Q1: It can't see what the other computer is doing, unless you
set it to. There are softwares which do this nicely for you.
Q2: I won't go into the technical details of wireless, you just
need to know a few things to set it properly and securely so as to
lessen your pain.
1. Besides a wireless router, you need a wireless card or adapter
if you want to go wireless completely.
Most of the wireless cards on offer are PCI cards. You need to
install the drivers before it can work.
For wireless adapters, they are usually USB sticks that you can
plug into your USB port. As USB is plug and play, you will be able
to go wireless immediately once the drivers for the USB stick is
installed. This is done automatically in Windows when you plugged
in the USB stick.
2. Once you set up the wireless card or adapter properly, you need
to log in to the router to configure. Typically, you can do this
via a web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox).
The IP address (usually 192.168.1.1) to be entered into the web
browser is given in the router's manual. If unsure, do this:
a. Go to Start > Run and type
in cmd. Press Enter.
b. In Command Prompt, type in ipconfig.
c. You will see some data; note down the Default Gateway IP
address.
d. Type in this IP address into your browser.
e. You will be prompted for a username and password. Again, this is
given in the router's manual.
Another method to set up your wireless will be to use the set up CD
provided by Singnet. Quite a few users I know use this method and
they have no problems with their wireless at all. It's good for
those who are new to the wireless world and configuring
routers.
3. Once you set up, the next thing to configure is your security
settings. The most basic that is recommended is to use MAC address
filtering. MAC address is the hardware address of your network card
(which is either your PCI wireless card or address of your USB
adapter for wireless).
You can get this details in Command Prompt as well.
a. Go to Start > Run and type
in cmd. Press Enter.
b. In Command Prompt, type in ipconfig /all.
c. You will see Physical Address .......
XX-XX-XX-XX-XX-XX, where X are either numbers or
alphabets.
d. Enter this MAC address into the Security Settings of your router
and save it.
Other than MAC address filtering, there is encryption. The most
basic encryption is WEP. WPA is an improvement over WEP, and is
recommended. WPA2 (if available on your router's security
settings), is highly recommended. However, Windows by default don't
support WPA2, you will need a patch for it.
Note: When using WPA or WPA2, please select WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK.
PSK stands for Pre-Shared Key. This PSK is like your password; you
need to enter this key before you are able to connect to the
network. You can set it up to save the key so it will connect to
the network automatically every time you log on.
The link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=662BB74D-E7C1-48D6-95EE-1459234F4483&displaylang=en
Once all these are done, you can start surfing the web.
There are some settings which you need to know before setting up
the router.
1. Type of connection: PPPoA
2. VCI/VPI setting: 100/0
3. MUX: LLC
4. MTU: 1492
5. Singnet's DNS servers: 1st server: 165.21.100.88
2nd server: 165.21.83.88
