Increase Your Wireless Security Today!
I have come across so many people using WEP encryption and yet when they do upgrade to WPA, they still don't realise that it isn't safe.
WPA and WEP (at the time of typing this) are hackable regardless of what reviews tell you.
Consult your routers manufactures Manual or Web Site for aid. If you are struggling try a forum such as http://www.techsupportforum.com/
I highly recommend either LinkSys, NetGear or Belkin for home networks. LinkSys is strongly recommended through my own personal experience.
What can you do to increase your wireless security?
Easy question and it takes little effort to do so.
1) Firstly, get your router configured to only allow your devices to connect to it!
-- i.e. MAC Address Filtering
2) Secondly, don't advertise your network unless you need to!
-- i.e. Disable SSID Broadcasting if you can!
3) Lower the amount of connections allowed to the value of what you know connects (include all devices - Printers, Laptops and Desktops)!
4) ALWAYS have a strong password. I highly recommend using the following:
http://www.goodpassword.com/
-- Both your Router Configuration Access and Network Key
OPTIONAL:
5) Change the default Subnet Mask and Default Router IP Address for extra security!
Friday, October 30, 2009
How to setup a Home Network (detailed including extra security)
Have more than one PC or laptop in your home? Why not network them together?
Networking - Brief Intro
Please note that this is long because I went into considerable amount of detail, as it is best to understand what you are doing rather than telling you what to do and you not understanding anything. I have also gone into great detail on how to improve your network security considerably. For wireless security I will do an extra post as that is a bit more complex as there is more needed to be done in order to secure your wireless further than putting a simplistic password on the network. Regardless of what it states in reviews it is (currently at the time of typing this out) possible to hack not just WEP encryption but also WAP.
If you prefer there are plenty of videos on YouTube which talk you through how to do this; however I must warn you that most are very basic and do not go into as much detail as I have below in this post. The criteria used in the search results above (YouTube link) can have the OS added to the end to get more focused results for your specific OS.
One of the technological advancements Microsoft got right in their history was the introduction of Windows NT. It revolutionised the way computers interacted and how businesses of all types setup their internal and external processes. All of the Windows editions for home users onwards from Windows NT distinctively included improved networking capabilities. One of the most successful to this date is no doubt Windows XP. I realise Vista (a mistake in many IT Professionals opinions) and now even Windows 7 have been released; but I would not be surprised if you have Windows XP on your work machine (depending on your nature of work and of course organisation). However I don't wish to go on much more about the history, as the above is a very simplistic description. That and it wasn't just Microsoft who "invented" networking, that goes back all the way to 1960's and even before then!
You can benefit loads from setting up a home network and you'd be surprised how easy it is if you have a Windows operating system onwards from XP. Windows XP made home networking much easier than before.
With a home network setup you can transfer files without having to use disks, you can listen to music on one node (a device on a network, normally a PC or a Laptop or other device). You can even watch a DVD on a network if you so wish and even share a printer or a scanner so that you don't have to keep unplugging it again and again! One other feature which I love is the ability to control one computer (or laptop) from the other through this network (using a built-in application called 'Connection Remote Desktop'.
You don't even need the internet to have your own network. The internet is a WAN (wide area network), but your own local network is just that! A LAN (local area network). Don't confuse the two though because you can have a LAN which is spread out between two buildings (depending on its structure).
So what do you need?
Well you need both software and hardware. Windows XP onwards has home networking capabilities built into them already so that's software sorted out! If you have a MAC it is still possible to do this, just a little less easier for me to explain as I haven't used a MAC yet so I will guide you with a guide I came across from my own research.
What about hardware? Well you will probably have most of it already. The first hardware to check you have is an Ethernet port (present on most modern laptops and desktop PCs). You can use wireless but make sure you have extra security on your LAN before sharing files (see my next post after this one). You need a gateway for sure (router) which is best unless you are only connecting two nodes together in which case if they are close together you might consider just using a CAT5 (Ethernet) cable between the two.
However as most of you will be using a gateway I'll take you through setting it up. Before moving on though let me suggest what to buy and where! If you own a router already (e.g. BT HomeHub) you may want skip to the next section.
