Wireless information

[nffc]

As this seems to be a common question...

- Protocol. Basically 3 (4) options.
802.11a has a speed of 54Mb/s but has poor throughput and is basically used in corporate networks stateside - not recommended
802.11b has a slower speed of 11 Mb/s but is better in terms of coverage area, but is out of favour now to the much better 802.11g which promises the same coverage area but at the faster speed of 54 Mb/s. So out of the two 802.11g at roughly the same price is by far the better option.
There is a fourth but afaik it's not yet been ratified by the IEEE, SuperG which offers twice the speed of 11g (108 Mb/s). I would steer clear of it until it's ratified but it does sound promising.

- Manufacturer. Basically whatever floats your boat. I've got a Belkin and it's fine, it also performs well in magazine group tests. D-Link, Linksys etc are also pretty decent, everyone will have their own recommendations (so please add!). If you want an ad-hoc network (no access point or router) make sure you use cards from the same manufacturer as incompatibilities may (but in theory shouldn't) cause problems. With infrastructure networks (WITH router or access point) this is much less of a problem but you'll still get better performance with the same manufacturer. The Belkin set is also extremely easy to set up.

- Wireless Lan Adapters- basically you'll need one for each PC that you want to connect to your network. Most new laptops, especially those equipped with Centrino, have them built in. Even if you don't already have the facility, adapters of various interfaces (PC-card / PCMCIA, PCI, USB for example) can be purchased. A boon with buying a router is that typically four wired 10/100 ports will be included so if you want a PC close to your router to be connected wirelessly you can save buying a card. Also one final thing- coverage will be better if you avoid metal objects in the vicinity of the router or the PC- typically wires etc will have a detrimental effect on throughput and antennae that screw directly into the adapter without an extension could be replaced or avoided if this becomes a problem. An excellent site for antenna purchase is here.

- Router v Router and Modem v Access Point.
Access Point- extends your existing LAN with no internet connection facility. Due to the relative cost only good if you have dial-up or an existing router.
Router- a single box combining an access point and a router- useful for cable and DSL connections where a modem is specific. Typically also have a firewall and wired ethernet facility as well as direct internet capability.
Router and Modem- a router combined with a modem, useful for DSL but pretty useless for cable.

- Security- This cannot be understated, there's a seperate thread on this IIRC.

This isn't a closed shop so feel free to add anything you consider useful

Mods, as this is a common question especially at the moment would it be possible to pin / sticky / whatever it's called this?

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by nffc

- Security- This cannot be understated, there's a seperate thread on this IIRC.

Yep -

Original Thread by Stuartbe: http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=8435

Knowledgebase article: http://www.cableforum.co.uk/kb/78/ho...reless-network

(based on Stu's thread)

Originally Posted by nffc

This isn't a closed shop so feel free to add anything you consider useful

Good idea. If anyone wants to add to this...........

Originally Posted by nffc

Mods, as this is a common question especially at the moment would it be possible to pin / sticky / whatever it's called this?

LOL, *very* common at the moment. Stuck

[Tezcatlipoca]

My recommendations....

(from another post: http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...68&postcount=3)

Personally, I've always favoured Linksys.

I've got a Linksys WRT54G. Very good wireless-G router. Currently £55.54 at Amazon.co.uk

Then you need wireless adapters for the PCs....

e.g.

Linksys Wireless-G PCI card

or

Linksys Wireless-G USB adapter

or, for a notebook/laptop - Linksys Wireless-G Notebook Adapter


The links are to Amazon, but Dabs & Insight are also good suppliers (& may be cheaper than Amazon). (btw, I'd avoid EBuyer).


Oh, & something from Frank (in reply to my original post I've copied)

Originally Posted by Frank

And if you have a WRT54G then you can pick up some nice Sveasoft firmware (GPL) over @ http://wrt54g.streamfire.net/

And if you buy it from Amazon please use the site Amazon link as it contributes towards our server costs.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...rowse/-/468294

[SMHarman]

Wireless a - this works on a 5Mhz frequency and is only compatible with other a products. Due to the higher frequency it travels less distance, but the frequency is less congested with other wirless products so generally more reliable.

Wireless b/g - both use the same 2.4 Mhz frequency b with a max speed of 11Mbs and g with 54Mbs. Most (probably all) g adapters are also dual standard, as such a wireless g will operate with a b access point if there is no g access point, e.g. if you take your g laptop to your mates house with a b wireless lan, it can connect).

The frequencys used for b/g are quite heavily congested with other wireless devices and other potential intrusions. The main items are DECT digital cordless telephones, wireless Video senders and microwave ovens, oh, and other wireless networks.

