How to set up a local network via a Wi-Fi router? Detailed instructions using the example of TP-Link TL-WR841N. Create a home network using a router

Why do you need to set up a home network? It would seem that a laptop, a computer and a couple of smartphones are working at home and are periodically used to access the Internet. What else is needed? But remember how often you have to transfer files from one device to another? You have to copy it to a flash drive and back or use Bluetooth.

Even if you do this no more than once a month, with a home local network everything will become much easier. In addition, its customization will open up a lot of new possibilities. For example, files can not be transferred, but can be launched directly on another computer or even a TV (if it has the ability to work on a local network with Windows 10). It will be possible to run games “on a grid”, print documents from any computer on one printer, and use many other features.

Basic Concepts

A home local network is several computers connected by one network cable for data exchange. Today, most apartments have routers that distribute Wi-Fi. Thanks to them, setting up a local network has become a simple task.

An approximate diagram of a home local network with Windows 10 might look like this:

As you can see in the figure above, the Internet is supplied via an Ethernet wire to the router, to which the PC is connected via a patch cord (the same wire with double-sided connectors). Laptops and smartphone are connected to the router via Wi-Fi. Of course, such a connection does not create a local network by default. Specific settings are required on each device. In the above example, the various machines and gadgets, if they are not configured properly, will not be able to “see” each other.

The most important term in this whole process is the so-called groups. A Windows 10 workgroup can include a maximum of 20 machines, which are nodes of the same level, that is, they cannot control each other. In other words, in such a network all computers are equal - there is no main server.

In addition, there is the concept of a home group, which can be formed if computers already belong to a work group. HomeGroup makes it easy to share photos, music, movies, and documents from other devices. This group, unlike a working group, has a password, but you only need to enter it once to add a new device.

Creating a local space step by step

Working group

First of all, make sure that all computers have the same workgroup name. It can be anything - you set it at your discretion. On Windows 10:

Open Start and go to Utilities.
Launch the classic Control Panel.
Open “System and Security”.

Go to the “System” section.
On the left, select “Advanced system settings.”

A small window will open in which you need to select “Computer name” and click on the “Change” button.

In the new window at the bottom there will be an item “The computer is a member of...”: select “workgroup” and enter the desired name.

This setup must be done on all computers with Windows 10 (for 7 and 8 everything is done in the same way) that will be on the home network.

Visibility of computers on the network

The fact that computers with Windows 10 or other versions of the OS are part of the same group is not enough for them to start “seeing” each other. Additional configuration required. To enable visibility, follow these steps on each machine:

Open Control Panel.
Select “Network and Internet” and go to the Network and Sharing Center.

Open “Change advanced settings...”.
Turn on file and printer sharing and network discovery.

You need to do this in all profiles, and also enable the “sharing” option so that network users can read and write files in shared folders.
Place a checkbox next to “Disable password protected access.”
Save.

Sharing folders

Setting up a Windows 10 network ends with sharing specific folders. To do this, just open the folder properties (with the right mouse button - as always), then select the Access tab and go to Advanced settings. Check the box next to “Share” and click on the “Permissions” button.

Where for full access you just need to check the boxes next to “Full Access”, “Change”, “Read” in the “Allow” column. But you can leave some boxes unchecked and thereby limit the capabilities of local network users.

Next to the “Access” tab there is “Security”. Here click the “Change” button, and in the new window that opens “Add”. In the empty box, enter the word “Everyone”, as shown in the photo:

Now the “Everyone” group has appeared in the previous window. Select it and in the “Allow” column, check all the boxes for full access. Save all changes and reboot. The setup is complete.

conclusions

After these manipulations, your Windows 10 should see the computers in its group and gain access to all open folders. This is how to briefly set up a local network using Microsoft operating systems. In reality, everything may look different: the article provides only general principles.

For example, without a router (with a DHCP server enabled and automatic distribution of addresses), two computers can be connected by a patchcord. In this case, after the first stage of setup, you will need to register IP addresses manually. This is done in the properties of the network adapter and the properties of Internet Protocol version 4. It's the same for Windows 10, 8, 7 and even XP.

An IP of the form 192.168.0.* is registered (for each computer the last digit is unique, except for 0 and 1. You can use, for example, 5 and 7, Subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and default gateway 192.168.0.1. 192.168 is indicated as DNS servers. 0.1 and 192.168.0.0 (additional). If the router has DHCP disabled, a similar setting must also be done.

