Windows Vista includes new features that make networking easier, safer, and more reliable. Whether used at home or in a small business or large enterprise, Windows Vista simplifies connectivity so you can focus on what's most important. Connect wirelessly to your company's network, share printers and a high-speed Internet connection, copy files between PCs, and enjoy your favorite online entertainment at home.
The Network and Sharing Center puts you in control of your network. Use it to check your connection status, view a visual representation of your network, and troubleshoot connection problems. The Network and Sharing Center informs you about the network your computer is connected to and verifies whether it can successfully access the Internet. It even summarizes this information in a handy Network Map.
Windows Vista streamlines the process of connecting to networks and enables you to connect to any type of network—local wireless networks, corporate networks through a virtual private network (VPN), a remote access server (RAS), or a dial-up connection—all in one easy-to-find place.N This view of connectivity options is just one click away from the Start menu.
Wireless networking is also more secure, with enhanced support for the latest wireless security protocols, including Wi-Fi Protected Access 2, or WPA2. To improve the overall experience, rather than showing multiple pop-up notifications, Windows Vista shows a system tray on the lower right side of the screen with a single icon that indicates when a wireless network is available. Windows Vista also provides an easy way to create direct PC-to-PC wireless connections to enable sharing and peer-to-peer programs, even when you're not connected to the Internet.
Review all connectivity options.
After a network exists, you can browse content on any connected computer and device, just as you'd browse folders on your PC. You can also print to any connected printer. The new Network Explorer in Windows Vista makes it easy to do all of this. It presents a view of all computers, devices, and printers on a network (including those not yet fully configured for the network)—and it's significantly faster and more reliable than My Network Places in Windows XP.
The Network Explorer can even show custom, representative icons for different devices, as specified by a device manufacturer. You can directly interact with selected devices—for example, to adjust settings or control music playback.
Explore a network with ease.
When you've connected multiple wired and wireless computers and devices, it can be difficult to grasp exactly how they're connected. A new feature called the Network Map shows an easy-to-understand graphical view of everything on the network and how it is all connected. This helps you optimize your network for the best performance and easily locate any problems.
A visual representation of your connections.
With Windows Vista, setting up a network among multiple PCs and devices such as printers, music players, and game systems is simpler and more intuitive. The Network Setup Wizard easily and automatically identifies supported network devices, and the connections it forges are more secure.
With Windows Connect Now you can save network settings to a portable universal serial bus (USB) flash drive to speed and simplify the process of adding more supported PCs and devices to the network. Simply insert a USB flash drive into a PC or device, and it automatically reads the data and readies itself to join the network.
File and printer sharing is also easily enabled on every networked PC right from the Network Setup Wizard so you can share documents, pictures, music, and other files across your network.
A feature called Network Awareness notifies supported applications of changes in a PC's network connectivity. As you switch between different networks, programs that support Network Awareness can modify your PC settings for each one. For example, when you switch from your home network to a wireless network at your neighborhood coffee shop, your firewall settings can change to prevent other patrons from seeing or accessing your computer and your shared files.
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