Get more out of your home Wi-Fi network with video and audio streaming, webcam monitoring, VoIP phone service, and networked storage.

Wi-Fi is not just about getting connected at hotspots any more. Virtually everything you can hook to a network can also be hooked up wirelessly, such as hard disks and printers. Even high-bandwidth devices like Webcams, TVs and stereos are fair game. Finally, you can save big bucks by sending your phone calls over Wi-Fi, rather than your landline. Here are our top five ways to get more out of your home Wi-Fi net.

1. Add Wireless Network Storage

Question: I'd like to add a wireless hard drive to my network for backup and storage of my audio and video libraries. What's the best way to do this?

Answer: With the growing popularity of network hard drives for multimedia streaming, we get asked this question at least a couple times a week. But being able to ACCESS a hard drive wirelessly, is completely different from the drive itself being wireless. As long as the drive is connected to your network, any wireless computer can access it through your router. Since there is usually no reason a network drive needs to be physically located away from your router, the preferred solution is to simply connect it directly via wired Ethernet. You'll get the best performance that way, and won't clog up your Wi-Fi network unnecessarily.

While you can easily exchange files between machines with Windows Networking or Mac File Sharing, storage devices that connect directly to your network eliminate the need to dedicate an expensive, always-on computer to this mundane task. Three excellent choices are Buffalo's LinkStation and TeraStation lines (depending on how much space you need), and Maxtor's Shared Storage Plus drive. The Maxtor has both PC and Mac support.

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ther great choice is Linksys' inexpensive Network Storage Link, a device that connects standard USB 2.0 hard drives, such as Maxtor's popular OneTouch drives, to any wireless rout

er. If you have a spare drive sitting around, this is a great way to put it to use. The Network Storage Link can even make files accessible from the Internet via any Web browser, a boon for business travelers who don't want to leave their desktops on 24/7 and possibly open to hacking.

Don't expect desktop drive performance from networked devices accessed over Wi-Fi, since file transfer rates will be limited by 802.11g network speeds. But for sharing files and even streaming media playback, they work just fine. Another big feature of network storage is for backup of your PC drives. Both the Buffalo and Maxtor units come with convenient automatic backup software that you can schedule in off hours.

2. Set Up a Wireless Home Media Network

Question: What is a home media network, and why would I want it? Can it be wireless?

Answer: Home media networking products that let you stream audio, photos and video from your PC to your stereo and TV are multiplying fast. The first such products streamed music only, but now complete media systems that handle virtually everything your PC can produce are hitting the mainstream.

If you have a Windows Media Center PC, the thing to get is a Media Center PC Extender, such as the Linksys Dual-Band Wireless A/G Extender. These are basically intelligent Wi-Fi receivers for data stored on your Media Center PC. You can access all the content on your remote PC with a wireless keyboard or remote, and your TV monitor.

If you don't have a Media Center PC, don't worry. You can still access all the media files on your networked PC via products like D-Link's MediaLounge DSM-320RD. The MediaLounge has a built-in DVD player as well as a card reader, so that you can stream discs and memory cards directly to your home entertainment system, as well as audio, video and photo content stored on your computer. You just connect the box to your stereo and TV, as well as to your wireless network, then run the guided setup on your Windows PC to find all your media. From then on, you can access it from your TV via remote control. The MediaLounge supports virtually every major photo, audio and video media type, including the Rhapsody, Napster and AOLRadio services.

If all you really want is to stream your digital audio collection, a lot of even simpler (and cheaper) choices are available. The two stars in this area are the Roku SoundBridge and Slim Devices Squeezebox V3. Both work with PCs and Macs, and multiple units can be placed around the house. For more wireless entertainment choices, see our Wi-Fi Entertainment Guide and 2006 Wireless Gift Guide.

3. Monitor Your Home with a Wi-Fi Webcam

Ask JiWire: I've seen ads for some wireless Web cams. How hard is it to set one up to monitor my home when I'm traveling?

Answer: The latest Wi-Fi video cameras have come a long way. Most vendors now have 54Mbps 802.11g models that can deliver much higher-quality video (and audio) streams with good detail and smooth motion than the original 11Mbps 802.11b models. With a Wi-Fi Webcam, you can place the camera anywhere within range of your wireless router, and then view the video from any Web browser, at home or on the road, thanks to built-in Web servers in the cameras themselves. You don't need a separate Web server, nor any Web video knowledge, although you will need a nearby power outlet and either a fixed IP address from your ISP, or a Dynamic DNS service like DynDNS in order to connect to the camera from outside the local network.

