Transcript A Basic Guide To Wireless Networking

A Basic Guide To
Wireless Networking
Lisa Buck
AIL 603
Copyright Lisa Buck 2005
A Basic Guide To
Wireless Networking
In the quest for mobility and less clutter, wireless
technology is becoming increasingly popular.
The ability to be anywhere in a building, on a college
campus, on even in a city without being connected to a
wall is a present day reality.
This simple tutorial will explain the basic terms,
equipment, and ideals of wireless networking.
A Basic Concept to Know About
Wireless Networking
At present, wireless networking is not totally wireless.
There is a wire, or wires, that plug into access points
somewhere. If the network is in a house the access point
will be a telephone jack or cable modem outlet. In an office
building, there will be several access points throughout the
building. In a wired city, such as Manhattan, there is going
to be major equipment at some kind of municipal building.
These wires connect from an access point to some form of
antenna. The signal from the antenna is transmitted to the
computer and thus the magic of wireless begins.
Terms To Know
IEEE - The abbreviation for the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers. This is
basically the governing body for technology.
To learn more visit their website at:
http://www.ieee.org/portal/site/mainsite/menu
item.e0007c26eb2a454de38570e85bac26c8/i
ndex.jsp?&pName=home
Protocol
Protocol - A set of rules or agreed upon
guidelines for communication among
networks. TCP/IP is the standard internet
protocol.
802.11
802.11- The wireless networking standard. It is
named after the name of the group formed to
oversee its development. This standard is the
foundation of wireless networking.
 802.11 was the original wireless standard
established in 1997. It operated at 2.4 GHz
with a speed of 1-2 Mbps. This was a start, but
a slow start with the speed not being able to
support many applications.
802.11a
802.11a - broadcasts at 5 GHz. Operates at speeds of
54 mbps. The hardware is expensive and therefore used
mostly in the business market. Because of the
frequency of operation, 802.11a has less interference
form household appliances such as microwaves. It can
also host more simultaneous users. Because of the
frequency level of operation it limits the rage of
802.11a; 25 to 75 feet indoors. In addition, networks
that run 802.11a have difficulty penetrating walls.
802.11b
802.11b - developed at the same time as 802.11a.
Because of lower cost gained popularity faster than
802.11a. Broadcasts at 2.4 GHz at a speed of 11 mbps.
Because the broadcast frequency of household
appliances such as microwaves and cordless telephones,
interference can occur. It can support fewer
simultaneous users than 802.11a. It however has a good
range; 100 to 150 feet indoors and can penetrate walls
and other obstacles better than 802.11a. Because
802.11b and 802.11a use different frequencies they are
incompatible with each other. Hybrid hardware is
available but it merely implements the two standards
side by side.
802.11g
802.11g - Attempts to combine the best of 802.11a and
802.11b. Broadcasts at 2.4 GHz (for greater range, 100-150
feet indoors, same as 802.11b), at a speed of 54 mbps (the
same as 802.11a), supports many simultaneous users (similar
to 802.11a), and signal is not easily obstructed (like 802.11b).
Is more expensive than 802.11b but not as much as 802.11a. It
is gaining popularity fast. It is also backwards compatible with
802.11b.
Note: 802.11b was also known by the common name
of Wi-Fi. However that name is now applied to
802.11a and 802.11g as well.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth - A wireless standard that is up and
coming. At present however it transmits at a
relatively low power and has a range of only
about 10 meters. It operates at 2.4 GHz level
with a speed of only about 1 Mbps. At present
it is used mainly on PDAs, cell phones, and
close peripherals such as a Bluetooth enabled
printer in the same room with a Bluetooth
enabled computer. It is not practical for general
networking.
Hotspots
Wireless hotspots or freespots Locations throughout the country that
offer free wireless internet connections to
anyone that has a wireless card in their
computer. Check out
http://www.wififreespot.com/ for a state
by state listing of hotspots. These spots
use either 802.11b or 802.11g standards.
Equipment
The good news about basic networking is
the equipment is relatively simple.
Router
To network a home a
wireless router is
needed such as one
pictured to the right.
This will plug into
the internet
connection point
Network Card
A wireless network
card for each computer
to be networked will be
needed, such as the ones
pictured to the right. If
networking a home it is
advisable to purchase
the equipment together
to insure compatibility.
Setting Up Your Wireless Card
It is now a matter of setting up the networking items in
the computer. For Windows XP follow these steps.
Open the start menu
Open "My Computer"
Right Click "My Network Places" (found on the left of
the screen under other places)
Select Properties
In the window entitled "Network Connections" right
click on '"local area connection 1"
(continued on next slide)
Setup Continued
Select "Properties", then highlight "internet protocol
(TCP/IP)"
Select properties again
Ensure that the option "Obtain an IP address
automatically" is selected, then click ok, and ok again
Repeat for each "Local area connection number" on
your computer
Right click the "my computer" icon on the start menu
and select "properties", then the ''computer name" tab.
Setup Continued
Make a note of the computer name and workgroup
name for each computer.
Select "run" from the start menu and type
"\\{computername}" where computername is the
name of one of the other computers in your network.
A window will open up showing all shared resources
on that computer, by default printers and faxes and
scheduled tasks.
Test this for all computers on the network. You should
now be networked.
Advantages, Disadvantages
As with anything there are advantages and
disadvantages of wireless networking. The
following two slides will address some of
these issues.
Pros
Pros
Wireless networking always for increased mobility. A
day at the office can be virtually any where a signal
can be reached. College students can be research
anywhere on campus. Email messages can be
received which may have much needed information.
Several computers in a home can operate from the same
internet access point. This can allow several family
members to use the internet at the same time. Printers
can also be shard in the same manner. Files can easily
be transferred between computers.
Cons
Cons
There is some upstart cost in the equipment that must be
purchased.
Care must be taken not to place computer equipment close to
microwave ovens or other household appliances that operate at
2.4 GHz because of the interference that will occur. Also
nearby networks can also interfere.
Cabled networking, at present is faster than wireless.
Perhaps one of the biggest worries with wireless networking is
security. Because wireless networking works on radio waves,
the radio waves can be intercepted by hackers. However
encryption and other security measures are being developed to
help keep wireless network secure.
In The Future
Perhaps the biggest issue with wireless
networking is how much traffic will radio
waves hold. This will be an continuing
issue in the future.
References
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http://netsecurity.about.com/cs/wirelesssecurity/qt/qt_wifiprot
ocol.htm
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1428
http://www.linksys.com/edu/wirelessstandards.asp
http://www.linksys.com/edu/wirelessstandards.asp
http://insight.zdnet.co.uk/communications/wireless/0,3902043
0,2132483,00.htm
http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/wireless80211/a/aa80211
standard.htm