Workgroups vs. Domains

I need to reconfigure the house network (since the ISP changed his
wireless technology, now required to jack directly to the upstairs
PC NIC, formerly a device on the downstairs wireless router.)

I got into a muddle and must go back to first principles.
Am I right that these PCs should be on the same Workgroup
and no Domain should be defined?

Resources:
Upstairs:IBM 8113
A: NetComm 3G wireless Internet antenna jacked to NIC
B. Belkin G wireless desktop card
Downstairs IBM 8113
C Samtack WLAN wireless N router (WAN jacked to NIC)
Also portable Toshiba
D with Belkin G wireless card

Advice would be welcomed

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

In the last episode of <jfug9k$vpn$1@speranza.aioe.org>, "Don
Phillipson" <e925@SPAMBLOCK.ncf.ca> said:

>I need to reconfigure the house network (since the ISP changed his
>wireless technology, now required to jack directly to the upstairs
>PC NIC, formerly a device on the downstairs wireless router.)
>
>I got into a muddle and must go back to first principles.
>Am I right that these PCs should be on the same Workgroup
>and no Domain should be defined?

For a typical home network, that's the case.

--
It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to
steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

On 1/27/2012 7:35 AM, Don Phillipson wrote:
> I need to reconfigure the house network (since the ISP changed his
> wireless technology, now required to jack directly to the upstairs
> PC NIC, formerly a device on the downstairs wireless router.)
>
> I got into a muddle and must go back to first principles.
> Am I right that these PCs should be on the same Workgroup
> and no Domain should be defined?
>
> Resources:
> Upstairs:IBM 8113
> A: NetComm 3G wireless Internet antenna jacked to NIC
> B. Belkin G wireless desktop card
> Downstairs IBM 8113
> C Samtack WLAN wireless N router (WAN jacked to NIC)
> Also portable Toshiba
> D with Belkin G wireless card
>
> Advice would be welcomed
>
Don:

Workgroups and Domains are a Microsoft artificial construct used to
differentiate between Commercial/Business v/s home networked windows boxes.

Workgroups do not have a central server that you must log on with to use
the network and share devices. Domains are of course for business
situations where you want one (or more) Windows Server(s) to
authenticate a log on, and confer user rights, serve as printer
spoolers, drive shares, etc..

So, for a home office, or home with multiple computers, use workgroups.
The user authentication will take place on the individual computer you
are using.

This has nothing to do with networks other than how you want to use them.

Rich