Microsoft Windows Vista has some new capabilities included that make networking easier to set up, easier to use, and more secure, robust and reliable. No matter where you are, at home or in a small business or large enterprise, Windows Vista makes connectivity easier so you can focus on what really matters. Connect wirelessly to your company’s network, share a high-speed Internet connection and printers, copy files between computers.

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 it creates more secure connections to the network that help keep your network protected against intruders.

The Network Center
Windows Vista puts you in control of your network experience with the Network Center, where you can check your connection status, see your network visually, or troubleshoot a connection problem. The Network Center informs you about the network your computer is connected to and verifies whether it can successfully reach the Internet. It even presents this information in a summary form called the Network Map so you can immediately see your connectivity to the network and to the Internet. If a computer on the network loses Internet connectivity, you can graphically see which connection is down and then use Network Diagnostics to help determine the cause of the problem and find possible solutions.

Network Explorer
Once a network is set up, you can browse content on networked computers, devices, and printers, just like you browse the folders stored on your PC. The new Network Explorer in Windows Vista makes it easy to do this. It presents a view of all computers, devices, and printers on the network, and it is significantly faster and more reliable than My Network Places in Windows XP. The Network Explorer displays computers and devices, even when they are not yet fully configured for the network. The Network Explorer can even use custom, representative icons for different devices (when enabled by manufacturers). You can also directly interact with selected devices—to adjust settings or control music playback, for example.

Connecting
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) or a remote access service (RAS), or dial-up—all in one easy-to-find place. 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 WPA2. To improve the overall user 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 wireless networks are available. Windows Vista also provides an easy way to create direct computer-to-computer (ad hoc) wireless connections to enable sharing and peer-to-peer applications, even when you’re not connected to the Internet.