I personally use LinkSys routers as I have had excellent customer service and find that their routers are very much top of the class. I'd expect so as it is a sub-division of Cisco Systems, who are considered to be the worlds Networking experts. As you have guessed I would recommend using them.
Where to buy is easy but before you go away and buy the wrong one, you need to identify what type of connection you have!
What do you mean what type of connection do I have? Well this confuses me all the time and so no doubt it will confuse you too. There are two major types:
1) Through a telephone line cable - Normally ISDN, ADSL or SDSL (both types of DSL)
2) Through optical fibre cable - Ethernet connection (Known as Cable, but really classed as T1-T3-OC3)
-- I recommend double checking with your ISP though as DLS can be confusing.
Visit here for in depth details of the types of connections.
The best places to buy them are online as you can get them very cheap, but I would recommend going to a local PC store (PC World is not recommended). Online, these are the best sites I would recommend browsing: Ebuyer and Overclockers.
Step 1 - Decide on the Network Type !
Do you want it to be wired, wireless or both? Personally I have both. I use the wireless for my laptop and then my PC is hard wired.
Security is strong on my wireless because I filter out MAC addresses so that only those devices I choose can connect to my wireless but that is explained in more detail on the next post.
If you are worried about security though as even the strongest of wireless networks can still be hacked if given time and by someone who has the knowledge; then your best bet is to keep your network completely wired! This means having wires absolutely everywhere but it is very unlikely that your network will get hacked unless the person not only knows you have a network, but also physically plugs themselves into your gateway as well with a cable running outside. I think that you would notice a cable or some stranger in your house fiddling around with wires so wired is for those who want top security.
Step 2 - Decide on a Network Layout (known as Topology)
OK, so you've decided on the network type. Now it's time to identify the type of network topology. The what? Topologies are the layout of a network. There are several types and it's relatively easy to understand (with the aid of diagrams). The main topologies are categorised by:
Step 3 - Setup the hardware ready! (Understanding Protocols and IP Addresses)
Once you have decided on the network parameters, set it up. Use the manuals provided. i.e. Put all the physical parts in place and wire them up. Note: even wireless routers still have to be wired to the incoming connection if allowing all nodes on your network to access the internet. If you do not have the internet and just want a LAN setup via wireless then there is no need for an incoming wire connection.
When you get it up and running, the first time it is more than likely that you will have a DHCP protocol in place with basic configuration on the network.
What's DHCP? More importantly you should be asking what is a protocol? Computers wouldn't be able to "talk" with each other unless they had protocols. Protocols are a set of rules which a node (all devices including PCs and Laptops) follows in order to communicate on a network.
The one you will probably familiar with is TCP and IP. These are the basic principles to joining any network. "IP by itself is something like the postal system. It allows you to address a package and drop it in the system, but there's no direct link between you and the recipient. TCP/IP, on the other hand, establishes a connection between two hosts so that they can send messages back and forth for a period of time."(Webopdia).
DHCP is one protocol I personally do and do not like. It stands for Dynamic Host configuration Protocol and is mainly used to make our lives easier, both as users and administrators (those who manage networks and systems). It is beneficial because it helps assign IP addresses out to all nodes on a network and if you have loads, it saves you the time in assigning each node on the network it's own unique IP address.
Remember a network can never have two of the same IP addresses otherwise a node may think it is talking to it's friend node when it is actually talking to a new node who just came on the network with the same IP address. The end result is that the gateway or server gets confused, so the IP protocol is in place to stop such instances from occurring. ... Continued in next section ...
Highly recommend watching (needs to be downloaded) the following movie as it explains the basics absolutely brilliantly: http://www.warriorsofthe.net/movie.html
Step 4 - Decide if you want a Dynamic IP or Static IP on your nodes that you connect!
However there are circumstances where this can be a pain! With today's home users, you find that you use the internet for many activities other than surfing and checking emails. e.g. Online Gaming, but the problem you have here is that games need certain ports open. What are Ports? You just need to understand that they are like a filter system. Only certain data packets can enter one port (e.g. port 80 is used mainly for surfing the web i.e. HTTP, ports 20/21 are used for FTP transfer i.e. downloading files; whilst ports 25 and 110 tend to be used by POP3 email clients such as Outlook and Thunderbird).
