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March 11, 2005
Dear CNET members, Do you know how to flip through your TV channels without using the remote? Or how many of you have walked past your TV a dozen times looking for the remote to turn it on, when you actually could've just flipped it on right there? I know I have. This just goes to show how using the TV remote is taken for granted. Well, that's the direction I see Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) heading. With the price of Wi-Fi equipment dropping and its popularity gaining, it will one day be like the TV remote--such an integral part of our lives that we'll soon forget that we were ever tethered to one place. So if you've been kicking around the idea of putting a wireless network in your home or office or are just curious what Wi-Fi is all about, check this week's two winning answers by Joe and Dana, who have both done an amazing job of guiding us on getting a wireless network going. And as always, check out our honorable mentions and other submissions from members who have additional great insights on this process. If you have more advice or questions, join us in this week's discussion. Thanks, all!
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Member Question of the Week
I'd like to setup a wireless network connection for my home PCs (two desktops and two notebooks), all using Windows XP to share a single Internet ADSL broadband account. How should I start? What kind of hardware do I need (ADSL modem, router, switch, wireless card)? What kind of security measures should I take? Can I limit the usage of this wireless network within a certain range of IPs? Would there be any conflicts if the notebooks were to pick up on other wireless networks? Thanks
Submitted by:
P. Low from Penang, Malaysia
Answer by Joe:
In the modern day, setting up a wireless network is easy, and so is limiting its use, as long as you set it up properly. A well -set-up wireless network is virtually impossible to hack (and in most cases not worth the effort, unless it's for a government installation or...
Submitted by:
Joe M. of Chicago, Illinois
Answer by Dana: Setting up a wireless network can be a relatively simple task if all goes well. Just to give you an idea, I have on many occasions, been able to set up a complete wireless network, similar to the one you described, in less than an hour. Having said that, I have also... Submitted by: Dana H. of Wayland, Massachusetts Please click the following links for this week's: For
Joe's & Dana's
efforts, we're sending them their choice of any Help.com Learning CD.• Honorable mentions • Other great submissions from our members Community Buzz  Each week we take a look at topics discussed in the forums.Best regards and enjoy! Voice over IP, better known as VoIP (a service that allows people to use broadband for telephone calls), is starting to compete with telephone landlines. VoIP costs much less, especially if you make a lot of long-distance calls. However, many questions arise about the quality of calls, the reliability of the service, and so on. So is it worthwhile to switch? Find out what our members are saying, and if you use VoIP, tell us what you think. More from the Broadband forum Online stores: Newegg vs. TigerDirect If you use one of these two popular online stores to buy computer hardware, let us know what you think about them. Do you recommend one over the other and why? If these two companies aren't on your list of online shops, which do you recommend? More from the PC newbies forum Digital photography: eyeglass glare removal Taking photos of people with eyeglasses on can create unwanted glare in the images. Do you know how to remove it from digital photos or prevent it from happening while taking digital pictures? If you need to know how, check out this discussion, and if you are an expert, let's hear your suggestions. More from the Digital cameras forum Incredimail tracking your e-mail? Member Gypsy13 just loves Incredimail but has been advised by her friend to ditch it because it tracks people that she sends e-mail to. Is this correct? What do you think? She would like to hear your feedback. More from the Windows XP forum Mac nugget: How to make hard drive space If the hard drive on your Mac is almost full, is there a proper way to make space on it, or is just a matter of sending everything to the trash? Find out more in this discussion, where one member picked up a used PowerBook and needed to erase everything except the OS. More from the Mac hardware forum |
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Check out next week's question:
My job uses Microsoft Outlook for e-mail. I also run Outlook on my home computer and work from home from time to time. How can I get my work e-mail, mail folders, and contacts moved over to my home computer?
--Submitted by:
Mary R.
(Note: Since it is unclear what version of Microsoft Outlook Mary runs at work and at home, please submit an answer that will work with most newer versions of Outlook or Outlook Express. Thanks!)
If you have the answer,e-mail us at messageboards@cnet.com. If we choose your response, you'll get a free Help.com CD. Click here for Q&A submission guidelines and check out our previous Help & How-to newsletters here.
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