into the market place, crossed wire pairs could lead to physical damage of computers or phone system equipment, making it even more crucial that the pairs are in the correct order. A simple cable tester can quickly verify that information for you. Should you not have a network cable tester on hand, simply test connectivity pin to pin.

Tips
A key point to remember in making Ethernet patch cords is that the "twists" in the individual pairs should remain entwined as long as possible until they reach the RJ-45 plug termination. The twisting of the pairs in the network cable is what helps to ensure good connectivity and keeps cross-talk interference to a minimum. Do not untwist the wires any more than you need to.
CAT5 and CAT5e are very similar cables, however CAT5e offers better quality especially on longer runs. If making a longer run, CAT5e is recommended, however CAT5 is still an option for small patch cables.
A good idea on long runs, especially those that you need to hang or snake around, is to crimp and test the cable before you run the cable. This is recommended especially to anyone who is first starting out crimping their own cables, as it ensures you are crimping the correct pin order now, rather than trying to trouble shoot later.

Warnings
The ripcords, if present, are usually quite strong, so do not attempt to break them. Cut them.
Unless you need to do a large amount of cabling work, it may be less frustrating and, due to the cost of tools, less expensive to purchase ready-made cables.
Fire Codes require a special type of cover over the wires if the cabling is to be installed in ceilings or other areas that are exposed to the building ventilation system. This is usually referred to as plenum-grade cable or simply "plenum cable", and does not release toxic fumes when burned. Plenum cabling is more costly, perhaps double that of ordinary cable, so only use where necessary. Riser cable is similar to plenum, but is for use in walls or wiring closets to connect floors. Riser may not replace plenum cable so be aware of what area you are laying your cable. If in doubt, use plenum as it has the strictest and safest ratings.
A cat5 cable can not exceed 100 meters, or 328 feet. It probably shouldn't go beyond 300 feet.
RJ-45 is the common term most individuals use for the connectors present in CAT5 cabling. The correct name of the connector is simply 8P8C, where as RJ-45 is the name of a very similar looking defunct connector used in telecommunication. Most people will understand RJ-45 as 8P8C, but be careful when purchasing out of a catalog or online where you can't visibly determine which you are purchasing.
Be aware of any shielding your cable may have. The most common type of cable is UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair), but a number of shielding/foiling options exist for added protection against EMI. Be aware of what you are purchasing and what you need. In most environments, UTP will be fine.

Things You'll Need
Crimper - This is the most essential tool and critical to the cable making process. If you don't have a quality crimper, then your cable connections will be bad. Inferior crimpers will make it difficult and/or nearly impossible to achieve a tight connection between the wires. Many better quality crimpers also have a ratcheting controlled closure for precise crimping. Crimpers with a plastic body will be more likely to develop a sloppy hip joint and give consistently poor cramps; a metal crimper is much preferred, and very common.
Tester (Optional) - Although not necessary for making cables, having a good cable tester can prevent and solve cable wiring configuration and installation problems. Most testers consist of two boxes (transmitter and receiver) you plug your patch cable into. The transmitter box tests the cable by sending test pulses down each individual wire, lighting up LED lights on the receiver box. Most testers will show you a result of the pass. Why do you want to test cables? Even if they are slightly damaged, network cables will work, but cause packet loss and data corruption to your hardware.
RJ45 Connectors - Ensure your RJ45 connectors are designed for the type of cable you are using (solid/stranded), as they have different types of teeth for piercing between multiple strands or around a solid single strand. Note: if you ask in an electrical trades store for RJ45 connectors, you may be asked whether you want "solid", "stranded" or "flat". The "flat" choice relates to the old flat "silver satin" cables used in 10Base-T, and should not be used in new Ethernet deployments.
Bulk Cable - Bulk cable can be found at computer stores, electrical stores, and home centers. You can obtain Category 5, Category 5e, and Category 6 cable, depending on your needs. For lengths shorter than 50' use a stranded/braided cable. For lengths greater than 50' use a solid cable.

