What Do I Need to Set Up a Wireless Home Network?

Most consumers today choose to set up their home networks wirelessly.

A wireless home network is easier to set up than a traditional wired network because there are no Ethernet cables to run.

All the connections use wireless radio frequency signals, which make connecting computers at opposite ends of your house easy.

How It Works

Equipment Checklist

Here's the specific hardware you'll need to set up your wireless network:

Wireless network hub or router -- one for the entire network.

Wireless network adapters -- one for each desktop PC (your notebook PC should have a built-in wireless adapter)

Network interface card -- one for your main PC only, used for initial configuration only

Ethernet cables -- one for the main PC for initial configuration only and a second for your broadband modem

Your wireless router should come with the software needed to install and configure it as part of your network.

Each wireless adapter should also come with its own installation/configuration software.

You'll then use Windows' Network Setup Wizard on each computer to create and configure your home network.

Alternately, you may want to use the AOL Network Magic software to help set up printer and file sharing across all the PCs on your network.

Michael Miller is a writer and commentator on technology and digital lifestyle topics.