Whether you need to connect to the network, to share printers and resources, to access and play music, or to do anything else across the network, Windows 7 makes the entire process more seamless and intuitive than it was in either Windows Vista or Windows XP. In Windows 7, Microsoft has improved the Network and Sharing Center introduced in Windows Vista to provide greater functionality and make it the go-to place for managing all aspects of network connectivity. The Network and Sharing Center—which is available in the Windows 7 Starter, Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate editions—allows you to find new networks and create new network connections, verify connection status, and troubleshoot network connectivity issues.
Windows 7 provides a simple wizard to guide you through setting up different types of network connections. If you lose your connection, the graphic will show the broken connection so that you can easily identify which portion is down. You can click Troubleshoot problems at the bottom of the Network and Sharing Center to initiate diagnostic tests that will help you identify and resolve the issue. You can also establish new wireless-network or VPN connections by clicking Set up a new connection or network and following the prompts in the wizard.
Windows 7 lets you configure unique firewall profiles for the different network location types. The left side of the Network and Sharing Center provides links to more-advanced networking functions such as changing adapter settings or managing the Windows Firewall.
One significant enhancement in Windows 7 gives you the ability to configure unique firewall profiles for the different location types Home, Work, and Public ; as you move from one location to another, Windows 7 will automatically apply the firewall rules for the appropriate location type.
The next significant enhancement in Windows 7 is the HomeGroup. Microsoft designed the HomeGroup to mimic the way people generally protect their homes: You keep the outside doors locked to deter unwanted visitors, but you keep the interior doors unlocked to allow free passage for family members.
Then click "Network and Internet" and launch the Network and Sharing center. On this screen click "Change advanced sharing settings" then make sure these items are turned on:. Password Protected Sharing must be turned off. If it is not, the computers running XP and Vista will be asked to enter a name and password before they can connect. Nowadays, many homes and offices have several computers, but usually only one printer.
Windows 7 makes it incredibly easy for every computer on the network to share that one printer. To do this, simply plug a printer into any computer on your homegroup. Windows 7 automatically tells all of the other computers in that homegroup that a printer is available.
To find it, simply click the start menu and select "Devices and Printers". You may have to install the driver on each computer manually before you can use it. Once the network has been set up correctly, it should work fine without any further action, but if it doesn't, there are a few things you can try before pulling your hair out.
The first, of course, is to ask Windows itself to try and diagnose the problem. To do this, right-click on the network icon in the taskbar and select "Troubleshoot Problems". A wizard will launch to guide you through the process. If that doesn't work, go back and make sure that every computer has the same workgroup name. In this article, we'll go over the most common complaints, and explain why they exist and how to change them if you want to. If you used Windows Vista, you're probably well aware of those annoying permission screens.
They're the ones that pop up every time you try to install some kind of software or make a major change to Windows, and ask you if you really want to do that. To tell the truth, there isn't really a good solution to them. If you turn them off, you leave your computer open to all sorts of malicious software, such as spyware and worms and viruses. If you don't want to turn them off altogether, you can still set them to a different level so they don't pop up as frequently. If you drag the little rectangle in the middle upward, you'll have the most secure system, but you'll see a permission screen any time a change is made to Windows, whether you initiated it or not.
If you drag the rectangle downward, you won't see the permission screens, but you also won't be notified when any change is made to windows. That means a virus can install itself on your computer and you'd never realize it. Copying music to most MP3 players is incredibly easy. Windows recognizes them as just another disk drive. You can easily navigate to the device and drag your music into it. You can only move music and movies to your iPod through iTunes, which is Apple's proprietary software.
But don't worry, it is Windows compatible and is available for free from the iTunes website. It's like an old building that gets torn down in your neighborhood-after 6 or 8 months, you almost forget it was ever there in the first place. If you have been missing these menus, though, you can view them easily and temporarily by pushing the Alt key. There's no doubt that Windows 7 has an attractive interface and some of the effects are pretty cool.
Those effects come with a price, however-they use up a bit of your computer's processor and memory. This hit to performance is negligible on high end machines, but older or low-end computers may really feel it. If you don't think Windows 7 is running as fast as it could be, you might try turning these effects off. From here you can choose to disable individual effects, or disable all of them by selecting "Adjust for best performance. When you walk away from your computer for a period of time and your screensaver "kicks in," you may discover that when you return, you have to log back into Windows.
It doesn't have to be this way. You can easily set it so that when you wake your computer up from the screensaver, your computer returns you to whatever program you had open. Asking you to sign back in is just a security feature -- one that's easily enough undone. The taskbar, you may remember, is that strip that's usually at the bottom of the screen. Unless the taskbar is locked, you may find yourself accidently moving it all over the place. To lock the taskbar, right-click on it and select "Lock the taskbar.
Another problem is the disappearing taskbar. This happens if the "Auto-hide" function is active. In this case, unless you move your mouse to the bottom of the screen, the taskbar will not show. To fix this, move your mouse to the bottom of the screen so you can see the task bar. Now right-click on it and select "Properties. Make sure the "Auto-hide the taskbar" box is not checked. See Wi-Fi and Wireless networks for more details. The home network diagram below shows the structure of a typical small home network.