There are two types of wire (solid or stranded) and which one you choose should be based on where and how the patch cable is to be used. See warning above about PLENUM cable. Stranded wire is best for a workstation patch as it can tolerate flexing without cracking the conductors; however, the trade off is that they're more susceptible to moisture penetration.[2] Solid is best used in a wire closet or for a patch that will be moved very infrequently, as the conductor tends to crack if bent and/or flexed. Cracked conductor leads to "reflections" which make for chatter on the LAN connection, hampering speed and reliability.

Boots (optional but preferred). It saves the cable in the long run and improves the looks. A boot is a molded piece of plastic that protects the connector from snagging, if it is pulled through the wall or conduit. It also provides strain relief on the cable, making it harder for the connector to be pulled off.
Straight edge wire cutter. You may find serrated snips work very nicely. Use something that gives an easy square cut; avoid diagonal pliers for this reason. You will find that many quality crimpers have a straight edge cutter built in.
Fish Tape - Fish tape is either a metal or plastic spool of guide wire. Strong enough not to buckle and bend while being pushed around, but flexible enough to be pushed past corners and bends, fish tape is a vital tool for some cable runs. Recommended conditions include: conduit, within walls, along structural beams and girders, in ducting, plenums, and dropped ceilings, or any situation where it's not physically possible to drag the cable along with you.

Things You'll Need
Crimper - This is the most essential tool and critical to the cable making process. If you don't have a quality crimper, then your cable connections will be bad. Inferior crimpers will make it difficult and/or nearly impossible to achieve a tight connection between the wires. Many better quality crimpers also have a ratcheting controlled closure for precise crimping. Crimpers with a plastic body will be more likely to develop a sloppy hip joint and give consistently poor cramps; a metal crimper is much preferred, and very common.
Tester (Optional) - Although not necessary for making cables, having a good cable tester can prevent and solve cable wiring configuration and installation problems. Most testers consist of two boxes (transmitter and receiver) you plug your patch cable into. The transmitter box tests the cable by sending test pulses down each individual wire, lighting up LED lights on the receiver box. Most testers will show you a result of the pass. Why do you want to test cables? Even if they are slightly damaged, network cables will work, but cause packet loss and data corruption to your hardware.
RJ45 Connectors - Ensure your RJ45 connectors are designed for the type of cable you are using (solid/stranded), as they have different types of teeth for piercing between multiple strands or around a solid single strand. Note: if you ask in an electrical trades store for RJ45 connectors, you may be asked whether you want "solid", "stranded" or "flat". The "flat" choice relates to the old flat "silver satin" cables used in 10Base-T, and should not be used in new Ethernet deployments.
Bulk Cable - Bulk cable can be found at computer stores, electrical stores, and home centers. You can obtain Category 5, Category 5e, and Category 6 cable, depending on your needs. For lengths shorter than 50' use a stranded/braided cable. For lengths greater than 50' use a solid cable.

There are two types of wire (solid or stranded) and which one you choose should be based on where and how the patch cable is to be used. See warning above about PLENUM cable. Stranded wire is best for a workstation patch as it can tolerate flexing without cracking the conductors; however, the trade off is that they're more susceptible to moisture penetration.[2] Solid is best used in a wire closet or for a patch that will be moved very infrequently, as the conductor tends to crack if bent and/or flexed. Cracked conductor leads to "reflections" which make for chatter on the LAN connection, hampering speed and reliability.

Boots (optional but preferred). It saves the cable in the long run and improves the looks. A boot is a molded piece of plastic that protects the connector from snagging, if it is pulled through the wall or conduit. It also provides strain relief on the cable, making it harder for the connector to be pulled off.
Straight edge wire cutter. You may find serrated snips work very nicely. Use something that gives an easy square cut; avoid diagonal pliers for this reason. You will find that many quality crimpers have a straight edge cutter built in.
Fish Tape - Fish tape is either a metal or plastic spool of guide wire. Strong enough not to buckle and bend while being pushed around, but flexible enough to be pushed past corners and bends, fish tape is a vital tool for some cable runs. Recommended conditions include: conduit, within walls, along structural beams and girders, in ducting, plenums, and dropped ceilings, or any situation where it's not physically possible to drag the cable along with you.