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It’s hard to even imagine what features the Windows 7 operating system has. Network setup is one of the features it provides for home and corporate users. It is worth considering the features of this process for different types of networks and connections so that you have a complete understanding of the principles of operation and use of the network capabilities of this system. Next we will talk about how to create Windows 7 workgroups. Setting up a network and methods of interaction between machines will also be described. In addition, it is worth considering a place from which you can conveniently control the shared resources of each computer.

Setting up a Windows 7 network for a homegroup

Computers will work properly on the network only if the time between them is synchronized. All machines must have the current time set, and it must be ensured that it does not get lost. Next, you will need to give everyone IP addresses that will be on the same network. This function traditionally belongs to the router or router. It is he who gives each computer an address from a certain range. When there is no router, you need to manually set addresses in Windows 7. Setting up the network in this case will be a little more complicated, but this is not a problem. It's done like this. You need to open the Network Control Center, and then the window that appears in front of you will display the PC’s network connections. You should select the one through which it will be paired with your home network. This could be a wired or wireless connection, or something else. Select this item, and then call it. Next you need to open “Properties”. If there are no checkboxes next to each item, you need to check them. after that, select version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and call its properties. In the window that opens, you need to specify your IP address and On other computers you must do the same, only specify the next address in the selected range. And here it is important to understand that this parameter must be completely unique for each machine.

Peculiarities

If you connect to the Internet, it is best to install a router where automatic distribution of addresses will be configured. Next, the same workgroup must be created for all computers on the network. This parameter is configured by calling the context menu of the “Computer” item, where you want to display its properties. It is best to set the name of the workgroup to WORKGROUP; if this is not the case, then it should be changed. When everything meets the specified requirements, it’s time to create and configure a Windows 7 workgroup. Setting up a network in this case is not particularly difficult.

Working with a home group

Before you start working on these settings, you need to know something about the location of the network. The first time you connect to a network, you are prompted to set it up. Each location uses different connection and firewall settings.

Locations

Windows 7 has four locations:

- Public network. This parameter is used when connecting in a public place. For example, at the station, in a cafe or at the airport. In this case, the firewall security settings are used at the strictest level; the ability to form home groups and network discovery are disabled. It turns out that the computer does not see the other participants, but at the same time it itself is not visible to them. However, the maximum security settings do not guarantee absolute protection. You should not use any important resources that require authorization.

- Enterprise network. Network discovery is enabled here, but there is no way to form home groups.

- Home network. This includes the ability to form home groups and network discovery. If you know all the computers belonging to a given network, then you should choose this option.

- Domain network. Typically, for this location, it is assumed that all settings will be set by the enterprise network administrators.

Process of creation

Creating a home group is possible when choosing the third type of location. It's done like this. In the Network Sharing Center you need to select "Public Network". In the window open in front of you, you need to select “Home Network”. Now you can create a group or join an existing one.

On the next computer that you want to connect, you need to find the corresponding item, then click “Join”, set the libraries to public, and then click “Next”. Now you need to enter the password that you previously wrote down and continue. This will connect the computer to the homegroup. Similar manipulations should be performed on other machines.

Setting up sharing

Setting up a working network in Windows 7 assumes that you can easily perform other manipulations. To allow HomeGroup users to share, you need to do the following: Open File Explorer, find and highlight the folder you want to share. In the toolbar, you need to click “Sharing”, and then select the options that suit you best.

You can share access with group users like this: In Explorer, you need to find the desired folder, select it, and then select the appropriate item in the toolbar, namely “Sharing”. In the menu you can choose one of two options: either read only or read and write. The second option assumes that users can make changes and delete files in this directory. There is also the option to completely deny access, which is what the “No user” item is intended for. The folder icon will be marked with a padlock.

What does this look like for the user?

When you create or join an existing homegroup, a section with the appropriate name appears in the navigation area in Explorer. From here it’s quite simple and convenient to move to the shared folders of other computers on your network. After a while, it is quite possible to forget about which folders are shared. You can remember this if you log into your computer via the network. This is quite conveniently done through Explorer, where the “Network” item is used in the transition menu.

Working with the Computer Management utility

Having opened the utility window, you can see the “Shared Folders” item located in the console tree, there are “Shared Resources” there. In the center there is a table in which all shared folders are placed, and right there you can quite easily stop access to any of them. You can open access from this section by opening the “Action” menu, in which you select “New shared resource”. After working with the "Wizard" you will have a new shared folder.

