Wireless Home Networking - Index of

86
Part II: Making Plans
Adding entertainment and more
When you’re planning your wireless network, don’t forget to include a few
gadgets for fun and relaxation. The wildly popular videogame consoles from
Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all offer network connectivity and Internet connectivity.
Don’t forget to consult with the gamers in your household when
planning where you need network coverage in your home. And don’t forget to
take a look at Chapter 11 for the skinny about connecting your favorite console
to your wireless network, as well as info on network-based, multiuser PC
gaming.
An increasing number of consumer electronics devices, such as digital home
entertainment systems, are network aware. Feature-packed home media
servers can store thousands of your favorite MP3s and digital videos and
make them available over the network to all the computers in your house.
Several even include optional wireless networking connectivity. Connecting
the sound and video from your PC to your home theater is even possible —
really. Imagine surfing the Internet on a wide-screen TV! Jump to Chapter 12
for the details about connecting your A/V gear to your wireless home network.
Some of the coolest home electronic technology in recent years enables you
to control the lights, heating, cooling, security system, home entertainment
system, and pool right from your computer. Equally exciting technology
enables you to use a home network to set up a highly affordable home video
monitoring system. By hooking these systems to your wireless network and
hooking the network to the Internet, you can make it possible to monitor and
control your home’s utilities and systems, even while away from home. Check
out Chapter 14 for more about these smart home technologies as well as
additional cool things you can network, such as connecting to your car or
using your network to connect to the world.
Connecting to the Internet
When you get right down to it, the reason why most people build wireless
networks in their homes is to share their Internet connection with multiple
computers or devices that they have around the house. That’s why we did
it — and we bet that’s why you’re doing it. We have reached the point in our
lives where a computer that’s not constantly connected to a network and
to the Internet is seriously handicapped. We’re not really even exaggerating
much here. Even things you do locally (use a spreadsheet program, for example)
can be enhanced by an Internet connection; for example, in that spreadsheet
program, you can link to the Internet to do real-time currency
conversions. These days it’s not uncommon to be using an online application
such as Google Docs and Spreadsheets, working simultaneously with a handful
of other people on a spreadsheet through your browser and Internet
connection.