In terms of having a network whereby the router (or hub as this is what a router essentially is) assigns IP addresses dynamically and you have one node which uses certain ports, but then another node uses completely different ports. Well it gets a bit fiddly. For security reasons it is best to only open ports on your nodes that you need to.
So if you have one node that only needs the common ports open but another node requires the common ports and a bit extra, what happens then if you have a Dynamic IP on both nodes?
OK, say you connect onto the network with node 1 and it gets assigned an IP of xxx.xxx.xx.1, then the second node connects and is assigned xxx.xxx.xx.2. You set the router up to forward ports needed for node 2 with that assigned IP of xxx.xxx.xx.2. OK, everything works. No, not if node 2 and node 1 log off, then node 2 only connects to the network. Why? Node 2 gets assigned the dynamic IP of node 1 before as that is what the routers default starting dynamic IP number is set as. So now the router isn't forwarding the ports to the correct IP address. Which is why sometimes your games may not have worked in the past (if you have done this before).
So this is where you assign ports manually. Assigning ports manually is an excellent way of boosting security on your network as you have complete control. When you assign IPs manually, it is called giving the node a static IP (i.e. it will stay the same no matter what order nodes connect to the network). This is great because now your ports will always forward to the correct node (IP address manually assigned by you).
In today's networking world (especially on wireless networks) you have a large group of vendors who have help develop UPnP. This is suppose to make things easy and save you the hassle of configuring your network by opening ports. Does it work? Somewhat but hopefully in the future it will be widely used saving us home users the hassle of configuration. Personally I don't mind it as it is a basic activity for my skills gained through my subject area over the years; but to some people it is a continuous nightmare in figuring out why an application or game does not work online.
Step 5 - Implement it! Wait! How do I setup the Static IP?
Right OK, once you have decided on all of the above and implemented it, and you want to set a static IP then this is what you do. If you just want to use DHCP and allow the router to assign IP addresses to each node connecting to your network then feel free to skip this section.
Ah yes, static IP. For those who want to (which I recommend doing so on a small network with only a few nodes), setting up a static IP on each node is simple.
Now this is one web site which I personally love so we will use it to help you out as it provides excellent instructions on how to achieve this (along with many things):
http://www.portforward.com/networking/staticip.htm
Simply select your OS (operating system) and follow the instructions provided.
Step 6 - Now Your Ready to Setup a Home Network! (About Time!)
Now on Windows it is always best if you use the networking wizard.
It is easier if both nodes (or all nodes) have the same operating system as it does make it considerably easier for them to talk with each other. However, this does not mean than Windows XP cannot talk with a Vista machine; as much as Vista doesn't quite like it, it can do it. Once it behaves itself anyway. As you can tell I don't like Vista too much, it ruined my laptop hard drive when I tried to put the SP1 on it when it first came out.
Anyway before I start blabbering on how bad Vista is compared to XP lets get moving!
IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED YOU USE EITHER A DOMAIN OR A WORKGROUP!
I recommend a workgroup for those who are not so technical otherwise it gets needlessly complicated.
For Windows XP use the tutorial "How to set up your computer for home networking" found on the following page towards the bottom:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/setup/default.mspx
For Vista users:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/Setting-up-a-home-network#section_4
For Windows 7 users:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Share-files-with-someone
For MAC Users Consult this web site:
http://www.mac-connect.com/
Step 7 - Share Your Files or Areas of your Drive you wish to!
It seems only fair to share the files you wish to or sections of your hard disk drive so that others can access it. I would suggest visiting the Microsoft (or MAC) web sites in order to learn how to do this. It is simple to do as you only have to right click the directory, go to properties and then select the sharing tab and then set your sharing options. That's it, well in most Windows OS that's all you have to do.
Step 8 - How do I control one PC or Laptop through another?
This is easy! Do not be fooled into buying software online as this will come with your OS more than likely. With Windows XP (the location will probably differ with Vista and Windows 7 etc) you need to have all Service Packs installed as this is when 'Remote Desktop Connection' is installed.
However before you run it, I would recommend putting passwords on the accounts you wish to be able to access over your network for extra security (not needed on all nodes but it depends on your situation).
