Wireless Home Networking
Many of us have more than one computer at home and would like to connect them to a high
speed internet line.
Running wires and rearranging your furniture is no longer necessary.
Many new houses came with built in Ethernet inside walls for every room.
This idea quickly became obsolete when a new technology called WiFi hit the market.
Standards
There have been a few standards ranging in frequency, speed and performance which eventually end in compatibility.
The IEEE 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g are the widely used standards today.
A new 802.11n is also emerging but is still in its “pre” stage.
- 802.11a – 5.0 GHz with 54Mbps standard, compatible only with 802.11a devices.
- 802.11b – 2.4 GHz with 11Mbps standard, compatible with 802.11g.
- 802.11g – 2.4 GHz with 54Mbps standard, compatible with 802.11b.
Furthermore all of the above were upgraded by individual companies to a so-called “X2” technology which doubles the speed.
There are also devices supporting all standards built in one box.
Speed vs. range
Radio waves have different frequencies which can have impact on the device speed, distance range and ability to pass through obstacles.
Higher frequencies travel more in the line-of-sight than lower and can not pass through walls as well as low frequencies.
If you ever wondered why your neighbor or a passing car with the stereo blasted to the max had to have the bass turned up all the way so all your walls shake, you can now understand why only the bass is heard.
In most cases it is because the bass frequencies, which are much lower than other instruments, are penetrating the walls of your building or tightly closed windows of a passing car, while higher frequencies stay behind.
Those old 900 MHz cordless phones might work better in most cases around a house and between walls than the new 2.4 GHz phones.
In a line-of-sight situation the higher frequency stands out and can maintain faster speeds for your network.
In both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz standards, speed decreases with distance and typically most have a range of about 100-150 feet indoors and 1,000-1,500 feet outdoors.
At the maximum range you can expect the speed to drop to as low as 1Mbps or less. However, this is still fast enough to browse the internet and download files comfortably.
If moving large files across local network is of your interest, an external antenna and/or signal amplifier can greatly improve the signal strength and speed.
Interface
WiFi devices come in many shapes and have variety of interfaces.
- PCI card device mounted internally in place of standard NIC
- PCMCIA card device fitted in to a laptop expansion slot
- USB card device connected using the USB port
-
- WiFi bridge a standalone device which uses a standard LAN port
Defaults
For most cases, and because of almost no difference in price, you will want to purchase a wireless access point with a built-in router.
If you already have a router, consider replacing it with the combo package as you’ll only have to configure one device.
Unless of course your existing router is superior with VPN, public/private access control and such other options which might not be available on most wireless routers.
Installation is often a snap and instructions are easy to follow with around 10% configuration and 90% of opening the box and plugging in the cables.
However, before you set it up and leave it you should think about security.
The wireless device will have a web-based configuration screen which can be accessed from any PC connected to its local network simply by typing in an address in to a browser.
Check your manual for the address specific to your model.
Once you log in you will want to change at least the first two of the following steps.
- Change the main password of the device.
- Enable encryption.
- Filter MAC addresses
- Change the SSID name
- Change the login address
Change the main password of the device.
This one is easy. The main password that logs you in to the web-based control panel will need to obviously be different than the default.
This is done to prevent people from logging in and changing your settings.
Enable encryption
This is the one that confuses most people.
If you do this using a computer connected wirelessly to the station, you’ll immediately loose connection.
So its best to do this with a PC connected to your network over a cable.
This way you can test and trouble shoot incase something doesn’t work.
128-bit encryption is solid but if you have the ability to have more, set it as high as they’ll let you.
You’ll have to enter a pass phrase of some type.
Don’t forget it, because you’ll need to enter it on every other wireless device that you wish to connect, along with same exact settings parameters.
Filter MAC addresses
Every network device has a unique MAC address which can be found on the back sticker of it, or by typing “ipconfig /all” in the command prompt of Windows (physical address).
For even greater security, this option (if available) will allow only the devices you specify by their MAC address to work and be able to connect to your network.
Make sure to first allow the MAC address of the PC you are configuring from. Otherwise you will lock yourself out.
Change the SSID name
The SSID name is the broadcasting name of your wireless host.
Sometimes they are by default the brand name or even model number.
You will want a name which is unassociated with you or the device.
This is done so that the intruder has a harder time figuring out the make, model or location of the device.
Some manufacturers will let you “hide” or not broadcast the SSID but in reality, this only hides it from Windows and in fact makes it hard for you to find if you forget the name.
Every packet sent wirelessly will include the SSID regardless, and anyone with a proper WiFi scanning application will pick it up.
So I suggest leaving it on, but do change its name.
Change the login address
Changing the default address of the wireless router will prevent people from guessing where the control panel can be accessed at.
The default setting is widely available from instruction manuals which can usually be obtained by going to the manufacturers’ website.
Free WiFi
The idea of providing free WiFi access has greatly been embraced since the introduction of the technology.
The concept of having wireless, always on, internet connection is very appealing to internet users.
Many public restaurants, libraries, schools and hotels provide, in many cases, free access to anyone within the signal range of WiFi hotspot.
At the same time there are private individuals who deliberately avoid access protection mentioned in this article and broadcast a free WiFi signal directly from their house.
However, I strongly suggest that home users reconsider this idea.
A free WiFi hot spot should be managed with some type of bandwidth balancing which is available on special routers.
It should also have proper logging of all events if tracing of illegal activity is needed.
If you are a home user, you should restrict the usage and leave public hotspot service to organizations that can safely host and be responsible for abuse of such free for all access.
