Several years ago I wanted to network two computers together in my home office to make it easier to transfer files from one computer to the other. To my dismay, I discovered that while magazine reviewers made it sound as though setting up a network ought to be quite easy, I just couldn’t make mine work. After multiple attempts at installing and uninstalling and reinstalling the network I was convinced that when it came to networks, the term “plug and play” should really be changed to "plug and pray." Finally I gave up and called in a computer technician who made house calls. He got the network working, but only after several hours of trial and error.
That cabled network setup now works fine except for one thing. Unless I want to have someone come in to run cables through my walls and floors (which I don’t) any computer I add to the network has to be in that same room. While I can use my old notebook computer when I want to work in a different room, I have to first remember to transfer all the files I need, and then, when I’m done, transfer them all back. And that’s a pain.
So I finally decided to try a wireless network. Recently I got an Actiontec 802.11b Wireless PCcard for the notebook computer, and an Actiontec External USB Wireless Network Adapter for my main desktop computer.
To my surprise, it took only about 20 minutes to get the network up and running – even though I have no more technical knowledge now than I did when I tried to install the cabled network a few years ago. I followed some very simple directions to install the software and set the wireless channel, and immediately had the two computers connected.
Next, I wanted to see how much distance I could put between the two computers and still have the connection work. So I went from room to room in my house, and then took the notebook computer outside to see how far away I could go and still use the network. I was amazed that I was able to get a network connection in the backyard, even though the desktop computer was located in the front of the house. It took a little longer than normal to save a file across the network, but then, the old notebook is slow doing almost any task when it's operating on battery power, so the slow down wasn't bad.
So, now I’m hooked on wireless for home office use. It’s simple to install, inexpensive (the Actiontec PCcard and the Actiontec USB wireless adapter are each less than $70 at computer discounters.). And it gives me the freedom to work wherever I want and still be connected to my network. In fact, I’m sitting by the pool now as I write this article, saving it to the desktop computer periodically as I write.
While that’s pleasant, where I see the real benefit of an easy to use wireless network like Actiontec, is for small offices – in home or out – that don’t want to or can’t put holes in the walls and floors to network computers together. Whether it’s a home-based family business, or a multi-computer household, Actiontec’s wireless system makes sharing files between computers and sharing resources such as hard disks easy an affordable.
About the author
Janet Attard is the founder of the award-winning Business Know-How small business web site and information resource. Janet is also the author of The Home Office And Small Business Answer Book and of Business Know-How: An Operational Guide For Home-Based and Micro-Sized Businesses with Limited Budgets. Follow Janet on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/JanetAttard.