You've been held down by wires long enough. It's time to get rid of them and set up a wireless Internet network in your home so you can take your laptop from the basement to the attic and not worry about losing your connection. It's pretty safe to say that it is not a good idea to surf in the shower, but checking your email while doing lying in bed will be an option once you get your network running. Keep in mind that although setting up a wireless network is very doable there are many small details to consider, especially when it comes to securing your connection. Just be very patient, read all the instructions that come with your hardware and don't assume this is going to be a plug-and-play operation.

1. HARDWARE AND AN INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER (ISP)

To get started you will need an Internet connection, a router, wireless adapters and some Cat5 cable. If you don't already have an Internet connection you will need to find the company you want to use and tell them to set you up with a modem. Many companies have bundle packages to lump your cable, phone and Internet service together. Some of these are regional specific, but here are some national ones to inquire with:

AT&T

Qwest

Mediacom

The company will come to your home, connect some wires and give you a little box with a bunch of lights on it, which is your modem. You can buy your own if you want, but they will let you borrow one. We suggest a DSL or cable high-speed connection for a wireless network due to the lightning speed of these connections. While it is possible with dial-up you will become quickly frustrated by the turtle-like speed of dial-up. Most companies will have you up and running in one day or less!