Tech Handbook: The Beginner's Guide to Wireless Networks

The Beginner's Guide to Wireless Networks
================================================================================
TheAtheist on 07/06/2009 17:31:00
 
The Beginner's Guide to Wireless Networks
Wireless networks, the two new buzz words in computer internet communications.
It gives us freedom to get away from the traditional wires and it makes laptops
more portable then ever. But what are the pitfalls? In this article I will
explain the basics of setting up your own wireless network, and give you some
details on security concerns, which have arisen from this new technology.
To setup your own home wireless network, you will need a few key bits of
hardware. Firstly, however, you need to work out which type of router will fit
into your life style best. The two types are ADSL routers, and cable DSL
routers. Once you have established this, you need to project if the network will
have all laptops on it, or some desktops . For laptops, you will need a PCMCIA
Card, and for a desktop, the usual type is a PCI Card that can be inserted into
your motherboard. USB wireless points are also available, and may be advisable
if you have limited PCI slot space. All devices should nowadays be 802.11g
compatible, although most are backwards compatible , to the older protocol of
802.11b. There are even now some people that use the 802.11n (draft) protocol,
however not all devices support this new version, so check compatibility on all
devices before purchasing.
Once you have all the hardware that you will need to start your project by
following the guidelines below:
*First, you will need a wired connection from a PC to the router in the first
setup of your network.  	*Second, you will need to run the setup software that
came with your router and follow the instructions on the documentation that came
with your router.
So now that all the hardware is in place, and the router is plugged in you can
start to configuring your wireless network for use. This is where, often,
issue(s) start to arise, but do not panic, if you follow this guide then your
network should come out fine.
Some routers will provide a basic setup mode in the installation software. If
they do, follow this as it will be much more easy in comparison to doing it
manually. Once the basic settings are in place, check the following settings,
for your security:
*Broadcast SSID - only use this if you are forced to use WEP security  	*Mac
Address Filtering – this means that only certain computers can connect to your
network - only use this if your device setup requires you to use WEP security
settings as it will only cause you hassle otherwise.  	*Use the highest level of
authentication your router and devices support. Check your system documentation,
and router documentation to see what security levels fit for your network
compatibility. WEP Encryption is one of the most easy forms of encryption to
break so I strongly recommend that you do not use this type. However, if the
only type of security you can support is WEP, enable this, as at least some
level of security is better than none at all. WPA is the best you can use as the
only attack that can be used on this is a "dictionary attack" which is whereby a
hacker uses words or phrases likely to be used in a coded sequence, often using
words from a dictionary, hence the name. With no words in the WPA protocol, this
fails, thus making it as secure as you can get.  	*Ensure each computer system
has its own firewall to compliment the hardware firewall available on the
router.
I. How to Setup A Network, to Allow File and Printer Sharing
Control Panel
Network and Internet Connections
Wireless Network Setup Wizard
On the dialog page you are presented with, select Setup a new wireless network.
The next page presents you with the option to give the network an SSID. This is
completely separate to the router setup which references an SSID.
Give this a memorable name, like Josephs Family Network or whatever applys to
your situation. Make sure the button Automatically assign a network key is
selected.
The next screen allows you to copy network settings. The default setting is to
get settings from a USB Pen Drive.
I recommend this setting as it is the quickest and simplest for most standard
home setups. Click Next, and let it copy the settings. Then remove the USB Pen
Drive, and put it into all the other computers on the network. You then need to
put the USB Drive back into the base pc you started on and follow the wizard to
finish the process.
You should now be able to share files across the network. Well done!
To setup printer sharing, you will need the following items:
The physical printer
The printer's installation software
(I have assumed here that the printer is already installed and attached to one
of the pc's in the house, which will need to be turned on for this method of
network printing to work)
You need the installation disk to install the software for the printer, and
more importantly the printer drivers. Follow the installation wizard's on-screen
instructions and you are done. You can print now to a printer on the other side
of the house.
(c) 2006 techsupportforum.com