The creation of a home wireless network or " Wifi " is really simple today and you just need a wireless router that transmits the signal to connect to the network and the internet. Each wired network can be transformed into a wifi network with a simple router, which can be bought today in any shopping center at a price of 30 or 40 Euros.
In this special guide we can therefore find a technical-theoretical summary on how a wifi network works and the different types of internet connection and a practical examination on the many things that can really be done by having a router in your home and in a Wifi network.
When we talk about home network or local area network (LAN) we mean the set of devices (computers, cell phones, consoles, TVs) connected together by a router or switch.
Since each device in the local network can "talk" to any other device, it is possible to transmit data and transfer files from one to the other by taking advantage of the full transmission speed of the router.
Many people think that a router only serves to provide an Internet connection for all the various technological devices, but much more can be done in a wifi network and we can think of some practical examples .
1) Transfer files from PC and mobile phones, to make a backup of the photos taken or to upload songs and music from the computer to the smartphone, so as to use it as an iPod.
Control your computer remotely
In other articles we have therefore talked about how:
- Transfer music, photos and videos from IPod to PC or from iPhone to computer
- Transfer photos from Android and iPhone to PC in wifi with Photosync
- Send a file from PC to Android phone or tablet quickly
- Manage Android from your PC and transfer data over wifi
2) File and printer sharing
In a home network, you can send a file from one computer or device to another or set up a shared folder that becomes accessible from any other device.
In other articles there are guides for
- Set up network file and printer sharing between Windows computers
- Share files between PCs and access shared folders (Windows, Linux and Mac)
- Enter the PCs and see the shared folders of other computers
- Access shared Windows folders from Android in wifi
2) Play on the LAN
In another article we saw a list of PC games that can be played on the net.
In the office or at home, having two or more computers connected on the network, you can play a game with a friend as if you were playing on the same PC.
3) Streaming of videos and music
The best and most useful use of a WiFi LAN WiFi network is streaming.
If you have movies on your computer, you can then watch them on your TV if it has a wifi receiver.
In another article we therefore saw how to watch videos and movies streamed from the PC on TV with the Chromecast, the receiver created by Google that costs only 35 Euros.
We have also seen, in other guides, how
- watch videos in wifi (from the computer) or from the web on iPhone and iPad
- Watch videos on Android streaming from your PC or via the internet
- Hear PC music streamed on your mobile phone
4) Set up a Home Server
Each home computer, thanks to a wifi network, can become a server that functions, for example, as an archive of files that can be used by any other connected device or PC.
In this way it is also possible to use the printer connected to the server from any device.
In other articles:
- Use an old PC as a NAS file server with FreeNAS
- Turn your computer into a "cloud" file server reachable via internet without limits
5) Play on a computer, from another PC .
If you have a powerful computer for video games, you don't necessarily have to play on that one, but also on another by exploiting the streaming video games of Steam.
6) Set up a video surveillance system .
If you buy an affordable IP camera with Wifi connection, you can configure it from your computer and view its footage from another room or even on your cell phone, via the internet.
In another article, even the best video surveillance programs with WebCam and IP cameras
7) Turn on a computer from your mobile phone or another PC .
We saw this possibility in another article, explaining how to turn on a computer remotely (Wake-on-Lan)
8) Sharing the desktop remotely over the LAN allows you to use one PC from another, as if you were standing in front of it.
In reality, as seen, to do this job it is not necessary that the PCs are connected to the same Wifi network thanks to the free remote desktop programs via the internet.
9) Listen to the audio on the speakers in wifi, to listen, for example, to the music of your cellphone or computer on the wireless speakers in the garden or in other rooms of the house.
10) Transfer photos from your digital camera to your PC via wifi, which is possible with Wifi SD cards.
While some of these things are semi-automatic, in order for everything to work well you need to have some basic knowledge of networks in mind.
It is therefore worth reading the technical guides on:
- What are routers, modems, switches and ethernet in a home network
- Everything you need to know about wireless networks, meanings and wi-fi devices
There are various ways to connect different devices in a home network, with very different positive and negative performance and aspects for each.
In another article we also explained all types of network connection, to understand also the difference between Wireless broadband, Ethernet LAN and Mobile Internet.
For every problem and configuration regarding wifi networks we have seen:
- Guide to Wifi to set up the wireless network at home with a router
- The guide to creating a LAN network of computers at home or in the office
- Configure a Wireless Router to install a secure wifi network at home
- How to measure the speed of your home or corporate LAN
- Solutions for wifi and router connection problems
- Secure your home Wifi connection and protect yourself from network intrusions
- What slows down the network speed (wifi or wired) and the internet connection
- Which wifi router to buy for the wireless home network "> 10 ways to amplify home Wi-fi and extend wireless reception
- Improve the wifi signal and avoid frequent disconnections
- How to add wifi to a desktop PC?
- Optimize your wireless connection
