5 Reasons Why You Need a Wireless Home Network
As far as I'm concerned, wireless networks are one of the best inventions in history -- they really are the best thing since sliced bread. I mean, really, bread is easy enough to cut yourself, but have you ever tried to wire up a network? So, in the spirit of spreading the word, I'm going to give you five reasons why you need a wireless network.

Wireless Network Jargon
Wireless networking, like so many things in life -- and especially the ones that have anything to do with computers -- is filled with jargon. Don't be intimidated, though: here's a quick computer- speak to English guide to help you get by.

Could You Already Have Wireless and Not Realise It?
More and more laptops and desktop computers are coming pre-equipped with wireless networking devices -- it's so cheap that they might as well put it in, to have another thing to list in the system specifications.

5 Things You Must Do Before You Buy Any Wireless Equipment
Before you buy any wireless equipment, you need to be sure about what you're doing. There's nothing worse than having everything there and finding that it doesn't work in your house, or with your computers, or over the distances you need. Here's a handy checklist...

Wireless Network Cards and Ports: How to Tell What You Need
There are all sorts of different devices you can buy that will give your computer wireless networking capabilities. If you've taken a look around, though, you might have been confused by all the kinds of equipment being offered -- how things that look so dissimilar do the same task?

What to Look For: Range, Speed and Standards
Not sure what you're doing in your wireless network card shopping? Want to make sure you're buying the right thing but just have no idea what it is you're looking for? Well, you've come to the right place. When you're looking to buy a wireless network card, I can tell you right now that you're looking at three key issues: range, speed, and standards.

Wireless Alphabet Soup: What's the Difference Anyway?
At this point, you might have read a few feature lists for wireless cards, and you're about to ask a very common question: what's the difference anyway? Well, answering that question requires a brief rundown of the history of wireless networking so far.

10 Steps to Install a PCI Wireless Card
Installing a PCI wireless card might seem like a bit of an adventure -- after all, you have to open the case, find where to put the thing, close it again... and then you have to deal with the software! Even if you've never opened your computer before, though, you shouldn't have too much trouble with it if you follow these steps.

Ad-hoc or Access Point? Network Structures Explained
What happens to many people is that they're just about to buy some wireless equipment, and then they have a sudden realisation -- they have no idea how their network layout is going to work with a wireless connection. Well, there are a few things you need to think about when you decide how you're going to connect up your computers with all that great new wireless stuff.

Fighting with Windows: Getting Wireless Set Up
It was supposed to be so easy, wasn't it? Well, usually it is -- but sometimes, for some reason, Windows just doesn't want to play ball. Here's a quick guide to what to do when you've plugged in all your wireless equipment but it's not connecting yet.

Sharing an Internet Connection over a Wireless Network
Once you've got your wireless network set up, I've no doubt that one of the first things you'll want to do with it is share an Internet connection -- after all, that's why most home users put in a wireless network to begin with. Well, the good news is that Windows has Internet Connection Sharing built in. The bad news is that setting it up can sometimes be a little less than fun.

Sharing Your Files and Folders Wirelessly
Of course, once your computers are networked together and sharing Internet access, the next step is to make your internal network a little more useful. One of the best things you can do with your wireless network is use it to share your files and folders.

Create Always-On Networks with a Wireless Router
If you're using a wireless network with Windows' built-in Internet Connection Sharing, you're probably quite happy with it -- but there's a problem. The problem is this: the computer the modem is connected to needs to be turned on before any of the other computers can get Internet access! It's alright for a while, but it gets annoying really fast.

Connecting to a Wired Network: Wireless Access Points
Let's talk about something a little more complicated. What if you have a wired network already, and you're quite happy with the way it's laid out -- you see no point in dismantling it and making it wireless when it works fine as it is. You've got this laptop, though, that you'd really like to use wirelessly.

Taking it Long-Distance: Wireless Extension Points
How far can wireless go? Well, really, the answer is as far as you want it to, or as far as you can afford. You see, even though each wireless transmitter has a range limit, you can install things called wireless extension points, often called repeaters, to boost the signal and make your network's range even bigger.

Wireless Everywhere: Taking Your Laptop for a Walk
Sometimes it really does seem like wireless is being offered everywhere. If you know where to find so-called 'hotspots' (areas where there is wireless internet access), you can take your laptop for a little walk.

Wardriving and the Wireless Pirates
Thanks to the manufacturers' default settings leaving wireless encryption switched off, thousands upon thousands of wireless connections everywhere are completely insecure. New breeds of wireless users have started to take advantage of this 'free' bandwidth appearing everywhere: the wardrivers and the wireless pirates.

Dealing with Security Threats: Wireless Encryption
If you don't want your network to fall victim to snooping or people 'borrowing' your bandwidth, then you're going to need to lock down your network. Luckily for you, all wireless technology has encryption built in -- it's just a matter of turning it on.

Wireless Troubleshooting: 5 Things to Try
Wireless networks can be funny things. They'll work for weeks or months and then suddenly, one day -- bang! They're dead. But what can you do to try and resuscitate a dead wireless network?

Bluetooth: Personal Wireless
If you've got a wireless network for your computers already, well, you might get a bit excited about what I'm going to say next. How would you feel if your PDA, your mobile phone, your mp3 player and almost everything else you connect to your computer could be wireless too? You'd like that? Well, it's already a reality. Read on...

RFID: Wireless Shopping
So wireless networking has got rid of your network wires and your USB wires... what can it do next? Well, the answer might surprise you: wireless is going shopping.

What Else Can You Do Over a Wireless Network?
Well, you'd be surprised. There really are all sorts of things you can do with wireless networks -- you're only really limited by your imagination! Here are a few weird and wonderful ideas to get you started, but don't be afraid to try out anything else you think of.

The Future of Wireless
Wireless is a technology that's cheap, easy and useful right now, and yet it's a technology that's still very young. Here's a quick look at what the future could hold for wireless.