My Wireless Network

Last year, I received a wireless network card so I could use my work laptop at various locations around the Microsoft campus. This device uses the 802.11b standard to connect to the central network at very high speeds. I can read e-mail and cruise the Web while in meetings or at lunch. I got hooked at work, so I went ahead and installed the gear at home as well. I already had a home computer plugged into a cable modem from AT&T, but I needed a wireless router to allow multiple computers to connect to my single high-speed connection. I went with one made by Buffalo technologies. Installation was fairly straightforward. I plugged the Buffalo into the cable modem and plugged my existing computer into the Buffalo router, which has room for four computers to plug directly into it. Then I fired up my wireless laptop running Windows XP, which immediately detected that there was an 802.11b network running and asked if I wanted to connect to it. Soon I was happily browsing the Web while sitting on my couch watching SportsCenter.

If you want to try this at home, I recommend turning on the encryption option and restricting access to your wireless router. This ensures that all your communication between the computer and the Internet is secure. Any neighborhood hackers will be far less able to listen in on your wireless electronic conversations.