At the high end of the spectrum, the D-Link DCS-5300g Securicam has remote-controlled pan, tilt and 10X zoom features, so you can point the camera at anything in the room. It also has a motion detector with a feature that emails you a

video clip whenever motion is sensed. This camera will run you about $400.

For half that amount, you can dispense with the pan/zoom/tilt features, and get the Linksys WVC54G Internet Camera. The Linksys also has the motion sensor and email feature, and both cameras come with PC software that lets you set recording schedules for saving video to your hard disk. Naturally they also support Wi-Fi encryption

standards and password access so outsiders can't snoop on your video. Neither is rated for outdoor use, although you can probably use them in a sheltered porch area. To watch sample video from the D-Link camera, click here.

4. Slash Your Phone Bill with VoIP

Question: I read a lot about VoIP,

but it's still confusing. Just what do I need to sign up for VoIP, and can I then get rid of my regular phone line?

Answer: You are not alone in your confusion. While this has been a breakout year for VoIP, most users are still unsure about how best to implement it. VoIP lets you place phone calls over your broadband Internet connection, rather than over traditional landlines. Since Internet calls are essentially free, assuming you already have b

roadband, you can save big bucks on long-distance service -- locally, nationally and globally. And in contrast to cell phones, typical VoIP plans require no contract and cost just $19.95 to $29.95 per month for unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada. Those prices also include a raft of features like Caller ID and voicema

il that you would pay extra for with your landline.

So just how do you do it? First, let's dispose of a couple of misconceptions. Namely, that you can immediately dispose of your landline. That's only true if you DON'T also need your landline for DSL, al

arm system monitoring, or TiVo service. Emergency calling is another problem area; 911 service from VoIP providers may be limited or nonexistent, and you'll need to have electricity on in order to use VoIP equipment, unlike traditional phones. Another common misconception is that you need computer software to use VoIP. While there are plenty of computer-based VoIP services (notably Skype), companies like Vonage offer a separate box that simply sits between your Internet rout

er and your regular phone handset, making installation a snap.

Assuming you want to go with a VoIP system, one handy tip for spreading it throughout the house is to use a cordless phone system with a single base station attached to your VoIP adapter, and then place the extra handsets in whatever rooms you like. The Vonage Help area has lots more great tips for VoIP usage.

For more on VoIP and how you can use it at home and on the road, see our Complete Guide to VoIP.

5. Email Photos Right from Your Camera with Wi-Fi

Question: What exactly is a Wi-Fi digicam, and why should I buy one?

Answer: Three companies have so far released consumer-oriented digital cameras with Wi-Fi: Kodak, Canon and Nikon. All let y

ou transfer pictures via Wi-Fi to a computer or printer, eliminating the needs for USB cables. Some do considerably more. Nikon's CoolPix S6 is a pocketable, slim 6-megapixel camera with a 3X optical zoom. It joins the earlier Wi-Fi-equipped 8MP CoolPix P1 and 5MP CoolPix P2, which are standard-size models. You can print to either a printer connected to your Wi-Fi network, or to a Wi-Fi-enabled printer directly. Nikon sells a $50 USB Wi-Fi adapter for PictBridge printers that will work with the camera. Another interesting feature in the three Nikon Wi-Fi cams is the ability to send pictures to your computer as you take them, bypassing your memory card altogether.

Canon's PowerShot SD430 Digital Elph Wireless is a compact 5MP, 3X optical zoom camera. In addition to transferring pictures wirelessly to computers and printers, the PowerShot is getting a firmware upgrade that will allow it to share pictures between cameras via Wi-Fi, and the SD4

30 allows direct saving of images to a connected computer while shooting, similarly to the CoolPixes. But its real claim to wireless fame is the ability to control the camera remotely over a Wi-Fi network with the Canon software, a feature we've not seen on any other consumer wireless digicam. You can preview your shots on your computer screen, and even zoom in and out. A USB Wi-Fi adapter for PictBridge printers is included free with the camera.

Kodak's second-generation 6MP EasyShare-one Wi-Fi camera is a horse of another color. Unlike the Canon and Nikon models, which only allow connections to home and office networks without login requirements, the EasyShare-one can connect at T-Mobile hotspots and send pictures via email, or upload them to the Web, no computer needed. This makes it a great travel companion.