FRITZ!Box and Windows 7: The Perfect Combination

The new “FRITZ!Box and Windows 7″ series highlights the advantages of the interplay between AVM products and Windows 7. Computers with the new Microsoft operating system can connect to the Internet using FRITZ!Box without any updates. The FRITZ!WLAN USB Sticks, which are ideal for WLAN connections between computers and the FRITZ!Box, are also ready for Windows 7. The focus of this first part is on simple instructions for setting up a home network. With Windows 7 it is child’s play to use the FRITZ!Box to connect your home computer to the Internet and to other computers in a home network.

Secure Encryption with WPA2
After just a few clicks a connection to the FRITZ!Box is established. Both FRITZ!Box and Windows 7 encrypt this connection using WPA2, currently the most secure protection for WLAN connections. For more details about how to configure an optimum WLAN home network, click here.

The Network and Sharing Center: The Point of Entry for Home Networks
Yet Windows 7 offers even more new functions to facilitate networking. The central point of entry for creating networks is the “Network and Sharing Center” (accessed via “Start / Computer / Network / Network and Sharing Center”). For example, existing network connections can be viewed and new connections created here. This is also where file and printer sharing can be configured for the home network.

The network overview classifies devices according to their function in the network
The network overview (accessed via Windows Explorer -> Network) is very helpful too. It not only displays the various devices but also classifies them according to their function in the network and enables the user to take specific actions. Network infrastructure devices, such as the FRITZ!Box as a WLAN router, have their own category in this section. Therefore, right-clicking on the FRITZ!Box entry, for instance, allows the user to call up the operating interface.

The Home Network is also the Focus of Part Two
The home network is also the subject of part 2 of the “FRITZ!Box and Windows 7″ series. In this installment you will learn things like how to integrate printers and remote connections into your network.