E.g. On my network I only have a password set on my desktop as I do my web site design on my laptop (but actually on my desktop via desktop remote). After I have finished I like to shut down the desktop via my laptop without having to go upstairs to turn off the desktop. It saves me climbing two flights of stairs.
Once that is done, all you need to do is type in the IP of the node (laptop or desktop) you wish to control from your current node. Remember that both nodes must be connected to the same network in order for you to be able to control either. You will also need to know the username and password if required to log on remotely.
Step 9 - Set it up but its not working? Troubleshooting (basic)
The first few things you should check are:
1) That each node is using a different IP to the others
2) All nodes are connecting to the correct gateway (router or hub)
3) All nodes are connecting to the correct Work group or Domain (depending on what you setup)
3a) How you ask?
For Windows users the best way normally is to visit the control panel, then within 'System' under the 'Computer Name' tab look at the work group name. Make sure this is spelt EXACTLY the same on every node on the network (including the use of lower and upper case letters).
E.g. If one node is assigned the workgroup 'HOME' and node 2 is assigned 'WORKGROUP' they will not communicate.
It would be the same in the following situation as well:
If node 1 is assigned 'Home', and node 2 is assigned 'HOME' they still will not communicate.
Both node 1 and node 2 must be either 'HOME' or 'WORKGROUP' to work properly.
Recommended Links:
http://www.portforward.com/guides.htm
http://www.warriorsofthe.net/movie.html
For XP users:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/setup/default.mspx
For Vista users:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/Setting-up-a-home-network#section_4
For Windows 7 users:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Share-files-with-someone
For MAC Users Consult this web site:
http://www.mac-connect.com/
Networking - Brief Intro
Please note that this is long because I went into considerable amount of detail, as it is best to understand what you are doing rather than telling you what to do and you not understanding anything. I have also gone into great detail on how to improve your network security considerably. For wireless security I will do an extra post as that is a bit more complex as there is more needed to be done in order to secure your wireless further than putting a simplistic password on the network. Regardless of what it states in reviews it is (currently at the time of typing this out) possible to hack not just WEP encryption but also WAP.
If you prefer there are plenty of videos on YouTube which talk you through how to do this; however I must warn you that most are very basic and do not go into as much detail as I have below in this post. The criteria used in the search results above (YouTube link) can have the OS added to the end to get more focused results for your specific OS.
One of the technological advancements Microsoft got right in their history was the introduction of Windows NT. It revolutionised the way computers interacted and how businesses of all types setup their internal and external processes. All of the Windows editions for home users onwards from Windows NT distinctively included improved networking capabilities. One of the most successful to this date is no doubt Windows XP. I realise Vista (a mistake in many IT Professionals opinions) and now even Windows 7 have been released; but I would not be surprised if you have Windows XP on your work machine (depending on your nature of work and of course organisation). However I don't wish to go on much more about the history, as the above is a very simplistic description. That and it wasn't just Microsoft who "invented" networking, that goes back all the way to 1960's and even before then!
You can benefit loads from setting up a home network and you'd be surprised how easy it is if you have a Windows operating system onwards from XP. Windows XP made home networking much easier than before.
With a home network setup you can transfer files without having to use disks, you can listen to music on one node (a device on a network, normally a PC or a Laptop or other device). You can even watch a DVD on a network if you so wish and even share a printer or a scanner so that you don't have to keep unplugging it again and again! One other feature which I love is the ability to control one computer (or laptop) from the other through this network (using a built-in application called 'Connection Remote Desktop'.
You don't even need the internet to have your own network. The internet is a WAN (wide area network), but your own local network is just that! A LAN (local area network). Don't confuse the two though because you can have a LAN which is spread out between two buildings (depending on its structure).
So what do you need?
Well you need both software and hardware. Windows XP onwards has home networking capabilities built into them already so that's software sorted out! If you have a MAC it is still possible to do this, just a little less easier for me to explain as I haven't used a MAC yet so I will guide you with a guide I came across from my own research.
