8. Look For Other PCs
Once all your PCs have been set to the same
Workgroup, they will be visible to each other over the network. To verify this,
click on 'Computer' if using Windows 7 and then on the 'Network' icon at the
bottom of the side-bar. It will list computers visible on the same network. If
you're using Windows XP, you instead click on 'My Network Places' from the
start button, then double-click on the name of your workgroup. If you can see your
other computers at this stage, you're almost done!
9. Set Up File Sharing
If you doubleclick on one of the computers
visible on your network, it won't do anything useful unless you set up some
shared folders. If all you want to do is share the data stored within your
Windows 7 'libraries', you can use the Windows 7 Homegroup functionality to set
up a simple password-protected share on each of your network computers. In
Windows 7 this can be easily set up within the Network and Sharing Centre,
found in the Control Panel. The Homegroup password can be anything you like
-don't feel constrained by the auto-generated ones.
10. Choose
Sharing Options
If you want to share specific folders
outside of your usual 'libraries', you need to set up advanced file sharing. From
within the Networking and Sharing Centre, click on 'Choose Homegroup and
Sharing Options'. Click on 'Change advanced settings' the next screen you'll
find a bunch of options. Expand 'Home or work'. Most of the options on this
screen are pretty self-explanatory in nature and most users will want every
tick box turned on in this screen. In order to use password protected sharing,
you'll need to have a Windows account that is also password protected.
11. Share
Custom Folders
With your advanced network file sharing
enabled and configured, you can now manually set folders to be shared.
To do this, use the 'Computer' console to
navigate to the folder you want to share and right-click it. Click 'Properties'
and then click on the sharing tab. From this button click on 'Advanced Sharing'
and tick 'Share this folder'. At this point you can also set a custom share
name (useful if you already have a folder of the same name shared from
elsewhere in the network) and set custom read/write permissions.
12. Check
Sharing Is Working
Using a different PC, go back to the
Network screen described in step 8 and double-click on the PC you just set up
file sharing for. If you enabled password-protected file sharing, you will now
be greeted by a login prompt.
To access the files shared, you will need
to enter the Windows username and password as set on the computer hosting the
shared information. Enter this and you will be greeted by a directory, and you
can access the files remotely. You now have a fully functional home network
between wired and wireless PCs!
13. Add
Powerline Connected PCs
If your wirelessly connected PCs are
struggling with poor transfer rates, you can use Powerline adaptors to improve
the quality of the network. These are easy to use and convert your interior
wiring into one big Ethernet cable. We used the incredibly easy to use TP-Link
TL-PA211 KIT 200Mbps Powerline adaptors. Plug one Powerline adaptor in adjacent
to your router and connect it using a spare Ethernet port. Hold down the 'pair'
button for five seconds. Plug in the second Powerline where you need it and
again hold 'pair' for five seconds. Plug in the PC and it will be as if you
plugged it directly into the router.
14. Remote
Desktop
If you use Windows 7 Professional or
Ultimate rather than Home Premium, you can remotely control your PCs over a
network using Remote Desktop. The first step to use this exceptional feature is
to enable it. Right-click on 'Computer' within the Start menu and click
'Properties'. Within this screen, click 'Remote Settings' and tick 'Allow
remote assistance connections to this computer'. Once done you can now take
control of that PC from any other by right-clicking on the computer and
clicking 'Connect with remote desktop connection'. You will need to use
password protection on your Windows account for remote desktop to work.
15. Connect
Game Consoles
The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 both enjoy
wired and wireless networking capabilities. So long as you have a modern router
supporting UPnP, including them on your network is simple. Connect them to the
router via wireless, Ethernet or Powerline plugs and they will appear as a
media device on your network. On a Windows 7 PC, you can stream video and music
to your console by enabling media streaming options. This is found within the
'Advanced sharing settings' as detailed in step 10. Any media files stored in
your libraries are now accessible via the Xbox.