Library sharing is read-only by default. And from Explorer you can give write access. First you need to select the required folder in the navigation area, call up the context menu, and then select “Sharing”, then “Homegroup” (read and write). This way you can not only open and close access, but also reset Windows 7 network settings.

Conclusion

Thanks to all these operations, you can not only make network settings. It is worth saying that setting up a Windows 7 enterprise network is carried out in a similar way, you only need to indicate which type of connection is selected, and all parameters are usually configured by the network administrator. You already know how to create a homegroup and share and disable resources. All this will allow you not only to create the environment you need, but also to reset the Windows 7 network settings. You can give a few more recommendations about ensuring security while working.

Be sure to install all updates for the OS, especially important ones. This will make it possible to close system gaps discovered by specialists. A firewall should be used to control the perimeter. Not only should an antivirus be installed on your computer, you should constantly update it in order to destroy everything that could “break through” the firewall. Windows 7 is done through the "Manage Wireless Networks" item. An assistant will guide you along the way. The principle of operation in an already created network is similar to that described earlier.

Wi-Fi is rapidly bursting into our lives. Laptops, tablets, smartphones, and even equipment that is obviously not designed for this are equipped with a wireless communication module: refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, irons, washing machines, stoves, air conditioners. You may not have such an abundance of smart technology, but if you have several PCs at home, the question may arise of how to create a home network.

A home network will allow you to easily exchange data between devices

Previously, this would have required laying meters of wires, getting confused in them, and stumbling. Now that many people have a Wi-Fi router at home, you can organize and configure a local network using it very quickly. Let's take a closer look at this process.

Why is this necessary?

When working with several PCs, sometimes you will need to transfer files between them, print a document on a remote printer, watch a video or listen to music from another device. In order not to run around the house with a flash drive, it is recommended to deploy a local network through a router.

Setting up the router

If you already use a wireless connection at home, you can skip this step. If you are still going to configure the router, enter the settings using a browser (192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1), add a login and password (initially in most cases it is admin/admin, admin/parol).

In the “Wireless Network” tab, change the connection name, password, and encryption protocol. We recommend choosing WPA2-PSK, it is the most secure. Save the settings, reboot the router.

Changing the network type

In Windows 7, the network types are “Home”, “Enterprise network” and “Public”, and in Windows 8, 8.1, 10 - “Private” and “Guest or public”. It is possible to create a home group only if the type is “Home” or “Private”. When you connect for the first time, the OS makes a discovery request, agree to it.

In the tray, right-click the connection icon - Network and Sharing Center.
In the line “View active networks” you will notice the name of the connection and its type.
To configure the required type:
Windows 7
Click on the Internet icon - “Home Network”.
Windows 8, 8.1
Open the side menu by pressing Win+I or moving the mouse cursor to the right edge of the screen.
Changing computer settings - Network - Connections - connection name.
Activate "Search for devices and content."
Windows 10
Start - Settings - Network and Internet - Ethernet (Wi-Fi is the name of your connection).
If connecting via cable, click on the name of the connection and activate the “Make this computer discoverable” slider.
When communicating via Wi-Fi, under the list of connections, click “Advanced settings” and make the computer discoverable.

From now on, it is possible to set up a local group through a router at home.

Changing the PC name

This item is optional, but it is better to replace the PC name, since it is automatically assigned in the form of an alphanumeric code, then it will be difficult for you to navigate the names. To configure the laptop name, follow these steps:

Right-click on the “My Computer” icon on the desktop (Windows 7) or launch Explorer - My Computer (on Windows 8–10).
System properties - Additional system settings - Computer name - Edit.
Come up with a convenient name - OK - Apply, and then restart Windows.
Repeat the procedure on each device.
Create a HomeGroup
Go to Network Sharing Center.
In the “Home Group” line, select “Ready to Create”.
Create a homegroup - Next - Select files and devices to share - Next.
Write down the password and click "Done".

The group with access via the router is ready. You can connect other devices.

Connecting to a home group

To add other devices to the newly created group via Wi-Fi, on the connected PC in the Network Control Center in the lower left corner, click on “Home Group” - Join. Enter the password and specify the shared folders. Restart all connected devices.

To make sure that the connection between laptops is working at home, go to Explorer and all available devices will be presented in the “Network” tab. If you have a printer at home, you can even print documents from any connected device.

Create a shared folder

In addition, if you do not need network printing at home, you don’t have to create a group at all. Simply use File Explorer to share the required folders on each laptop.

Login from other devices

You can access your home network from any Android or iOS device. It is enough to use a file manager with a remote access function. Scan available devices, connect to familiarize yourself with shared folders.

