If the idea of running cables is less than inspiring, consider networking kits that use the phone wiring already in place in your home. Parallel-port networking kits may ease the strain of setting up a network, but they won't work with scanners, Zip drives, and other peripherals. And because they tie up a parallel port, you would probably have to install a second parallel port to accommodate them. Fortunately, phone networking kits are available for USB ports, if the computers you are linking have them. If not, you can use a kit that includes a PCI card.
Installation requires opening the PCs and slipping the cards into the appropriate slots.
Once you've done that, though, the worst is over, and all that remains to be done is to attach adapters to the ports on the cards. A phone-line network will exchange information at speeds ranging from 1 to 10 megabits per second. To make radio networking a reality, you install cards capable of sending and receiving signals. Radio-frequency networks are enticing because they are truly wireless and because they move data and commands around at speeds of up to 2 megabits per second. The downside is that the computers have to be within roughly 125 to 250 feet of each other.