CHAPTER 5: Networking Your Computer

3Click Device Manager from the task list on the left. The Device Manager window opens.

4Click the plus (+) in front of Network adapters. The Ethernet device installed in your computer is listed. If one is not listed, you must install one.

Setting up wired Ethernet network hardware

InstallingEthernetcardsanddrivers

After you have determined the type of Ethernet you are using for your network, you need to install Ethernet cards and drivers on the computers that do not have Ethernet already installed. To order wired or wireless Ethernet PCI or PC cards, visit the Accessories Store at www.gateway.com.

Use the documentation that comes with your Ethernet cards for instructions on installing the card and any required drivers.

Plug your Ethernet cable into your computer’s jack and the router or the cable or DSL modem at this point, if you have not already done so.

Connecting networkcables

We recommend using category 5, unshielded, twisted-pair cable (approximately 1/4-inch diameter with a thin outer-jacket, containing eight color-coded wires), and equipment compatible with this type of cable. This type of cable is equipped with RJ-45 connectors (like a large telephone jack connector, but with eight pins) on each end.

Category 5 cables are available in two different types; straight-through cables, used to connect computers to a router, and crossover cables, used to connect two computers.

To determine which type of cable you have, hold both ends of the cable with the connectors facing away from you and with the spring clip on the bottom. For straight-through cable, the wires on both connectors are attached to copper pins in the same order (same colors, left to right). For a crossover cable, the wires on each connector are attached to the copper pins in a different order (different colors, left to right).

Setting upanetworkusingarouter

If you are setting up a network for more than two computers and you will be connecting your network to a high-speed Broadband Internet connection (cable or DSL modem), we recommend the use of a router. A router lets you access the Internet connection from any network computer. The router can assign IP addresses to the computers on the network and can provide firewall protection for your network as well.

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