Gateway M250 User manual

Gateway Notebook

Networking Guide

Networking Your Notebook

Wireless networking is the latest advance in

computer communication. With a wireless

home network, you can use your notebook

wherever you like. From the comfort of your

sofa, kitchen, or patio, you can browse the

Internet, send and receive e-mails, transfer files,

and use your printer.

You can even browse the Internet and check

your e-mail when you are away from your home

by connecting to public “hot spots” commonly

available in airports, libraries, book stores, and

coffee shops.

For the computer user on the go, wireless

networking just makes life easier.

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Networking Your Notebook

Wireless networking

A wireless network uses radio waves to communicate. Typically, a wireless

network is made up of an access point, a cable or DSL modem (for Internet

access), and your wireless computers.

An access point is a small electronic device that serves as the central

control point for your network. You connect your modem to the access

point, set up a network connection, then browse the Internet, send

e-mail, share files and folders with other networked computers, and

access other devices, like a printer or scanner.

Buying wireless equipment

For a wireless network you need:

■Your Gateway notebook with built-in wireless networking

■A broadband Internet connection

■An access point

Cable or DSL

modem

Access point

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Setting up your wireless network

Setting up your wireless network involves three steps:

1Make sure your broadband connection works.

2Set up your access point and network security.

3Set up your notebook.

Making sure your broadband connection

works

Before you change anything about your home setup, make sure that your

broadband connection is working correctly. To test the connection, log

onto the Internet using your current setup. If the connection is not

working, contact your Internet service provider.

Tips & Tricks When you buy your access point, make sure it has:

■IEEE 802.11g support. 802.11g (also known as 54g™)

is the fastest method for wireless communications.

802.11g is compatible with the older IEEE 802.11b

format but not with the competing IEEE 802.11a format.

Make sure that you get the correct format that matches

your notebook.

■DHCP server/dynamic IP address assignment capability

that makes it easier to set up and access your network.

■Internet security features like a firewall to keep intruders

out of your network.

■Wireless security features like SecureEasySetup™ or

128-bit WEP encryption.

If you are not sure what to buy, check out Gateway’s

accessory store at accessories.gateway.com.

Important If you do not have a broadband connection already

installed, make the necessary arrangements with your ISP.

Be sure to find out when the line will be activated. Also

ask your ISP about any specific instructions you need to

follow when you set up your network.

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Networking Your Notebook

Setting up your access point and making

your wireless network secure

A wireless network sends and receives information through radio waves.

This means that another computer outside your network can intercept

the radio waves and take control of your network.

If you do not set up security for your network, a hacker can gain access

to your Internet connection to send spam e-mail and to your hard drive

to download viruses or view your personal data, like credit card numbers,

Social Security numbers, and personal online banking information.

Check your access point documentation for information about installing

it and setting network security.

Setting up your notebook

Naming your computers and workgroup

To identify this computer on the network:

1Click Start, right-click My Computer, then click Properties. The System

Properties dialog box opens.

2Click Computer Name.

3Click Change. The Computer Name Changes dialog box opens.

4Type a unique computer name in the Computer name box. Use a

computer name of up to 15 characters with no blank spaces. Make

sure that your computer name is unique. Your computer name

cannot be all numeric. It must contains some letters.

Important Each computer on your network needs a unique Computer

Name. All the computers on your network need the same

Workgroup Name. You may have already named your

computer and workgroup the first time you turned on your

notebook.

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Setting up your wireless network

5Type a name for your workgroup in the Workgroup box. Use a

workgroup name of up to 15 characters with no blank spaces. The

workgroup name must be the same for all computers on your home

network, and the name must be different than any computer name

on your network.

6Click OK to close the Computer Name Changes dialog box.

Turning the wireless radio on

After you have completed your initial Windows setup, turn on the

wireless radio.

Connecting to your network

After you have named your computer and workgroup and turned on your

wireless radio, you need to set up the network connection on your

computer.

To connect to your wireless network:

1Click Start, right-click My Network Places, then click Properties. The

Network Connections window opens.

2Right-click the Wireless Network Connection icon, then click View

available wireless networks. The Wireless Network Connection dialog

box opens.

Model To turn the wireless radio on or off

Gateway M275 Press FN+ F7 on the keyboard.

Other Gateway

notebooks

Press FN+ F2 on the keyboard. The wireless networking

status indicator turns on when the wireless radio is turned on.

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Networking Your Notebook

3Click the network you created in the Choose a wireless network list,

then click Connect. If you successfully connected to the network, go

to “Testing your network” on page 7.

If you can see the network name in the Choose a wireless network

list but you cannot connect to it, your network is using security. You

will need to modify the security settings for the network in your

notebook.

If your network does not appear in the Choose a wireless network list,

your network is not broadcasting its SSID. This is not an error and

is one way to add security to your wireless network. You will need

to manually add the network to your notebook.

Help and

Support

For more information about connecting to your network,

click Start, then click Help and Support. Type one of the

following keywords in the Help and Support Search box

, then click the arrow:

■connect to an available network

■manually add a wireless network

■connecting to wireless network.

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Testing your network

Now that your home network is set up, log onto your notebook and access

a favorite Internet Web site. If you are unable to connect to the Internet:

■Run the New Connection Wizard

■Make sure that your access point is plugged in and compare the

status lights on the front of the access point with the patterns

described in the access point documentation

■Temporarily turn off any firewall software on your notebook

■Turn off all of the devices, then turn them back on

■Contact your Internet service provider

Using your notebook on your

network

With a network, you can share your Internet connection, drives, and

printers. For information about using your notebook on a network, see

“Using your computer on a network” in Using Your Computer which has

been included on your hard drive. To access this guide, click Start,

All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

Adding a desktop computer to

your network

After you have your wireless network up and running, you can add your

desktop computer to your wireless network. To add a desktop computer

to the network, do one of the following:

■Purchase a wireless PCI card or USB adapter for your desktop

computer so it can communicate with your network wirelessly.

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Networking Your Notebook

■Connect your desktop computer to an available Ethernet port on

your access point using an Ethernet cable. You can use this option

only if your access point has Ethernet ports. For more information,

see the documentation for your access point.

Adding a printer to your network

Instead of plugging a printer into your notebook, you can add a printer

to your wireless network. To add a printer to the network, do one of the

following:

■Use a printer that has built-in wireless networking.

■Connect your printer to your networked desktop computer, then

share the printer. For information about sharing printers, see “Using

your computer on a network” in Using Your Computer which has been

included on your hard drive. To access this guide, click Start,

All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

■Connect your printer to your access point if the access point includes

a USB or parallel port. For more information, see the instructions

that came with your access point.

■Use a wireless print server.

Troubleshooting your network

You turned wireless networking on, but it takes a while to connect.

■When wireless networking is turned on, it automatically scans for

available connections. The scan can take approximately 30 seconds

to complete.

Your connection on the network seems intermittent or your wireless

network is running slower than you expect.

■The speed of a wireless network is related to signal strength. Signal

strength is affected by the distance between your wireless network

devices, by radio interference, and by interference from natural

obstructions such as walls, ceilings, floors, and doors.

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