In the UK there are 13 availible wireless channels, strangely enough numbered 1-13. Channels 1, 6, and 11 are discreet and do not overlap other channels, the others all overlap to a degree and this noise can impact performance of yours and adjoining networks. If you and your neighbours have wirless lans, then you and your neighbours would need to agree on a frequency strategy, say your neighbour on the left has channel 1, you channel 6 and the neighbour on the right 11, that way you will not interfere with oneanother.
Putting your DECT base station, mobile phone, microwave next to the router base unit will also have a negative impact. If you find your network stops working when you switch your microwave on, then the magnetic seals on your microwave have failed and it is time for a new one (or a microwaved tummy if you stand too close).

Height is a great benefit in wireless networks, the stability of the connection on mine improved greatly when I moved the router from desk level to top shelf level (partly I imagine because all the PCs casing and cables were no longer nearby).

A wireless network signal is roughly 1/10th of the strength (at most) of a mobile phone signal. A mobile phone can transmit to a base about 3k away, your network will struggle at 100m. You also do not put the PC or the router against your brain when you use it, as such the risks of wireless networking (by comparison to the percieved risks of mobile phones) are low.

[SMHarman]

A top tip when applying security and passwords. Write them on a sticker and stick this to the router. Lets face it if someone is standing looking at the router, they will not need the wirless passkey to get into the network, or the password to alter the router settings, just to plug some CAT5 into a free port on the router.
Reconfiguring it when you have forgotton your password and need to press the reset button to get the factory defaults having spend a good while setting up all the security and had it working stablely for months is not something I recommend.

[SMHarman]

Other features of routers etc...

Some routers come with a built in USB printserver, this allows you to plug your printer into the router, not a machine on the network and then all machines can use the printer without needing the one with it attached to switched on.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=52761

Other options enable you to buy wireless print servers (these often cater for Parallel and USB printers)

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=59957

or network cards for your printers (normally enterprise level laser printers), both will give the same benefit.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...oduct_uid=8959

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...oduct_uid=8062

Additionally you can buy network attached storage devices. Such as the LinkStation Network Storage Center (HD-H120LAN) from Buffalo Technology which also has USB ports to act as additional HDD access and / or a Printer connection.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=127427

[altis]

Loadsa info:

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/

[SMHarman]

http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/

A great gadget to add to your wireless network if you use iTunes, if you've got a hi-fi you are no longer using and end up listening to you songs through the crappy speakers on your laptop, adding one of these to the wireless network (which does not have to be Apple, mine is attached to my Linksys WRT54G) allows you to stream from iTunes to the HiFi. Quality is not perceptably different from the original (128k MP4 - iTunes default).

And you can plug your printer into it (see post 6 above).

In fact it is a pretty good product to use as your wireless network base, the only disadvantage is that it only has one cabled point (for the Cable Modem) so you would need a hub to attach other wired peripherals through it.

[Chris W]

from an official ntl point of view...

www.ntlwireless.co.uk or www.ntlworld.com/linksys

[nffc]

Cheers for the additions guys (and guyettes)

nffc

[SMHarman]

More I learned on channel layout last night.

Channels 2 - 7 - 12 and 3 - 8- 13 also have 0 overlap so will work well in overlapping network environments.

Channels 1-3 and 11-13 have no overlapping channels in the lower or upper spectrum they broadcast in so they are less likely to suffer from interference anyway. As most users leave their networks on the default setting of 1 or 6 moving your setting to 11-13 will also mean that you are less likely to suffer interference from the outset.

[SOSAGES]

for those using ipaq pocket pc's HP recently released WPA rom updates.

[SMHarman]

Those wishing to use WPA-PSK, the more secure encryption on their network and running W XP will need the information and patches detailed below.

Note this patch is not a critical update so its a DIY install, however you can pick the update from the windows update web page.

Wireless update rollup package for Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=826942

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...1E0-4C44-94F0-

Overview of the WPA Wireless Security Update in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=815485

Taken from a previous post of mine

[Frank]

I found that the WPA-PSK support in the pre-sp2 patch above to be flaky at best (linksys and netgear cards). I required a third partty WPA-PSK service to log on to the wireless router, even with the patch installed.

With XP SP2, the support is much better, prettier, and more user friendly. My 2 cents

[SMHarman]

Working well and looks as pretty as any other encryption on the intel ProWireless Centrino stuff (I've a ProWireless 2200 b/g miniPCI), also working fine on the Apple Airport Express (but then thats apple, not windoze).