CNET Do-It-Yourself Home Networking Projects: 24 Cool Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do!

Home networking can be more than getting a connection online. Jim Aspinwall’s CNET Do-It-Yourself Home Networking Projects turns the subject into 24 hands-on projects, arranged from easier setups to more challenging configurations. The range runs from sharing files and printers to building a server, expanding a wireless network, and accessing networked entertainment.

Rather than treating networking as one long technical lesson, the book lets readers follow individual projects and choose a starting point that suits their interests and experience.

Start with the everyday essentials

The introductory projects cover basic DSL broadband, wireless networking, file and printer sharing, and shared storage without a dedicated server. Other early topics include setting up a webcam server and sharing a cellular internet connection. These practical examples show how a home or small-office network can connect computers and devices for common tasks.

Move into configuration and control

The advanced section takes up firewall protection, workgroups, computer user accounts, remote access to other PCs, and streaming your own content. It also explores cellular data sharing, a PC weather station, and firewall configurations for instant messaging and voice over IP.

Take on the more challenging projects

For readers ready to go further, the final projects address wireless bridging, extending beyond a bridge, creating a server, handling dynamic IP addresses, and accessing TiVo files remotely. The contents also include projects involving Sling Media devices and networked TiVo setups.

A project-by-project way to explore networking

The three-part structure—Easy, Advanced, and Challenging—makes it simple to browse by topic or progress through the material in stages. The ebook listing describes step-by-step instructions and tool lists for the projects, alongside photos and screenshots.

Published in 2008, this guide reflects the networking equipment and services of its time. It remains an engaging record of practical home-networking projects, but readers applying its instructions today should verify that the specific hardware, software, and services are still compatible with their setup.