82 www.gateway.comChapter 7: Networking Your ComputerIntroduction to networkingA network is a collection of computers and other devices that communicate with eachother.Using a networkA network lets you:■ Share a single Internet connection■ Share computer drives■ Share peripheral devices■ Stream audio and video files■ Play multi-player gamesSharing a single Internet connectionEach computer connected to the network can share the same broadband connection ormodem and telephone line to access the Internet at the same time. This saves on the costof installing another telephone line for your second computer and paying for a secondInternet service provider (ISP) account.Sharing drivesWith a network, you can copy files from computer to computer by copying and pastingor dragging and dropping. You will no longer waste your time transferring files by usingrecordable media. In addition, you can map a drive on a networked computer to anothercomputer, and access the files as if they were located on the hard drive of the computeryou are using.Sharing peripheral devicesEach computer that is connected to the network can share the same peripheral devices,such as a printer. Select print from the computer you are currently using and your file isautomatically printed on your printer no matter where it is located on your network.Streaming audio and video filesWith a network, you can store audio files (such as the popular .MP3 files) and video fileson any networked computer, then play them on any of the other computers or devicesconnected to your network. This process is called streaming.
