Last month, we took you through the steps of self-installing a DSL broadband connection. One of the chief benefits of having a broadband connection in your home is that you get high speed Internet access. It also opens up the possibility of building a wireless network so you can access that high speed Internet connectivity in any room in the house or roam around freely with a laptop without the need to be tethered by cable to the desk.
This month, we show you how to set up a basic wireless network and how to get the strongest signal for communication.
Dummies guide to wireless
Wireless networking has been on of the big technologies of the recent past and as the price has come well within the consumer market, many people have taken advantage of practical reduction of wires running about the house. Wireless networking is radio-based technology, and as we all know when trying to tune in your favourite pop tunes, there can be a little more to it than turning on the radio.
What is Wi-Fi?
Wi-Fi, the generic term used to describe wireless networking, employs radio frequencies in the 2.4GigaHertz band to send data from one device to another – such as a PC to a media player. The selection of this band immediately sets it in competition with other devices which use similar frequencies such as cordless telephones and microwave ovens. But before you throw out the microwave and sling your cordless telephone, there are a few things to note.
Radio signals require a certain strength and clarity to function, the old radio terminology equivalent of loud and clear. Certain physical impediments can mean that the signal from your wireless access point to your PC gets either weakened or scattered. To avoid this there are a few simple tips to follow.
First of all, contrary to what might think, keep your wireless access point away from your PC! Well to the side of it anyway.
The flat, most likely metal case of your PC is a scatterer of radio waves. So instead of the steady “ripples on a pool” pattern of signals emanating from your access point, the side of your PC would refract and scatter your signal making it weaker and less able to travel. The same goes for any large metal surface, such as a door, a fridge or kitchen utility such as a dishwasher. Try to elevate your access point so as to keep it above such surfaces if they cannot be altogether avoided.
Mind the mesh
Wire or metal meshes are even worse than flat metal surfaces. Safety glass that contains a mesh, barred windows or even wire fencing can easily scatter radio waves and dissipate them into unusable background noise.
Don’t put your access point on the microwave. Both devices employ similar frequencies to do their respective jobs and as such, can cause conflicts. The access point uses miniscule energy compared to the microwave and the microwave insulates its emissions with…wire mesh!
Cordless phones are common in many houses these days and use the 2.4Ghz range too. Keep your access point away from the base station of the phone and you should have no problems.
Placing the access point
If you use your wireless connection from a laptop that moves about, try to place your access point in the centre of the desired coverage area. So, if you like to wander down the back garden to work in peace, ensure that the access point is near a window in the rear of the house and not perched on a sill in the front room.
You can check the signal strength from your wireless network card’s status page (See Fig. 1). The graphics indicate signal strength and quality on which your data transfer rates depend.
Bulletproof security
Having sorted out your signal strength, you now need to ensure that your access point is secure. Wireless devices have an encryption standard called Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) that can work at 64, 128 or 256 bit levels. This is designed to ensure that it is extremely difficult for anyone else to access your network without your permission. Better still though is the successor protocol WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). As a rule of thumb, always go with the best encryption supported by your hardware.
WEP is very easy to set up. First of all, on your access point, configure your security settings.
Enable encryption and set the encryption level. Ideally highest is best, particularly if you have the faster 802.11G (54Mbit/s) as opposed to the slower 802.11B (11Mbit/sec) equipment. The authentication type refers to the method by which the two wireless devices identify themselves and exchange information. Shared key means that both devices must have the same encryption key before a connection will be established.
For shared key authentication, you can enter a pass phrase of several words from which a hashed key is generated in hexadecimal or ASCII format. This pass phrase should be something memorable, but also not obvious and the longer the better. The generated key can be entered into the network card’s settings to allow it to talk to the access point.
With the key generated for your access point, the last thing is to ensure that you change the default administrative password. This cannot be stressed enough. No level of encryption is enough if you leave the back door open for people to log into your access point and change the settings.
So with your access point secure, pop your wireless card in your PC or laptop and set it up. It should scan to find your access point.
When it does, you can double click it to connect and it will ask for the encryption level and encryption key. Enter both and you should get a link with the strength and quality indicated. Finally, save these settings in a profile so that if you are out and about enjoying a wireless hotspot, on returning home, you can simply activate your home profile without the need to re-configure from scratch.
A few precautions and a little consideration and you can enjoy your wireless network or Internet access without the comedy of waving your laptop around trying to find a signal, or finding that you have inadvertently provided network services to unscrupulous of your neighbourhood.
NEXT MONTH
We connect a wireless music player to the wireless network so you can stream digital music and Internet radio around the home.
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