What about hardware? Well you will probably have most of it already. The first hardware to check you have is an Ethernet port (present on most modern laptops and desktop PCs). You can use wireless but make sure you have extra security on your LAN before sharing files (see my next post after this one). You need a gateway for sure (router) which is best unless you are only connecting two nodes together in which case if they are close together you might consider just using a CAT5 (Ethernet) cable between the two.
However as most of you will be using a gateway I'll take you through setting it up. Before moving on though let me suggest what to buy and where! If you own a router already (e.g. BT HomeHub) you may want skip to the next section.
I personally use LinkSys routers as I have had excellent customer service and find that their routers are very much top of the class. I'd expect so as it is a sub-division of Cisco Systems, who are considered to be the worlds Networking experts. As you have guessed I would recommend using them.
Where to buy is easy but before you go away and buy the wrong one, you need to identify what type of connection you have!
What do you mean what type of connection do I have? Well this confuses me all the time and so no doubt it will confuse you too. There are two major types:
1) Through a telephone line cable - Normally ISDN, ADSL or SDSL (both types of DSL)
2) Through optical fibre cable - Ethernet connection (Known as Cable, but really classed as T1-T3-OC3)
-- I recommend double checking with your ISP though as DLS can be confusing.
Visit here for in depth details of the types of connections.
The best places to buy them are online as you can get them very cheap, but I would recommend going to a local PC store (PC World is not recommended). Online, these are the best sites I would recommend browsing: Ebuyer and Overclockers.
Step 1 - Decide on the Network Type !
Do you want it to be wired, wireless or both? Personally I have both. I use the wireless for my laptop and then my PC is hard wired.
Security is strong on my wireless because I filter out MAC addresses so that only those devices I choose can connect to my wireless but that is explained in more detail on the next post.
If you are worried about security though as even the strongest of wireless networks can still be hacked if given time and by someone who has the knowledge; then your best bet is to keep your network completely wired! This means having wires absolutely everywhere but it is very unlikely that your network will get hacked unless the person not only knows you have a network, but also physically plugs themselves into your gateway as well with a cable running outside. I think that you would notice a cable or some stranger in your house fiddling around with wires so wired is for those who want top security.
Step 2 - Decide on a Network Layout (known as Topology)
OK, so you've decided on the network type. Now it's time to identify the type of network topology. The what? Topologies are the layout of a network. There are several types and it's relatively easy to understand (with the aid of diagrams). The main topologies are categorised by:
- bus (a backbone whereby each node connects to)
- ring (nodes are connected to each other in a circular layout - see diagram for details)
- star (nodes connect to a centre hub - typical for home networks and are very common)
- tree (integration of multiple star topologies together onto a bus topology)
- mesh (Difficult to explain; a concept of many routes)
Step 3 - Setup the hardware ready! (Understanding Protocols and IP Addresses)
Once you have decided on the network parameters, set it up. Use the manuals provided. i.e. Put all the physical parts in place and wire them up. Note: even wireless routers still have to be wired to the incoming connection if allowing all nodes on your network to access the internet. If you do not have the internet and just want a LAN setup via wireless then there is no need for an incoming wire connection.
When you get it up and running, the first time it is more than likely that you will have a DHCP protocol in place with basic configuration on the network.
What's DHCP? More importantly you should be asking what is a protocol? Computers wouldn't be able to "talk" with each other unless they had protocols. Protocols are a set of rules which a node (all devices including PCs and Laptops) follows in order to communicate on a network.
The one you will probably familiar with is TCP and IP. These are the basic principles to joining any network. "IP by itself is something like the postal system. It allows you to address a package and drop it in the system, but there's no direct link between you and the recipient. TCP/IP, on the other hand, establishes a connection between two hosts so that they can send messages back and forth for a period of time."(Webopdia).
DHCP is one protocol I personally do and do not like. It stands for Dynamic Host configuration Protocol and is mainly used to make our lives easier, both as users and administrators (those who manage networks and systems). It is beneficial because it helps assign IP addresses out to all nodes on a network and if you have loads, it saves you the time in assigning each node on the network it's own unique IP address.
Remember a network can never have two of the same IP addresses otherwise a node may think it is talking to it's friend node when it is actually talking to a new node who just came on the network with the same IP address. The end result is that the gateway or server gets confused, so the IP protocol is in place to stop such instances from occurring. ... Continued in next section ...
