Windows 7: home network or work place network?

In Windows 7, you can set up a home or work network. This practical tip explains how this works and which network is better when.

Home network vs. My Computer Network: How to change your network settings

How to get to the network settings:

1. Click on the "Windows symbol" in the button bar at the bottom left and enter "Network status" in the search field. Confirm with the [Enter] key.
2. Under "Show active networks" you can see your current network connection and what type of network it is.
3. Click on the blue-highlighted network (home network, workstation network or public network) to change the network type.
4. In the new window, click on the network you want to activate.

Home network or work place network?

If you are not sure whether you should set up a home or work network, you can stick to the following rules:

• If you want to set up a network at home and share music, files or a printer with other computers, you should definitely activate the "home network". However, this requires that you always know who can access the network.
• If you do not know all users of the PCs in the network (at the workplace, in the student dormitory, etc.) you should set up the workplace network. Here file and printer sharing is automatically deactivated and can only be activated manually. In general, the security requirements and protection against hackers are higher here than with the home network.

In another article, we explain what is meant by a "public network".