User's Manual

7
2. Wireless Networking for the Home & Small Office
What Is Wireless Networking?
A “network” is two or more computers physically connected to each other.
For example, if you connect two computers together with a cable, you have
created a network. The two computers will communicate with each other over
the cable. Networking technology enables two or more PCs, located through-
out your home or small office, to communicate. With a network in your home
or small office, you can:
❑ Share Internet access so family members may surf the Internet at the
same time using a single connection;
❑ Print to a printer that is connected to another computer on the
network;
❑ Access and transfer files on the hard drive of any computer that is a
member of the network; and
❑ Play multiplayer games.
The term, “wireless,” refers to communication that occurs over radio waves
rather than over a cable. A wireless network alleviates the need for expensive
and intrusive wiring within the home to connect computers. It also allows
mobile users to remain connected to the network even when a laptop is carried
around the home or taken into the backyard.
The Symphony HomeRF products create a wireless network between each
computer in a household using standard networking software included with
Windows. This network links the computers together so that they can share
files, printers, and other peripheral devices, such as CD-ROM drives or floppy
disk drives. In addition, a Symphony network can be configured to share a
connection to the Internet or to communicate with a small Ethernet network.