Setting Up a Peer-to-Peer Network

One of the biggest improvements in recent Windows versions is in networking setup. Specifically, if you have your computers connected correctly (more on that in a second), Windows sets up the appropriate networking settings automatically. It's true plug-andplay: You plug your machine into the network, and you can play with network resources within a few seconds. Note that this doesn't apply to wireless connections, which, for security reasons, require a few extra steps. Although, as you'll soon see, Windows 7 enables you to "save" a wireless connection so that the next time your computer comes within range of that network, Windows 7 makes the connection automatically.

So what is the "correct" network configuration required for this automatic networking setup to happen? For wired networks, it requires only the following:

• Each computer must have a network interface card (NIC), such as an internal network adapter, a USB network adapter, a motherboard-based network chip, or a network PC Card.
• You must have an external router or switch.
• You must activate Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) on the router. DHCP automatically assigns unique IP addresses to each computer on the network.
• Each computer must have a network cable running from the NIC to a port in the router (or switch).
• If you have a high-speed modem, you must run a network cable from the Internet (or WAN) port in the router to the network port in the modem. This ensures that every computer on the network can share the Internet connection.
• Each computer must have a unique name.
• Each computer must use the same workgroup name.

If you're not sure about the last two points, see "Changing the Computer and Workgroup Name," later in this tutorial.

For wireless networks, the configuration is more or less the same (except, of course, you don't need to run a network cable from each computer to the router). Here are the differences for a wireless network:

NOTE Networks don't have to be exclusively wired or wireless. In fact, it's quite common to have a mixture of the two connection types. Most wireless access points come with a few ports to accept wired connections.

• Each computer must have a NIC that supports wireless connections.
• You must have a wireless access point or gateway that also doubles as a router.
• During the initial configuration, one computer must connect to the access point via a network cable. This enables you to configure the access point before the wireless connection is established.

See "Connecting to a Wireless Network," later in this tutorial, to learn the extra few steps that you must run to make the wireless connection in Windows 7.

Caution Some broadband providers are using "smart" modems that include routing and firewall features. That's fine, but these modems almost always have a static IP address, and that address is usually either http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1, which might conflict with your wireless gateway's IP address. If you have connection problems after adding the wireless gateway, the likely culprit is an IP address conflict. Disconnect the broadband modem, access the gateway's configuration program, and change its IP address (to, say, http://192.168.1.2 or http://192.168.0.2).