Connection Sharing
It wasn't so long ago that only one computer could use the internet at a time, using a single dial-up connection - but now with broadband, every computer within your household can be connected up to the same broadband connection, and use it at the same time. There is just one piece of essential hardware - which is a router. This can either be a wired, or a wireless connection. A wired connection allows higher data transfer between each computer, however wireless is starting to catch this up, whilst also offering the flexibility in that no wires are required to connect each computer to your broadband connection. More information can be found within the broadband equipment section.
Sharing your connection does not mean it is just limited to Windows based computers, but Apple Macs can also share the same connection. If you are into online gaming, you can also connect your Xbox or Playstation to the internet, in order to challenge other players online.
Safety without wires
When you use a wireless connection, a fresh set of security issues come into play; you must configure your wireless router so that no one else nearby can make use of the signal that you're paying for, or worse, hack in to your files. Your networking hardware will come with instructions on how to stay safe, and it's imperative that you take the basic safety measures these will outline.
Sharing files and Hardware
Connecting computers together has another huge advantage - it enables you to share data between them. This is advantageous if you ever have to move files between computers, or wish to store something on one PC and access it from another. It also means that a peripheral such as a printer, scanner or DVD rewriter attached to one computer can be used with another that is connected to it. You can set up your files to specify which ones may be shared, so different members of a family need not worry that setting up a home network will automatically expose all their information to prying eyes.
As well as setting up the connections, you'll need to configure your operating system to get your computers talking to each other. This is an easy process, and instructions for doing so are provided by Microsoft and Apple.