privacy WITHIN a home network

[littleboy]

My housemates and I share a broadband internet connection using a wireless access point router.

People call this a "network", but what does that mean? Can my housemates see what I browse on the internet, and vice versa?! Are we set up to share files?

Another way of putting it would be to ask whether this should be viewed as several independent internet connections, or whether it is more like all sharing one computer.

The hardware we are using is a Netgear DG834G.

Thank you in advance for any help.

[PrntRhd]

It depends,
first of all what OS are on each of the computers in your network?
do any/all of you run software firewall programs on the PCs?

[classicsoftware]

The answer to your questions are:

1)Can my housemates see what I browse on the internet, and vice versa?!

The answer is yes and no. Technically the answer is yes, they could with the correct software observe everything you do on your PC, in reality the answer is no. Unless they are uber geeks and hackers, they will not be able to see what you do on line unless they look over your shoulder.

2) Are we set up to share files?

The answer is probably not. You would each have to set up the PC's to be shared and use a common workgroup name. Unless you made some effort, it would be hard to share files, not impossible, just difficult.

3) Another way of putting it would be to ask whether this should be viewed as several independent internet connections, or whether it is more like all sharing one computer.

What you have are several independnt computers sharing one internet connection.

Please ask the question you want to ask.

Do you want to share files?
Do you want to keep others off your PC?