(Wireless)正如本书(book state)第一段所述，无线如今无处不在。它不仅集成在您的计算机中，还集成在您的手机、打印机和其他贴近您的设备中。如果您厌倦了在家里的电缆上绊倒，或者便携式计算机毕竟不是那么便携，因为“互联网电缆(Internet cable)无法到达沙发”，那么无线的想法网络(wireless network)已经在你脑海中闪过几次。这本书的目的是教你，计算机用户(computer user)，而不是计算机科学家(computer scientist)，安装和巧妙地使用无线网络(wireless network). 让我们看看是否达到了目的，以及您是否能够在本书的唯一帮助下做到这一点，而无需称“懂计算机的朋友”（我知道你有一个，我们都有）。
本书的结构如何
本书共20章，分为五个部分。第一部分提供有关无线的基本背景信息(background information)，第二部分称为“制定计划”("Making plans")，您猜对了，它侧重于规划您的无线网络(wireless network)并选择您想要包含在其中的元素。第三和第四部分包含您正在寻找的大部分信息，因为它们教您如何安装和如何使用无线网络(wireless network)。本书的最后一部分是“十”的集合。如果您不知道那是什么，请耐心等待，我将在稍后的评论中进行解释。即使乍一看，您很想直接进入第 3 部分(part 3)并跳过介绍和规划(introduction and planning)，我建议您只有在您真正知道自己在做什么的情况下才这样做，否则您最终会在快速拨号上拥有计算机无所不知的朋友。
你从这本书中学到了什么
正如标题明确指出的那样，这是一本为……错误的入门级用户准备的书，说得好听点。但是，它不仅适用于从未使用过无线的人，也适用于仅将其用于互联网连接(Internet connection)的人。这将教您如何在网络中包含其他元素并充分利用它。如果您从头开始，您可能需要注意第一部分“无线网络基础”("Wireless Networking Fundamentals")。在这里，您不仅可以找到背景信息(background information)，还可以找到您需要了解的网络术语。此外，您还将了解必须使用的设备。
这本书提供了图片和图画，向你展示了一切的样子和去向，试图让这个不友好的主题变得易于理解。在这一点上注意力(Attention)非常重要，所以你不能只是浏览信息，练习你的斜线阅读技巧并期望理解一切。一旦你有了无线的想法，本书就会带你进入规划阶段(planning stage)。阅读本文将帮助您决定在无线网络(wireless network)中包含哪些内容、选择正确的技术并规划您的预算。继续前进，我们进入主要部分：“安装无线网络”("Installing a Wireless Network"). 在将一整章的重点放在规划之后，这一章从……更多规划开始！如果你突然意识到你已经读到一半了，而你还没有做任何事情来建立网络，那就降低你的血压(blood pressure)。尽管这很乏味，但它也是必要的。第三部分，“做什么，怎么做”开始。您将学习如何在Windows中安装无线(Windows)接入点(access point)、如何设置无线网络（ (Wireless Network)Windows 和 Mac 用户(Windows and Mac users)有不同的章节）以及如何保护您的家庭网络(home network). 在专门讨论安全的章节中，作者从一个前提出发，如果你不担心网络的安全，你就不知道风险。所以首先，你要学会害怕，然后去解决问题。本书的第四部分(Part four)侧重于使用（希望）您已经成功安装的无线网络。(wireless network)对于Windows 7用户，有一个关于“了解 Windows 7 网络和共享中心”("Getting to Know the Windows 7 Network and Sharing Center")的特殊部分。阅读本节时，您将了解如何通过添加游戏机、打印机和其他设备来充分利用您的无线网络。(wireless network)我们到了本书的最后一部分，即“十的一部分”("Part of Tens")我在谈论。在这里，我们有四个可能会派上用场的前十名列表。有十个常见问题、十种无线设备故障排除方法、十种连接到无线网络的设备，如果您仍有未解决的问题或发现对无线网络的新热情，十个资源可获取更多信息。本书重点介绍 Windows 的较新版本，(Windows)主要是Windows 7 和Windows Vista ，同时还为(Windows Vista)Windows XP用户解释了所有步骤。每个操作系统(operating system)都在有关设置网络的章节中单独讨论。这对于从Windows XP(Windows XP)切换到Windows Vista/7的用户来说可能会派上用场最近对新界面的设置还是有些迷茫。
信息是否易于理解？
作者尽最大努力做到这一点。他们将信息组织得足够好，并尽可能避免使用专业语言，但这本书并不简单。如果您不熟悉无线技术，那么一开始可能会让您大吃一惊。但是，只要有一点耐心，几乎任何人都可以使用本指南设置无线网络。(wireless network)对于入门级用户来说，好的部分是这本书在您真正需要知道的内容和可以跳过的内容之间设置了明确的界限。它提供提示，告诉你什么时候真的很重要，什么时候需要密切关注，还标记了什么是高级技术信息。
判决
我不了解您的祖母，但我的祖母会阅读这本书，了解它的主要思想（伴随着严重的头痛）并保留电缆。倒不是书太复杂，而是大量的新名词让她畏缩不前。然而，这本书太简单了，不推荐给极客。那它是给谁的呢？它适用于想要了解无线技术并愿意花一些时间研究该主题的入门级用户。只要稍加注意，几乎任何人都可以在没有额外帮助的情况下学习如何做到这一点。
Book Review - Wireless Home Networking for Dummies
Wireless is, as the authors of this book state from the firѕt paragraph, everywhere these days. It's incorporated not only your computer but in your phone, рrinter, and other devices that are close to your heart. If you're sick of tripping on the cables lying around in your hоme, or of the fact that the portаble computer is not so pоrtable after all, becaυse "the Internet cable doesn't rеach the couch", then the idea of a wirеless network has crossed yoυr mind a few times. This boоk was written with thе purpose of teaching you, the computer user, not the computer scientist, tо install and smartly use a wireless network. Let's see if the purpose іs achievеd and if you will be able to do it with the sole help of this book, without calling "the friend thаt knows about computers" (I know уou have оne, we all have).