For most home networks the Wireless Router or Hub which connects the network to the Internet will be the main component of the home or small home office network, and in many cases it will be the only component. This short video shows how to use a Wireless Home Hub BT or router to create a home network that is connected to the Internet.
DSL Modem — converts digital signals into analogue signals that are suitable for sending over a telephone line. Often included as part of the connection socket. The Wireless router will need to connect to the telephone line, cable or fibre network access point in your home.
However you can usually change the location by using telephone extension cables or longer WAN cables.
Because the Wireless Router provides the Wireless access point then you should place it in a central location, if possible, to get the best wireless reception. The easiest way of testing you signal strength in various locations is to use the inSSIDer Wi-Fi checker which is an App that you can install on your Android Tablet or phone.
The general idea is to place the Wireless router in its preferred location and then move around the house with the inSSIDer Wi-Fi checker, and check the signal strength, and then adjust the location if necessary. To administer the home router you access it via a web browser, and login using a username and password. Before you allow devices to connect to your home network you should make some basic changes to the default setup parameters of your router. The standard way of connecting a Wi-fi device to a Wi-fi network is the connect to the network and enter the password when prompted.
The devices then connect without requiring you to enter a password. See Wiki on WPS. This is provided automatically by a service called DHCP which, by default, is provided by the home router. You can also assign addresses manually, and these are known as static addresses. Static Addresses are not normally assigned but are often required when using Port forwarding.
They can be assigned on the network settings of the device, but preferably on the DHCP server using reserved addresses. Additionally the addresses used on your home network are known as internal addresses. When you connect to the Internet your device will use an external IP address.
See Internal vs external IP addresses for a more detailed explanation. The main tool you use is the ipconfig windows or ifconfig linux tool.
Your home router is your gateway to the Internet. When viewing your configuration some devices refer to it as the default router whereas other use the term default gateway. For security reasons you may find the need to split your home network. This is especially true in small business networks like restaurants etc were customers are also given access to the network.
Many modern routers will provide guest networks for this purpose, and is easy to setup. Another common method, but not as simple is to use VLANs. A firewall protects your home or small business network computers and devices from intruders on the Internet. It effectively acts like a one way digital gate blocking access to your network from devices on the Internet, but at the same time allowing devices on your network to connect to devices on the Internet.
Generally there is no configuration required as the default behaviour is only to allow connections from the local network to the Internet, and not from the Internet to the home network. However if you do require devices on the Internet to connect into your network often required by gamers then you can configure port forwarding.
Shared devices like switches and Wireless access points are network choke points just like traffic lights and roundabouts on a road. LAN Speed test is a very useful tool for testing your local network speeds. See understanding Home network speeds. For Internet speeds you can use online speed test sites. See Understanding Internet speeds and speed tests. In my experience most problems are easily diagnosed, and fixed with a little patience and perseverance. Having a good understanding of how your network fits together, and works is essential for successful troubleshooting.
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You are getting a Bad Wi-Fi signal is some parts of your home What can you try to solve the problem? We have ATT internet fiber with a router that is extended by Google home pods 4 placed throughout our house. We have TVs, amplifiers, printers, computers, phones, Google speakers, etc. We are using dynamic IP. It seems to me with the IP changing all the time, devices take their time connecting when the IP address changes. Am I correct in my thinking here, and how can we get everything to stay connected.
It is more likely to be the Wi-fi connectivity. A device on dynamic IP keeps its address and is unlikely to loose it on a home network. Rgds Steve. I am in a rural area and my grandmother broke a hip and elbow this year. I am not technology Savy after a bad accident but I need to go back to work. The only company in the middle of cowboy hell nowhere Oklahoma is who I already have and my phone company entirely to slow 15 Mbps download and 1 upload. Not quite sure about the setup but think that you are using your daughters connection with wi-fi.
Is that correct? If I have a mixed setup as you have described will I be able to transfer files from a wifi tablet to my wired primary computer? Any help someone please? Are you sure they are on the two subnets. What are the ip addresses of an example device on each subnet? Do you have any other devices routers,switches other then the mesh devices and the virgin router? I just had a quick look trough the manual and it defaults to router mode as you are still using the virgin router put it in access point mode rgds steve.
Hello, I would like to setup a home network using a standard router and then connect the network to the internet using a mobile phone. Are there instructions available for this type of setup? Is there a better way. Perhaps using a bridge? Regards, Al Plevna Ontario. The easiest way is to use a router with mobile capability. There are lots available as they are used for travelling. In this case mobile is used as a backup. I have an existing Belkin router and need to expand the coverage to three locations..
What do I need to accomplish this task. I have very slow dsl modem, however I want to run my other computer on a home network to share files how can i bypass the slow modem that came with bell to get the connections between the other computers the fastest to share files between the computers. Just get a GB ethernet switch and plug all your ethernet cables into it and one cable connects your GB switch to the modem Ethernet which gives your devices Internet access.
The smart phone picks up its signal from the output of the router. Is there another way, or only with that cable.
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