In a modern home, it is no longer unusual for family members to own multiple computers and network devices. In most houses, you can find at least a desktop computer, which is generally used for more performance-intensive tasks such as gaming or professional work of any kind. Parents bring home their work laptops or notebooks, which they use to connect to their business network and do a bit of work outside the office, when needed. Children also have their own systems, usually a mobile computer that they can easily take to school or university. All of these computers probably have different operating systems, depending on the year when they were purchased and the preference of each person. Some family members might be Windows users, while others might prefer the Mac computers from Apple. Some people who are very fond of free software might use the latest version of Ubuntu Linux. In addition to computers, a family may own other devices such as printers, scanners, consoles, mobile phones with network connectivity via Bluetooth wireless, and so on.

With the help of a router and a few network cables, you can create your own home network and connect all these computers and devices together. The list of advantages for doing so is very long and includes:

? The possibility to easily exchange data between all computers and devices. ? Sharing devices between all the computers on the home network. For example, you can share the home’s printer or an external hard disk drive that everyone can use to back up their most important data, and so on. ? Media streaming between computers. ? Paying for only one Internet connection and sharing it with all the computers and devices on your network. ? Wireless access to the network and the Internet throughout your entire house. ? Playing multiplayer games via your home network.

This book covers all you need to know about setting up your home network and taking advantage of all its capabilities. Included in the book are chapters about setting up and using the networking features in Windows 7, making different operating systems work together on the network, and streaming your media over the network and the Internet. It also covers sharing devices in the network, the tools and features you need to use to keep your network secure, and setting up parental controls for your children. Last but not least, it also provides guidance on how to troubleshoot network and Internet problems by yourself.