January 21st, 2005 | Post a comment | RSS
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Many of us have more than one computer at home and would like to connect them to a high
speed internet line.
Running wires and rearranging your furniture is no longer necessary.
Many new houses came with built in Ethernet inside walls for every room.
This idea quickly became obsolete when a new technology called WiFi hit the market.
Standards
There have been a few standards ranging in frequency, speed and performance which eventually end in compatibility.
The IEEE 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g are the widely used standards today.
A new 802.11n is also emerging but is still in its “pre” stage.
- 802.11a – 5.0 GHz with 54Mbps standard, compatible only with 802.11a devices.
- 802.11b – 2.4 GHz with 11Mbps standard, compatible with 802.11g.
- 802.11g – 2.4 GHz with 54Mbps standard, compatible with 802.11b.
Furthermore all of the above were upgraded by individual companies to a so-called “X2” technology which doubles the speed.
There are also devices supporting all standards built in one box.
Speed vs. range
Radio waves have different frequencies which can have impact on the device speed, distance range and ability to pass through obstacles.
Higher frequencies travel more in the line-of-sight than lower and can not pass through walls as well as low frequencies.
If you ever wondered why your neighbor or a passing car with the stereo blasted to the max had to have the bass turned up all the way so all your walls shake, you can now understand why only the bass is heard.
In most cases it is because the bass frequencies, which are much lower than other instruments, are penetrating the walls of your building or tightly closed windows of a passing car, while higher frequencies stay behind.
Those old 900 MHz cordless phones might work better in most cases around a house and between walls than the new 2.4 GHz phones.
In a line-of-sight situation the higher frequency stands out and can maintain faster speeds for your network.
In both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz standards, speed decreases with distance and typically most have a range of about 100-150 feet indoors and 1,000-1,500 feet outdoors.
At the maximum range you can expect the speed to drop to as low as 1Mbps or less. However, this is still fast enough to browse the internet and download files comfortably.
If moving large files across local network is of your interest, an external antenna and/or signal amplifier can greatly improve the signal strength and speed.
Interface
WiFi devices come in many shapes and have variety of interfaces.
- PCI card device mounted internally in place of standard NIC
- PCMCIA card device fitted in to a laptop expansion slot
- USB card device connected using the USB port
- WiFi bridge a standalone device which uses a standard LAN port
Defaults
For most cases, and because of almost no difference in price, you will want to purchase a wireless access point with a built-in router.
If you already have a router, consider replacing it with the combo package as you’ll only have to configure one device.
Unless of course your existing router is superior with VPN, public/private access control and such other options which might not be available on most wireless routers.
Installation is often a snap and instructions are easy to follow with around 10% configuration and 90% of opening the box and plugging in the cables.
However, before you set it up and leave it you should think about security.
The wireless device will have a web-based configuration screen which can be accessed from any PC connected to its local network simply by typing in an address in to a browser.
Check your manual for the address specific to your model.
Once you log in you will want to change at least the first two of the following steps.
- Change the main password of the device.
- Enable encryption.
- Filter MAC addresses
- Change the SSID name
- Change the login address
Change the main password of the device.
This one is easy. The main password that logs you in to the web-based control panel will need to obviously be different than the default.
This is done to prevent people from logging in and changing your settings.
Enable encryption
This is the one that confuses most people.
If you do this using a computer connected wirelessly to the station, you’ll immediately loose connection.
So its best to do this with a PC connected to your network over a cable.
This way you can test and trouble shoot incase something doesn’t work.
128-bit encryption is solid but if you have the ability to have more, set it as high as they’ll let you.
You’ll have to enter a pass phrase of some type.
Don’t forget it, because you’ll need to enter it on every other wireless device that you wish to connect, along with same exact settings parameters.
Filter MAC addresses
Every network device has a unique MAC address which can be found on the back sticker of it, or by typing “ipconfig /all” in the command prompt of Windows (physical address).
For even greater security, this option (if available) will allow only the devices you specify by their MAC address to work and be able to connect to your network.
Make sure to first allow the MAC address of the PC you are configuring from. Otherwise you will lock yourself out.
Change the SSID name
The SSID name is the broadcasting name of your wireless host.
Sometimes they are by default the brand name or even model number.
You will want a name which is unassociated with you or the device.
This is done so that the intruder has a harder time figuring out the make, model or location of the device.
Some manufacturers will let you “hide” or not broadcast the SSID but in reality, this only hides it from Windows and in fact makes it hard for you to find if you forget the name.
Every packet sent wirelessly will include the SSID regardless, and anyone with a proper WiFi scanning application will pick it up.
So I suggest leaving it on, but do change its name.
Change the login address
Changing the default address of the wireless router will prevent people from guessing where the control panel can be accessed at.
The default setting is widely available from instruction manuals which can usually be obtained by going to the manufacturers’ website.
Free WiFi
The idea of providing free WiFi access has greatly been embraced since the introduction of the technology.
The concept of having wireless, always on, internet connection is very appealing to internet users.
Many public restaurants, libraries, schools and hotels provide, in many cases, free access to anyone within the signal range of WiFi hotspot.
At the same time there are private individuals who deliberately avoid access protection mentioned in this article and broadcast a free WiFi signal directly from their house.
However, I strongly suggest that home users reconsider this idea.
A free WiFi hot spot should be managed with some type of bandwidth balancing which is available on special routers.
It should also have proper logging of all events if tracing of illegal activity is needed.
If you are a home user, you should restrict the usage and leave public hotspot service to organizations that can safely host and be responsible for abuse of such free for all access.