The advantages of a connected local network are very noticeable, because thanks to it, network users can exchange files available to them. In addition, gamers will have the opportunity to play various shooters or MMORPG games together with each other by optimally setting up the local network.

Setting up a local network is not very difficult. If two or more computers already have access to the Internet through one router, then they are already connected to each other. In this type of device synchronization, it does not matter whether they are both connected via an ethernet cable or one of them is connected via wi-fi. About, how to create a home wifi network through a router and then configure it, Let's talk in this article.

Creating a network based on the “star” principle

In order to create a home network through a router, you should connect the necessary devices to it itself. In addition, it is possible to use wireless Wi-Fi connection. Home network viawifi router usually created according to a certain principle. This principle is called the star principle. It is expressed in the fact that it is possible to connect to one router all kinds of devices that have in their arsenal the function of accessing the Internet.

A router with connected peripheral devices not only provides access to the network web, but also connects all units. For example, by connecting a console, computer and laptop to one router, users have a chance to play the same game (if its version is supported on both console devices and computers), without creating any additional servers required for all gamers to enter it.

As you might have guessed, the main connecting element of all the limbs of our star is the router, so in order to create local network bywifi, you need to choose it wisely. First of all, you need to find out what type of connection the provider that supplies you with Internet traffic uses:

cable;
telephone;

If you are using a cable type of connection to the network, you should opt for a device with a WAN connector; if you have a telephone connection, you should select a router with an ADSL output.

Let's move on to connecting devices with our router. So, the user has chosen a router specific to his connection type. Now he needs to turn his attention to the router's network ports.

They, as a rule (depending on a particular model), are located on the back side of the modem. The port to which the network connects cable, in turn, allowing the user to access the Internet is called a WAN port. Ports that are located next to the designated one and do not differ from each other are called LAN ports.

They are designed to connect to the router via the same cable connections all devices available to the user that have the function of connecting to the network. It should be noted that if you have many peripheral Internet devices that the user plans to combine into one home local network, then you need to buy a router model equipped with as many special LAN ports as possible, otherwise you will have to purchase special network switches. The presence of the specified network switch gives the user the opportunity to eight additional LAN ports, one of which will be connected to the router, and the remaining seven are provided to the user for connecting his devices.

The use of a network switch is also justified when the user needs a high-speed network connection disk With computer. It should be noted that the speed performance of the router itself will not decrease from such a connection.

First stage of connection

Using a router from TP-Link as an example, let's look at the main aspects of creating a local network and connecting to the network " Internet" Let's take two computers, one of which will be connected to our router via a cable, and the other will be synchronized with it via a wireless network (to the question of how to create a wireless local network). Do not forget that the local network configuration allows you to create it for a larger number of devices.

Having made sure that the router has a connection to the network, we will open shared access on the computers connected to it, which is necessary for the smooth exchange of data between computers, and, consequently, access to any resources stored on each PC.

When checking the router's connections to the Internet, make sure that the end of the cable connected to the WAN port has an indicator that blinks to indicate a problem-free connection. If you do not observe the desired flickering, you can try to reflash the router. Install the latest software for your router by first downloading it from the official website of the manufacturer specifically for your router model.

Now we check the optimal connection state of our computers. To check, you need to ping between PCs. Find the IP address of each computer by going to the router settings web interface and going to its main settings. To do this, enter “192.168.1.1” into the address bar of your browser and enter the login and password you previously set; if it has not been set, then the standard login and password can usually be found on a sticker located on the back or bottom router.

By opening the section called “DHCP” in the router settings, you will find all the devices that have already been synchronized with the router for further access to the network.

We remember the IP address of the second computer in order to subsequently make a ping for this PC or laptop.

Then click on the “Start” button located at the bottom on the left side of the screen and enter the name of the program “cmd” in the search bar. After finding and launching the specified utility, a window will open in front of you, in the command line of which you should enter the “ping” command and type the address of that second computer on your keyboard. We remembered its address at the previous stage, when we entered the router settings.

Press the “Enter” key on your keyboard and see the result of the operations performed. We see that the exchange of data packets is successful, so we move on to the next stage of creating a local network, that is, setting up a home local network through a router.

Second stage of connection

First of all, we find out which workgroup the computers are connected to, then using the Latin keyboard layout we set a name for each of them.

After the PCs have been named:

open the “Control Panel” by first clicking on the “Start” button;
go to “Network Control Center”.
Having made sure that the “Home network” item is indicated in the parameters, we confirm the specified actions in order to local network via router was created.

