Create a network in Windows 8 in easy steps

Today practically no one can live without Internet. We are connected to the network of networks. It is already part of our existence. And despite the fact that we generally work or navigate from this essential tool alone, at certain times it would be good for us to extend its network to share content with our family or friends from the same environment. A local network

In Windows 8 network functions have been improved and at the same time simplified so that anyone with a minimum knowledge of the Internet can create their network and start sharing content with their closest friends.This is what we will detail below in simple steps to create a network

Although first we must review the news regarding Windows 7. In Windows 8 the usual environment is maintained to configure a new connection or network, but at the same time it allows us to configure it from a more direct section from which we can also indicate if that network location is public or private to limit its sharing on the network. Windows 8 now also orders wireless network profiles in a more accurate way, based on our preferences, and even controls Internet connections for metered use, to monitor the amount of data we consume from a mobile broadband network in order to reduce the amount of data.

Setting up a network in Windows 8

We start from the premise that we have the necessary materials to have Internet at home or work, having previously contracted a service with an ISP in our country.Today, the usual thing is to have a wireless router with four ethernet ports, in this way we can access the network of networks both via Wi-Fi and by cable. All this is already configured for us by our service provider. What we are interested in is configure sharing on our network to access material from another on the same network from one computer, such as photos, music or videos , without the need to resort to a NAS (Network Attached Storage) releasing more money.

In Windows 8 this step could not be easier and more direct, because we will do it from the Configuration of the sidebar We will access it, in case there are any doubts, sliding the mouse, either from the upper right corner downwards, or from the lower right corner upwards, or sliding with our finger from the right to the left. Once the bar is activated, we will therefore have to click on Settings, and from there on the lower network icon or the Wi-Fi strength symbol.We must also press it, and we will go to a different zone.

The active connections will be shown to us, in this case, as an example, “Network 2”, also seeing that we are connected to that network. And how will we do to activate the network share? Easily. If we are using the mouse, we will only have to right-click on the selected network, and if we are with our finger, we will have to hold on to that area until a window with the text “Activate or deactivate sharing” appears. Click on it.

Turn on network sharing in Windows 8

The option we must choose is the second one, the one that says “Yes, activate sharing and connect to the devices”Although there will still be one more step to take. If, for example, we want to access the music we have on one computer from another with a wireless connection to the same network, what we should do now is share that folder so that the team or the person we want can access it. Or specific groups. In this example we have used the "Specific users" option, giving access only to the hotmail account associated with the two computers. To do this we must right click on the folder in question, and select the option "Share with", and immediately afterwards "Specific users" as shown in the image:

Here we are interested in, as we say, a specific user: us. Therefore, in the add option we will select our email address (it should already appear by default among the options). Click on add, and after analyzing the network, click Done.And that's it.

It's that easy. Because now, from the other computer (in this test, via Wi-Fi), we only have to go to the Network section to see how, magically, the folder that we have shared from the other computer appears reflected there, and we can access all your content from there. And since in this case we have given ourselves access, there will be no better security than this. Although if we want to spin more finely, in case we add more users, we can tinker with the "advanced sharing" (from the Network section, right-clicking on the folder and going to the "Sharing" section), being able to limit, for example , the number of users that may be viewing that folder at the same time. But if we want to create a network in Windows 8 without complicating our lives we have already done the essential steps. It couldn't be easier.