PROBLEM:Carole and Mike Lee live in a small one-story home and currently own a desktop computer and a printer, which they use daily for work and personal projects.Their two teenage daughters, Becky and Christine, are constantly complaining about not having enough time on the computer to do their homework.The Lees are planning to purchase two laptops for the girls, but feel that one printer should be enough to accommodate them all.They also want everyone to be able to access the internet at the same time, but don’t want wires running from everyone’s computers to the printer and cable modem.
SOLUTION:A wireless local area network (WLAN) will allow the Lee family to share one printer and the cable modem without a web of wires running from room to room, giving Becky and Christine mobility in using their computers in any room of the house. The equipment needed for the Lee’s WLAN would be fairly simple:
Wireless transmitter or adapter for each computer (if it’s not already built in).The transmitter/adapter converts binary code (the language of computers) into radio waves that are then sent to the router/access point.
A router/access point.This device receives the data and converts it from radio waves back into binary code for travel through the cable modem via Ethernet connection. (This process then works in reverse when information comes from the internet through the modem to the router/access point and back to the transmitter/adapter in the computer.)
Cablemodem/high-speed internet connection
With the above equipment in hand, the Lees just need to insert the wireless adapter into the computers (if needed), plug the modem into the cable connection, plug the router/access point into the modem, plug both modem and router/access point into a power outlet, install software, and configure the computers to recognize and access the WLAN.The Lees can now get onto the internet simultaneously, print to the printer, and connect to each other’s computers, all without wires running between each device. The final necessary step is to configure the router software’s security and firewall options to prevent outsiders from accessing their network and using their wireless connection to the internet.
The above scenario is a very simple example of setting up a wireless local area network.And, for the Lees, it is very practical and workable solution to their problem.If you are thinking about setting up a WLAN for home or business purposes, take a look at our Wireless LAN Considerations page for more information.