Further configuration in the window that appears does not cause any difficulties, since its interface prompts the user which checkboxes are most appropriate for him to check to meet his needs.

After specifying all network parameters, you should restart each computer. When the operating system starts, go to “My Computer” and check the local network by going to “ Net"We see all the computers connected to it.

We connect the printer to the router and make it network

For creating network printer by connecting it to the router; the latter must have a special USB port located on the router panel.

Go to “Control Panel” and click on “Devices and Printers”. Click on the button, which will entail the action of installing the printer.

When the window appears asking you to select the type of printer to add, we select “local”. By creating a new connection port to router, indicate the type of port Standard TCP. By clicking “Next”, address entry lines will appear. In our case, this address coincides with the one that we enter into the address bar of the browser to go to the web interface of the router settings (192.168.1.1).

Having accepted the specified settings, you should wait a while until the computer saves the new configurations of the port to which the printer is connected.

By clicking on the “Options” button in the new window that opens, select the model of your specific printer. You can change the name of the created network printer later. After completing the setup, click on the “Done” button.

After completing these steps, you can begin using the connected devices by printing a test page.

Microsoft Corporation, starting with Windows Vista, has greatly changed the security policy of its systems regarding the local network. The operating system seemed new, somehow too complicated, and therefore many could not figure out how to open access to files on the computer. Today we will look at how this is done using Windows 8.1 as an example, but Vista and 7 have a similar system, and the difference is not fundamental. The local network can also be used to later create , which will unite all multimedia devices of a house or apartment, or to share files with your phone or tablet.

In my opinion, this is very convenient when, without additional movements, you can play a movie from a computer, laptop or even phone on a large TV screen, or listen to your favorite music from your phone on a speaker system without connecting additional wires, although this is already necessary . But let's move on to setting up the local network.

Video instructions are available at link.

Step-by-step instruction

For normal functioning of a local network, all computers on this network must be in the same workgroup; for a home network, let’s take MSHOME. To install it, we need to follow the following path: open “Control Panel” - “System and Security” - “System” (you can also right-click on the “Computer” shortcut on the desktop and select “Properties” or the key combination “ “ ). In the window that opens, select “Advanced system settings” in the left column.
In the window that opens, go to the “Computer name” tab and click the “Change” button. A dialog box opens in which we need to record a new workgroup. Enter MSHOME (all in capitals) and click OK. We also close the system parameters by pressing the OK button and restart the computer.
Next, it is advisable to configure a permanent IP for both computers. To do this, go to “Control Panel” - “Network and Internet” - “Network and Sharing Center” - on the left side of the “Change adapter settings” window - select the network card, right-click and click “Properties”.
Before completing this step, read the notes under the screenshot. Select “Internet Protocol Version 4” and click “Properties”, fill in as shown in the picture.

P.S. If your local network is organized through a router with a DHCP server enabled, the IP address, Default Gateway and DNS Server can be left in automatic mode. This action must be done if you have two computers connected directly or if DHCP is disabled on the router.

P.P.S. The IP address value must be different on computers within the same local network. That is, for this computer we indicate IP 192.168.0.7, and for the next one it is already 192.168.0.8.

Next, we need to configure the visibility of the computer within the local network. To do this, go to “Control Panel” - “Network and Internet” - “Network and Sharing Center” - on the left side of the window, select “Change additional sharing settings” and profiles of sharing settings will open in front of us. Here your task is that in all profiles you must enable “network discovery”, and “file and printer sharing”, and “sharing so that network users can read and write files in shared folders”, as well as “Disable password protected sharing.” Click save changes.

At this point, we begin to work with folders that we will share on the network. I will tell you using the example of one folder, but you can open access to the entire local drive using a similar scenario.
First, we need to share the folder. It should be taken into account that if the network is not limited to two computers (for example, some providers (Beeline) provide Internet to apartments based on one large local network), it makes sense not to give the right to change the contents of the folder; If you are confident in the computers on the local network, feel free to give “Full access”. So, open the properties of the folder we need, to do this, right-click on the folder and select “Properties”, open the “Access” tab and click the “Advanced settings...” button.
In the window that opens, check the “Share this folder” checkbox, click the “Permissions” button and give the necessary rights to the folder; Since this is an example, I'm giving full access to the folder, but you can use it at your discretion. Here's what I got:
Click OK to accept the changes, also click OK in the “Advanced sharing settings” window, then in the folder properties go to the “Security” section and click the “Change” button.