Highly recommend watching (needs to be downloaded) the following movie as it explains the basics absolutely brilliantly: http://www.warriorsofthe.net/movie.html
Step 4 - Decide if you want a Dynamic IP or Static IP on your nodes that you connect!
However there are circumstances where this can be a pain! With today's home users, you find that you use the internet for many activities other than surfing and checking emails. e.g. Online Gaming, but the problem you have here is that games need certain ports open. What are Ports? You just need to understand that they are like a filter system. Only certain data packets can enter one port (e.g. port 80 is used mainly for surfing the web i.e. HTTP, ports 20/21 are used for FTP transfer i.e. downloading files; whilst ports 25 and 110 tend to be used by POP3 email clients such as Outlook and Thunderbird).
In terms of having a network whereby the router (or hub as this is what a router essentially is) assigns IP addresses dynamically and you have one node which uses certain ports, but then another node uses completely different ports. Well it gets a bit fiddly. For security reasons it is best to only open ports on your nodes that you need to.
So if you have one node that only needs the common ports open but another node requires the common ports and a bit extra, what happens then if you have a Dynamic IP on both nodes?
OK, say you connect onto the network with node 1 and it gets assigned an IP of xxx.xxx.xx.1, then the second node connects and is assigned xxx.xxx.xx.2. You set the router up to forward ports needed for node 2 with that assigned IP of xxx.xxx.xx.2. OK, everything works. No, not if node 2 and node 1 log off, then node 2 only connects to the network. Why? Node 2 gets assigned the dynamic IP of node 1 before as that is what the routers default starting dynamic IP number is set as. So now the router isn't forwarding the ports to the correct IP address. Which is why sometimes your games may not have worked in the past (if you have done this before).
So this is where you assign ports manually. Assigning ports manually is an excellent way of boosting security on your network as you have complete control. When you assign IPs manually, it is called giving the node a static IP (i.e. it will stay the same no matter what order nodes connect to the network). This is great because now your ports will always forward to the correct node (IP address manually assigned by you).
In today's networking world (especially on wireless networks) you have a large group of vendors who have help develop UPnP. This is suppose to make things easy and save you the hassle of configuring your network by opening ports. Does it work? Somewhat but hopefully in the future it will be widely used saving us home users the hassle of configuration. Personally I don't mind it as it is a basic activity for my skills gained through my subject area over the years; but to some people it is a continuous nightmare in figuring out why an application or game does not work online.
Step 5 - Implement it! Wait! How do I setup the Static IP?
Right OK, once you have decided on all of the above and implemented it, and you want to set a static IP then this is what you do. If you just want to use DHCP and allow the router to assign IP addresses to each node connecting to your network then feel free to skip this section.
Ah yes, static IP. For those who want to (which I recommend doing so on a small network with only a few nodes), setting up a static IP on each node is simple.
Now this is one web site which I personally love so we will use it to help you out as it provides excellent instructions on how to achieve this (along with many things):
http://www.portforward.com/networking/staticip.htm
Simply select your OS (operating system) and follow the instructions provided.
Step 6 - Now Your Ready to Setup a Home Network! (About Time!)
Now on Windows it is always best if you use the networking wizard.
It is easier if both nodes (or all nodes) have the same operating system as it does make it considerably easier for them to talk with each other. However, this does not mean than Windows XP cannot talk with a Vista machine; as much as Vista doesn't quite like it, it can do it. Once it behaves itself anyway. As you can tell I don't like Vista too much, it ruined my laptop hard drive when I tried to put the SP1 on it when it first came out.
Anyway before I start blabbering on how bad Vista is compared to XP lets get moving!
IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED YOU USE EITHER A DOMAIN OR A WORKGROUP!
I recommend a workgroup for those who are not so technical otherwise it gets needlessly complicated.
For Windows XP use the tutorial "How to set up your computer for home networking" found on the following page towards the bottom:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/setup/default.mspx
For Vista users:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/Setting-up-a-home-network#section_4
For Windows 7 users:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Share-files-with-someone
For MAC Users Consult this web site:
http://www.mac-connect.com/
Step 7 - Share Your Files or Areas of your Drive you wish to!
