Wireless Made Easy

Until now, wireless home networks were for those who needed to tie multiple PCs to one Internet connection or were desperate to cut the cord so they could roam the house with their laptops. But there's another incentive to do wi-fi. With the right accessory, you can use that same network to link your computer to your home-entertainment center and give new life to all those digital photos, video clips and MP3s you've got stored on your PC's hard drive. Who wants to huddle around a computer monitor to watch footage from your son's last soccer match? With a wireless media player (a.k.a. media adapter) hooked to your TV, you can just stream it and let your audience stay on the couch.

The D-Link DSM-320, which arrives in stores this month priced at $199, is one of the first in this emerging market to have built-in wireless capability based on the newer, faster wi-fi standard known as 802.11g. Translation: it's got enough thrust to handle DVD-quality video. (The first crop of media players could move only music and still images.) The design of D-Link's device also sets it apart from the pack. Wide, flat and sleek, it looks like a very slim CD changer and stacks nicely on top of other stereo and home-theater components. Most other adapters we've seen resemble cable boxes or alarm clocks.

It's a snap to set up, mainly because it detects your network and basically configures itself. Like similar products, the DSM-320 comes with software you must install on the computer where your multimedia files reside. You then select file folders (and file types, like JPEG and MPEG-4 video) to share so the media player can add them to its onscreen menu. All that sharing and streaming happens behind the scenes, so your spouse can work on a spreadsheet in the den while you walk down memory lane in the living room. The trick to using a media player is to make sure all your files are clearly labeled and organized into folders of manageable size. Otherwise you will find yourself scrolling through a mountain of content, searching for your brother's wedding album. You have your audience's attention only for so long.

For a tutorial on Wi-Fi, go to time.com/homenetwork