Private Wireless Home Networks

        I recently took on the task of creating a private wireless home network in my home. I wanted to be able to connect my PC in the living room to the modem located by the PC in the bedroom. I gave myself a budget of $125 dollars to get what I needed to set up the network. I went to Best Buy to check out what they had to offer. I wanted to get a router that would be fast enough to handle online gaming. I also wanted to be able to wirelessly connect my PS3 in the living room to the network. I decided to go with a Linksys E1000 Wireless-N Router.

Linksys E1000 Wireless-N Router        

        One of the benefits of the Linksys E1000 is it gives visitors simple and more secure internet access. It has WEP, WPA v1, WPA v2 and other enhanced security features. It also features MAC Clone, DHCP Server, UPnP, Firewall, Parental control, Upgradeable firmware, Dynamic DNS, DMZ, QoS, and Logging. It's supported frequency is 2.4 GHz and a wireless speed of up to 300 Mbps. Installing the router was very simple. The included Cisco Connect software gets you set up quickly and offers powerful tools for managing your wireless network. It has 2 internal antennas and an antenna gain of 1.5 dBi. With a price of $59.99, I felt it was exactly the router that I need to start setting up my network. Now as for the wireless adapter for the computer in the living room, I decided to go with a NETGEAR N300 Wireless USB adapter.

       NETGEAR N300 Wireless USB adapter

        The N300 allows enough speed for faster downloading and online gaming. I can surf, chat, and email and perform simultaneous downloads. One feature is the Push 'N' Connect push button security. It uses WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK, and 40-bit (also called 64-bit) and 128-bit WEP data encryption. It contains 1 integrated internal wireless antenna and had a better range than the N150 model. The Easy Smart Wizard allows for easy installation. Sold at $49.99, I was able to stay just inside my budget after sales tax.
        After installing the router and adapter, I set up the wireless network so that I could share public files between the two computers. I also set up my printer on the network, so I would be able to print wirelessly from the living room. Once i was finished with my set up, I connected my PS3 wirelessly to the network. Now I am able to access the same files and folders on both of my PCs and my PS3. This process only took about a total of 35 minutes to complete.