PC Magazine Guide to Home Networking [Paperback]

Les Freed (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 076454473X | ISBN-13: 978-0764544736 | Publication Date: February 6, 2004 | Edition: 1

Networking--it's not just for the office any more. Here's how to get all your electronic devices on the same team

Ready to plunge into creating your own home network? You couldn't ask for a better guide through the networking maze than PC Magazine contributing editor Les Freed. From why you should network to whether you need a switch or a hub and how to hook in your Playstation, reading this book is like having Les drop by and set the whole thing up for you. And you don't even need to move those back issues of PC Magazine off the couch.
* With expert advice, you can't go wrong
* Check out all the advantages of a home network
* Get a crash course in networking technology
* Design the network that fits your needs and your budget
* Compare wired and wireless products
* Learn how to prepare your computers for networking
* Whip up a specialized recipe from the Home Networking Cookbook
* Protect your investment with troubleshooting tips
* Build a network using the existing wiring in your home
* Discover how to keep your private information private
* Make all your home entertainment devices part of the network


Visit www.wiley.com/compbooks/pcmag

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A computer is dandy, and two computers mean fun for the whole family. But to get the most out of your investment in computer equipment--which is to say, printers, scanners, digital cameras, and high-speed Internet connections as well as computers--you need a local-area network. PC Magazine Guide to Home Networking shows you how to hook your machines together in a simple Local-Area Network (LAN), using a wired or wireless switch with built-in router functionality (it's the router that enables you to share an Internet hookup). Its instructions are easy to follow, and Les Freed places emphasis on the tasks (like sharing printers and broadband links) most people consider most important. When those jobs are done, he moves on to more obscure subjects like hybrid wired/wireless LANs and unusual firewall configurations.

This book will prove useful primarily to people using Windows XP (and maybe some older versions of Microsoft Windows as well), though some of the illustrations that show how to configure a simple router (both D-Link and Linksys devices are shown) will be universally handy. One handy feature: A "Home Networking Cookbook" that shows, step-by-step, how to configure a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and do other network jobs. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to set up a simple home network that allows file-, printer-, and Internet connection-sharing. Sections address security through firewalling, networked data storage, and VPNs.

From the Back Cover

Networking—it's not just for the office any more. Here's how to get all your electronic devices on the same team

Ready to plunge into creating your own home network? You couldn't ask for a better guide through the networking maze than PC Magazine contributing editor Les Freed. From why you should network to whether you need a switch or a hub and how to hook in your Playstation, reading this book is like having Les drop by and set the whole thing up for you. And you don't even need to move those back issues of PC Magazine off the couch.

• With expert advice, you can't go wrong
• Check out all the advantages of a home network
• Get a crash course in networking technology
• Design the network that fits your needs and your budget
• Compare wired and wireless products
• Learn how to prepare your computers for networking
• Whip up a specialized recipe from the Home Networking Cookbook
• Protect your investment with troubleshooting tips
• Build a network using the existing wiring in your home
• Discover how to keep your private information private
• Make all your home entertainment devices part of the network

Visit www.wiley.com/compbooks/pcmag

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 381 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (February 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076454473X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764544736
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,195,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great guide - even if you are not a beginner, July 8, 2004

By 

hang10web (Midwest, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PC Magazine Guide to Home Networking (Paperback)

This is a very thorough guide to the variety of home networking options available. Both wired and wireless networking is covered (in their own chapters,) and it offers good advice on selecting equipment, as well as complete step by step instructions for setting up the network, installing computers and other machines (like TiVo, Media Servers, networked DVD players and more,) sharing internet access, printers, all the configuration and troubleshooting - everything you need to get up and running with a home network.

But for me, the thing that really sets this book off from other home networking books is the Home Networking Cookbook section. This part provides instructions and setup for a dozen different network configurations ranging from the basic LAN with router, to separate modem and router locations, to expanded wired LAN with wireless access points, secure remote access configurations and more. This alone was worth the price of the book as in each configuration it outlines the equipment needed, the network layout, configuration and setup.

If you are new to home networking, this book is perfect for you and will get you up and running in no time. If you are a bit more experienced, you will still find the troubleshooting and configuration sections useful, and for me the Cookbook section was the quickest and easiest way to set up a variety of configurations.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Broad appeal, August 22, 2004

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: PC Magazine Guide to Home Networking (Paperback)

Directed at a very general audience. Freed does not assume you are proficient with either hardware or software related to building out a home network. He gives careful exposition of a wired ethernet LAN and of the increasingly popular wireless LAN.

For the wired LAN, he really does start from the basics. There is a closeup photo of an RJ-45 connector, as a good example. This is one of those things that computer professionals have known for years. And once you know something like this, you've subsumed the knowledge so thoroughly that it is axiomatic. So it's easy to forget that for many people, RJ-45 is forbidding gibberish. That is just one case. He follows it up with a photo of common cable tools. In other words, you can take this book to an electrical supplies store and find the items. Some of you may laugh at this. But there are people out there who really need this basic advice. (Perhaps you?)

Most of the book is this way. Broad appeal.

27 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Basic information, June 19, 2004

By 

"junkman800" (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PC Magazine Guide to Home Networking (Paperback)

This is an OK book for a beginner who knows little or nothing about networking. It does describe the various types of home networking available today, with a lot of information about wireless technologies. It could have been better organized by covering ethernet and wireless in separate sections. It is neither very clear for one getting started in home networking nor very helpful for one with basic knowledge who is looking to establish a more complex home network. It is an easy read and the "tips" inserts are helpful--really the best informative parts of the book. However, unless you are brand new to computers and networking, that is about all that is useful. Otherwise, save your money.