US Robotics Wireless Multifunction Access Point (015450) 100/125MBps

Port forwarding is a technique you’ll need to use to enable certain services if you’re using a router. If you don’t really care how it works, you can skip this section and just find out how to do it.

In computing terms, system buses are used to connect various components to the motherboard’s core logic and, often, to each other. Modern PCs run with a multitude of high-speed buses ranging from the interconnects between, say, the chipset and the CPU, graphics card, memory, and peripherals.

On the surface we’re asking a relatively simple question here: "What do I need to get my broadband Internet working?" Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that. Worry not, however, for this TekSpek covers both the differences between the two popular kinds of broadband and what you’ll need to get your home computer(s) connected up.

As a growing number of homes contain more than one computer, their users must find ways to network them. The primary purpose for creating a home network tends to be to provide Internet access to all computers within the house. There are other good reasons, however. These include enabling LAN gaming, data backups from one machine to another and the sharing of music within the home.

Home networking let’s you do great things that aren’t possible with standalone PCs. Printers can be shared between PC, so there’s no need to buy one for each machine.

WiFi is a wonderful thing. You can take your laptop anywhere in your house and access the Internet, or access your network from the garden. However, it does introduce the grim possibility of somebody else doing exactly the same, without you ever knowing. This guide seeks to make you aware of various security terms and ideas associated with wireless networking and what you should consider when setting up a wireless network.