Use the Wireless Network Setup Wizard

The Wireless Network Setup Wizard is another new feature offered by Service Pack 2. You can use this wizard after you’ve purchased and installed the wireless hardware required for your computers, as well as the associated wireless access point(s). Access points are what allow the information to be transmitted wirelessly, and are a required part of the wireless network. These can also be routers.

While working through the wizard, you’ll have only a few decisions to make, but to do so you’ll need a brief understanding of the technology behind the network you want to create. As a primer, prior to running the wizard, make sure you’ve answered these questions:

• What will your new wireless network be named?
• Is all of the hardware installed, as well as any drivers and software that came with it?
• Do you know what a network key is? Do you have your own network key or will you let the wizard assign one automatically? (Automatically is generally best.)
• Are your devices WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) compatible? WPA is a stronger encryption, but not all devices are compatible at this time.
• Do you have a USB flash drive for storing the network settings so they can be used to set up other computers? If not, you can print the settings and store them in a safe location.
• If you have a wireless printer, have all software and drivers been installed?

Once you can answer these questions, you’ll be ready to run the wizard. The wizard is simple to use, and self-explanatory.