Thanks to larger hard drives that hold hours and hours of music and movies, as well as internet-enabled devices that also can stream and record television, creating a home network is probably one of coolest things any PC owner can do to get not only the most out of their media collection, but also to get the most out of every PC in the house, as well as their home entertainment system.
However, after years of living with Windows XP, many people often wonder how to set up a home network. Thankfully, Windows 7 makes it pretty easy. Here are a few tips and tricks for setting one up.
1. Getting started
To get started, you’ll need three things:
- At least two computers or laptops running Windows 7
- A modem, usually provided by your ISP, that is connected to the Internet
- A wireless router
You’re going to need at least two PCs or laptops, because it takes more than one to create a network, and for this explanation they’re going to need to be outfitted with Windows 7. While all laptops these days have a wireless internet receiver, most PCs do not. If you want to connect a PC to the internet and it is not equipped with a wireless internet receiver, they’re easy to find at any computer store, and can be plugged in via USB.
The modem is the big box that is provided by your internet company, while you’ll have to purchase a wireless router yourself.
2. Make sure your router is connected to internet…
…And your computers are connected to the router and have access to the internet
First of all, make sure your modem is connected to the internet. Connect the router to the modem with an ethernet cable, and follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer to name the router (this will become the name of your network). However, even if all of the computer in your house are connected to the internet via a wireless router, you may still not be able to share files easily. So…
3. Set up sharing and control by using W7’s HomeGroup feature
Now that your computers are all connected to the internet using the same router, it’s possible to share files, such as music and movies, from machine to machine. Windows 7 makes sharing really easy through something called a “HomeGroup.” Just like its name suggests, a HomeGroup is a group of computers that have been identified as being trusted to share information. Computers that are not part of the HomeGroup will have a much hard time gaining access to files – and this is a good thing.
Please note that in Windows 7 Starter and Windows 7 Home Basic, you can join a HomeGroup, but you can’t create one.
To add computers to your HomeGroup, you’ll need to “set current network location.” Make sure the machine is set to “Home network.”
Next, go to the Control Panel, and select “Create a Homegroup.” For every Windows 7 client that you want to give access to the HomeGroup, open HomeGroup in the Control Panel of those machines and then click “Join now” (those machines have to physically or wirelessly connected to the network).
While you’re creating a homegroup, you can select whether or not each computer shares printers, libraries, or individual files and folders. A great first step is to have computers share the “Music” and “Video” libraries.
And you’re done! You can use the left-hand pane in Windows Explorer to navigate around the folders you’ve decided to share amongst different computers in the HomeGroup.
Windows 7 also allows you to set up “user accounts” with passwords. This is an added layer of security that ensures that your data remains safe. You can also set up permissions for files and folder via the “Sharing” tab.
4. Get the most out of your home network
You don’t need a big screen TV to create a home network, but if you do have one, it’s a fantastic way to watch recorded movies, or go over family vacation photos and videos, right in your living room. If you do want to connect your big screen TV to your home network, you need to make sure it has an HDMI port (most televisions these days come equipped with them), and you also need to make sure you have a laptop that features an HDMI output.
HDMI resembles a USB cable, except that it can more easily transmit sound and video at the same time with a minimum of fuss.
Simply connect your laptop or PC to your television using an HDMI cable, and then use your home network views files on any PC in the house that’s on the network. It’s a great way to get the most out of all your computers.
Windows 7 provides a lot of great tools and utilities that make computing easy and even fun. However, not all of these Windows 7 features are easy to access. For example, PC TuneUp Maestro offers a tool that lets you manage (and eliminate) startup programs, in order to help improve computer speed and performance.
It’s the little things that count.