Wireless Home Networking For Dummies, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Danny Briere (Author), Pat Hurley (Author), Edward Ferris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0471749400 | ISBN-13: 978-0471749400 | Edition: 2

Get hooked up without getting tangled up in cords, wires, cables or techno mumbo. With Wireless Home Networking For Dummies, you can go wireless without going mad.  It shows you how to plan, install, secure, and use a wireless home network for PCs or Macs. See how easy it is to share your Internet connection, files, folders, printers, and other peripherals. Put your gaming console on your wireless network and play multiuser computer games—­even online. With lots of helpful diagrams, screen shots, and step-by-step instructions, this guide:

• Gives you the info you need to make wise wireless buying and connecting decisions
• Covers the latest security issues and hardware as well as today's wireless standards, including Wi-Fi/802.11 (a, b, g, e, and i), Bluetooth, UWB (Universal Wide Band), WiMAX, and ZigBee
• Tells you how to use an inexpensive networking kit to connect your gaming console to a broadband Internet connection and speed up your commands; that’s often a matter of virtual life and death
• Discusses alternatives to wireless networking, including Bluetooth, HPNA, and Home Plug

Learn how to network your entertainment center for all kinds of options. Whether you have a $300 TV set or a $25,000 home theater system, you can wireless enable almost any type of A/V equipment. Then you can use your PC to store audio and video tracks for playback on your TV and through your stereo, stream movies from the Internet and play them on your big screen, load pictures from your digital camera on your PC and view them on the TV, and more. This book will show you how to make your home entertainment system much more entertaining, with:

• Info on plugging into wireless with wireless A/V adapters
• The latest on wireless media servers like the Sonos Music System
• The scoop on the ultimate home theater PC (HTPC) that plays CDs and DVDs, acts as a PVR (personal video recorder); lets you play video games on the big screen, and more
• Tips for buying wireless bridges, along with some specific products and their Web sites

Find out about how to go wireless wherever you go, with info on public wireless hot spots and types of free and for-pay networks. Delve into the whole-home wireless revolution and see how you can add smart home devices to your network, connect to your car or your home security video monitors, use your cell phone as a remote control, and more. Wireless Home Networking For Dummies even gives you a look into the not-so-distant future and the wireless wonders in the works!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Hook 'em up to safely play games and share files and printers

Wireless networking isn't rocket science, and you don't need that computer whiz kid down the street. This book explains wireless networks, shows you what you need and how to install it, and introduces you to all the cool things you can do — share an Internet connection, hook in audiovisual toys, and even check your e-mail at the airport!

Discover how to

• Understand wireless networking lingo
• Choose the right equipment
• Add smart home devices to your network
• Locate and use wireless hot spots
• Play multiuser games
• Protect your network from cyberinvaders

About the Author

Danny Briere founded TeleChoice, Inc., a telecommunications consulting company, in 1985 and now serves as CEO of the company. Widely known throughout the telecommunications and networking industry, Danny has written more than 1,000 articles about telecommunications topics and has authored or edited eight books, including Internet Telephony For Dummies, Smart Homes For Dummies, 2nd Edition, HDTV For Dummies, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 PC For Dummies, Wireless Network Hacks & Mods For Dummies, and Home Theater For Dummies (all published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.). He is frequently quoted by leading publications on telecommunications and technology topics and can often be seen on major TV networks providing analysis on the latest communications news and breakthroughs. Danny lives in Mansfield Center, Connecticut, with his wife and four children.

Pat Hurley is director of research with TeleChoice, Inc., specializing in emerging telecommunications technologies, including all the latest access and home technologies: wireless LANs, DSL, cable modems, satellite services, and home networking services. Pat frequently consults with the leading telecommunications carriers, equipment vendors, consumer goods manufacturers, and other players in the telecommunications and consumer electronics industries. Pat is the co-author of Internet Telephony For Dummies, Smart Homes For Dummies, 2nd Edition, HDTV For Dummies, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 PC For Dummies, Wireless Network Hacks & Mods For Dummies, and Home Theater For Dummies (all published by Wiley). He lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, beautiful daughter, and two smelly and unruly dogs.

Edward Ferris is a consultant and manager of information systems with TeleChoice, Inc., specializing in wired and wireless networking and security technologies, including all the latest VoIP technologies: SIP, vPBX, Hybrid PBX, QoS, and packet labeling and switching. Ed frequently consults with companies looking to tighten information security and expand network operations. He has written many training and technology manuals for corporate use and has created custom training materials and seminars for numerous applications and business processes. He lives in Norwood, Massachusetts, with his wife and three children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (January 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471749400
• ISBN-13: 978-0471749400
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #933,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Written, June 10, 2007

By 

Lamont Goudeau - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wireless Home Networking For Dummies, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

Three Authors, one poorly written book; this is a scenario of too many cooks spoil the broth. Each Author shares their expertise but neither illustrates a solid foundation regarding the real how-to's of Wireless Home networks.

For starter the title of the book is Wireless Home Networking, this should have been the premises of the book; why so many chapters were spent on trivial topics like going wireless with your car, motorcycle, expensive home security camera setup and such topics is beyond me. Subsequently other topics went lacking, like networking configuration, workgroups and a full spectrum troubleshooting chapter.


I have a two desktop and one laptop PC wireless home installed prior to buying this work and believe me you can encounter far more issues in setup and trouble shooting than this book care to discuss.

The authors admittedly states on page 208 that workgroups are a common mistake that users make with setting up multiply PC networks, however, (beyond a few command prompts) offers little help on the topic. This book does provide some insight on wireless home network, however, there has to be better books on the subject. Finally, if you're buying the 2nd edition after 2005, this book is severely out-of-date.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written primer on wireless networking and connectivity., September 1, 2006

By 

Bruce E. Gold (South Plainfield, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wireless Home Networking For Dummies, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

This book explains all the networking buzzwords, compares many different types of networking (HPNA, HomePlug, Bluetooth, wired, wireless), and is organized in a way that allows you to read through or use it as a reference. Explains and compares the merits of different security protocols. The book was perfect for me, someone who is computer-literate but got left behind by the networking revolution.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Updated Edition in 2006, March 26, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wireless Home Networking For Dummies, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

Now available in a new Second Edition that brings everything up to date. The big changes are: New Equipment (that can hardly be a surprise), and Security (that can't be much of a surprise either).

I was thinking about a wireless network to go between two buildings that were just across the street from each other but in an area where I couldn't run a wire. I went to a couple of computer stores to look at what I needed. The salesmen (hardly more than boys from my advanced age) tended to speak in a lot of computer jargon that I'm not really so sure they understood either.

I came away with this book instead and more than anything else learned about the names that people give to things. I was then able to go back to the computer store, I knew that these were the features I wanted so it was a question of brands and prices.

For me the 'For Dummies' books have just the right amount of technical information, that enough to do what I want without being so much that I get lost, and put in just enough humor to keep me from going to sleep. I especially like the cartoons that lead em from chapter to chapter.