After your initial hardware investment, a home network can save you money. If you have two or more computers at home and users who regularly dive onto the Internet (anyone in your household come to mind?) you've either had to shell out for multiple Internet accounts, or limit Web-browsing time.

Trouble is, sometimes you need to check flight times to Chicago while the kids are researching alternative energy in Australia. With Windows 98 Second Edition and the necessary hardware, you can view the timetable of flights to the Windy City while Johnny finds out about wind generators Down Under.

One connection can go much farther, as can one printer. And, with the file-sharing feature of a home network, you might not need to upgrade the hard disk on one machine if there are gigabytes of spare storage on another machine.

The best part of home networking might be the opportunities that linking your computers provides. And who can put a price on that?

Think a network makes sense for your household? Get the details on setting one up.