To set up a home WLAN, first decide if you want internet access or an ad hoc network. Choose a wireless standard and set up access points or connect components. For an infrastructure WLAN, find a central location for the access point, connect it to the modem, and set up the router with an SSID and security options.
There are generally three steps to setting up a home wireless local area network (WLAN). First, you’ll need to determine if you want your home WLAN to connect to the Internet. Next, you’ll need to select the wireless standard for your WLAN. Finally, you will need to set up your home WLAN access points and/or connect as many components as you like on your home network.
The first step in setting up your WLAN is to determine whether or not you want an Internet-accessible home WLAN. If you don’t need Internet access for your WLAN, you will need an ad hoc WLAN, sometimes referred to as an Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS) or peer-to-peer network. This type of WLAN simply requires two or more computers to connect wirelessly. A WLAN infrastructure, on the other hand, connects one or more computers to the Internet via an access point. For people who want wireless Internet access at home, this access point is often the router physically connected to a modem.
Home WLAN components communicate with each other via a standard, the 802.11 standard. There are four versions of this standard: a, b, genes and components operating on one standard may not be compatible with components operating on another standard. For example, since 802.11b and g work on the 2.4 GHz frequency and 802.11a work on the 5.0 GHz frequency, you won’t be able to have an 802.11g WLAN with 802.11b components. Only 802.11n works on both frequencies. Determining the standard for your WLAN in light of the components you want to connect to your WLAN is an important step in the configuration process.
The final step will depend on whether you set up an ad hoc home WLAN, without Internet access, or an infrastructure WLAN, with Internet access. For an ad hoc WLAN, you’ll need to configure your wireless devices to “talk” directly to each other without an access point in between—access points are reserved for infrastructure WLANs. For the computers to communicate, each must have their wireless adapters set to ad hoc mode and the same channel number. Finally, you’ll give your network a name, creating a Service Set ID (SSID) to which your computers and other devices will connect.
For a home WLAN infrastructure, one that connects to the Internet, you first need to find a central location for your access point. You will need to plug the access point (or router) into power and then connect it to the modem. Next, you’ll need to set up your router, which is often easiest using the web interface offered by the router manufacturer. To set up your router, you’ll need to select an SSID, set the channel your network will operate on, and set the security options to WPA or WEP or MAC. Each component you wish to connect to your WLAN will need to be connected individually via the component itself. Even wired devices, such as printers, can be connected to WLANs.
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