It seems only fair to share the files you wish to or sections of your hard disk drive so that others can access it. I would suggest visiting the Microsoft (or MAC) web sites in order to learn how to do this. It is simple to do as you only have to right click the directory, go to properties and then select the sharing tab and then set your sharing options. That's it, well in most Windows OS that's all you have to do.
Step 8 - How do I control one PC or Laptop through another?
This is easy! Do not be fooled into buying software online as this will come with your OS more than likely. With Windows XP (the location will probably differ with Vista and Windows 7 etc) you need to have all Service Packs installed as this is when 'Remote Desktop Connection' is installed.
However before you run it, I would recommend putting passwords on the accounts you wish to be able to access over your network for extra security (not needed on all nodes but it depends on your situation).
E.g. On my network I only have a password set on my desktop as I do my web site design on my laptop (but actually on my desktop via desktop remote). After I have finished I like to shut down the desktop via my laptop without having to go upstairs to turn off the desktop. It saves me climbing two flights of stairs.
Once that is done, all you need to do is type in the IP of the node (laptop or desktop) you wish to control from your current node. Remember that both nodes must be connected to the same network in order for you to be able to control either. You will also need to know the username and password if required to log on remotely.
Step 9 - Set it up but its not working? Troubleshooting (basic)
The first few things you should check are:
1) That each node is using a different IP to the others
2) All nodes are connecting to the correct gateway (router or hub)
3) All nodes are connecting to the correct Work group or Domain (depending on what you setup)
3a) How you ask?
For Windows users the best way normally is to visit the control panel, then within 'System' under the 'Computer Name' tab look at the work group name. Make sure this is spelt EXACTLY the same on every node on the network (including the use of lower and upper case letters).
E.g. If one node is assigned the workgroup 'HOME' and node 2 is assigned 'WORKGROUP' they will not communicate.
It would be the same in the following situation as well:
If node 1 is assigned 'Home', and node 2 is assigned 'HOME' they still will not communicate.
Both node 1 and node 2 must be either 'HOME' or 'WORKGROUP' to work properly.
Recommended Links:
http://www.portforward.com/guides.htm
http://www.warriorsofthe.net/movie.html
For XP users:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/setup/default.mspx
For Vista users:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/Setting-up-a-home-network#section_4
For Windows 7 users:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Share-files-with-someone
For MAC Users Consult this web site:
http://www.mac-connect.com/
Help Spread the Word of my Charity Work today!
Well I'm struggling to get my charity work known, so if you can help out in anyway it would be much appreciated!
How can you do so?
Learn how here: http://peterslater.webs.com/helpspread.htm
How can you do so?
Learn how here: http://peterslater.webs.com/helpspread.htm
Download link for MSN Messenger 2008 Version 8.5.1302.1018?
Download link for MSN Messenger 2008 Version 8.5.1302.1018?
For those who want it. I had many friends over the last few months asking me about MSN Messenger issues on Windows XP, and even Vista.
I tell them this. Downgrade to the following version as it is much stabler on XP:
http://www.msgstuff.com/downloads/ (Link Updated Dec 2009 - You may need to browse).
If the URL does not work go to the Microsoft download center (google 'Microsoft download center'), then search for 'Windows Live Messenger (Version 2008)' and you will find it.
Trust me on this. This version works perfectly. Ignore all messages to upgrade.
Works with all addons without issues including MSN Plus (I highly recommend this).
Hope this helps others as it has helped many of my friends.
Also Recommend: MSN PLUS
http://www.msgplus.net/
I tell them this. Downgrade to the following version as it is much stabler on XP:
http://www.msgstuff.com/downloads/ (Link Updated Dec 2009 - You may need to browse).
If the URL does not work go to the Microsoft download center (google 'Microsoft download center'), then search for 'Windows Live Messenger (Version 2008)' and you will find it.
Trust me on this. This version works perfectly. Ignore all messages to upgrade.
Works with all addons without issues including MSN Plus (I highly recommend this).
Hope this helps others as it has helped many of my friends.
Also Recommend: MSN PLUS
http://www.msgplus.net/
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