My
pc is connected to the internet via a
wireless router but I havn’t actually
had to do any fancy configuring of the
pc. My router however, has my ISP account
details and once authenticated it’s
the router that gets given an
IP address
to act as a Gateway to the internet, together
with the IP addresses of DNS servers used
by my ISP. Without this I would not be
able to browse the net. The router then
uses DHCP to dynamically assign IP addresses
to pc’s on my subnet and these IP’s
are hidden to the outside world by NAT
(Network Address Translation) running
on my router. Access to my server and
pc’s is only possible if I open
my firewall and necessary ports on my
router, otherwise I am effectively hidden
(safely enough anyway) from malicious
attack.
Microsoft’s new VISTA operating system
has many new built in features giving you the ability to
centrally monitor your network. New features greatly improve
wireless networking with increased security including new
encryption protocols. Windows Vista improves the wireless network
experience in a number of ways. The new Network Awareness feature
in Windows Vista keeps your applications aware of and optimized for
the network’s changing capabilities. Your data is also more
secure with enhanced support for the latest wireless security protocols, including WPA2.
Windows Vista helps you avoid connecting to fraudulent wireless networks
which seem like legitimate hotspots but, in fact, are not. Windows Vista also provides
an easy way to create ad-hoc wireless networks to use peer-to-peer applications such as file sharing and application collaboration.
Network Setup
With Windows Vista, setting up a network between multiple PCs and devices (including printers, music players, and game systems)
is simple and intuitive. The Network Setup Wizard allows you to set up wired or wireless networks by identifying
un-configured network devices and adding them to the network. The Network Setup Wizard also automates the process of
adding new devices to your network. It automatically generates secure network settings to keep your network safe
from intruders.
Network settings can also be saved to a portable USB flash drive to make adding PCs and devices to the network a
quick and easy process. Simply insert the USB flash drive into a PC or device and it will automatically read the
data and ready itself to join the network. File and printer sharing is also easily enabled on each PC on the network
from the Network Setup Wizard, so you can share documents, photos, music, and other files across your network.
Some
of us may be quite comfortable with this
technology, quite happy tweaking and playing
with our networks and pc’s. If you
have any doubts or are hesitant or unsure,
then let Jael be of assistance to you! Please call on 0845 257 9 267
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