How the book is structured
The book contains 20 chapters, which are grouped in five parts. The first part provides basic background information on wireless, the second is called "Making plans" and it focuses, you guessed right, on planning your wireless network and choosing the elements you want to include in it. The third and the fourth part contain the bulk of the information you're looking for, as they teach you how to install and how to use the wireless network. The final part of the book is a collection of "tens". If you don't know what that is, be patient, I'll explain it later in the review. Even if, at a first glance, you're tempted to go straight to part 3 and skip the introduction and planning, I advise you to do so only if you really know what you're doing, otherwise you'll end up having the computer-all-knowing friend on speed-dial.
What you learn from this book
As the title clearly states, this is a book for …err entry-level users, to put it kindly. However, it's not only for people that never used wireless, it's also for the ones that used it solely for Internet connection. This teaches you how to include other elements in your network and make the best of it. If you start from scratch, you might want to pay attention to the first part, "Wireless Networking Fundamentals". Here you will find not only background information, but also the networking terms you need to know. Also, you'll get introduced to the devices that you'll have to use.
The book offers pictures and drawings, to show you what everything looks like and what goes where, in an attempt to make this unfriendly subject comprehensible. Attention is very important at this point, so you can't just browse through the information, practice your diagonal reading skills and expect to understand everything. Once you got the idea of wireless, the book takes you to the planning stage. Reading this will help you decide what to include in the wireless network, select the right technology and also plan your budget. Moving forward, we get to the main part: "Installing a Wireless Network". After a whole chapter focused on planning, this one starts with…more planning! If you suddenly realize that you're half way through the book and you haven't done anything to set up the network, keep your blood pressure down. As tedious as this is, it's also necessary. In the third part, the "what to do, how to do it" starts. You'll learn how to install a wireless access point in Windows, how to set up a Wireless Network (there are different chapters for Windows and Mac users) and how to secure your home network. In the chapter dedicated to security, the author starts from the premise that if you're not worried about the security of the network you don't know the risks. So first, you'll learn to be afraid and then to solve the issue. Part four of this book is focused on using the wireless network that (hopefully) you've managed to install. For Windows 7 users, there's a special section on "Getting to Know the Windows 7 Network and Sharing Center". As you read through the section, you find out how to make the best of your wireless network, by adding up game consoles, printers, and other devices. We get to the final part of the book, that "Part of Tens" I was talking about. Here we have four top-ten lists that might come in handy. There are ten frequently asked questions, ten ways of troubleshooting wireless devices, ten devices to connect to your wireless and, in case you still have unanswered questions or you discover a new passion for wireless networks, ten sources for more information. The book focuses on the newer versions of Windows, mainly Windows 7 and Windows Vista, but also explains all the steps for the Windows XP users. Each operating system is discussed separately in the chapter about setting up the network. This might come in handy for the users who switched from Windows XP to Windows Vista/7 recently and are still a bit confused about the settings in the new interface.
Is the information comprehensible?
The authors try their best to make it so. They structure the information well enough and avoid the specialized language as much as possible, but this book is not simplistic. If you're new to wireless technology, then the beginning is likely to set you off. However, with a bit of patience, almost anyone can set up a wireless network using this guide. The good part for entry-level users is that the book sets a clear limit between what you really need to know and what you can skip. It gives tips, tells you when something is really important and when to pay close attention, but also marks what is advanced technical information.
Verdict
I don't know about your grandmothers, but mine would read the book, get the main idea of it (along with a major headache) and keep the cables. It's not that the book is too complicated, but the abundance of new terms would make her cringe. However, the book is too simple to recommend for geeks. Who is it for, then? It's for the entry-level user that wants to learn about wireless technology and is willing to spend some time studying the subject. With a little attention, almost anyone can learn how to do it without extra help.
