Networking / Beginners

Creating an Infrastructure Network

You want to share files and printers between more than two computers and would also like to share an Internet connection using a broadband modem. An infrastructure network will probably work best in this situation.

Infrastructure networks take a bit more configuration than setting up an ad-hoc network, but not much more setup time. Also, the additional benefits of an infrastructure network-primarily that an access point allows you to connect to wired devices, such as a cable modem, or wired networks, such as an office Ethernet network-certainly make them worth the time to set up.

Adding an 802.11b access point will cost you between $60-$250, plus the cost of the network adapters you will need for each computer.

An infrastructure network can be made even more useful by incorporating Ethernet, powerline, or phoneline networking equipment.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Wireless Hardware and Software Setup
  2. Connection Options
  3. Setting Up Hardware
  4. Software Overview
  5. Using Ad-hoc Mode
  6. Working with Access Points
  7. Access Points with Built-In Routers
  8. Troubleshooting
  9. Placing Your Equipment
  10. Creating a Peer-to-Peer Network
  11. Creating an Infrastructure Network
  12. Setting Up a Hybrid Network
  13. Connecting Network Multimedia Devices
  14. Mixing 802.11 Equipment