FAQ - Wireless

How do you stop your neighbor from illegally accessing the Internet with your wireless network connection?
While WEP will certainly put you a step ahead of no security at all you should the stronger encryption offered by WPA or WPA2 offered and all newer wireless routers. If the neighbor is determined to use your wireless network, they can break WEP encryption pretty simply using aircrack, a freely available tool. If you enable WPA you will have the option of using TKIP or AES encryption, choose the stronger AES encryption if your router and client systems will support it.

What equipment do you need to wirelessly network two home PCs and a laptop?
1. Wireless Router
2. Two Wireless PCI cards
3. Wireless laptop card
If using Broadband cable, e.g. from Comcast, you will also need a cable modem. Go to Linksys web site. They have excellent equipment and tutorials.

How do you set up a wireless broadband connection to your laptop from your desktop?
You need to buy a "Wireless Router". They sell them at BestBuy and lots of other places. This is hooked up between your cable and computer. There is also some sort of "card" that you have to buy that goes into the laptop (and any other computer within a limited radius that you want to be able to access the internet), unless you know that the laptop already has such a card in it, which it might. If it's a fairly new laptop, it probably does. If you're not sure, find your original purchase invoice (or just get out the specs of the laptop you bought, if you know them or have them written down) and call the company who made the computer, or sold it to you. They can easily tell you. If you buy both parts you're looking at spending a few hundred bucks for the two items.

Does wireless internet work through an apartment building if it is hooked up to a room downstairs?
In theory, yes. Obstructions between the transmitter and the receiver have to be taken into consideration though. As a general rule the denser the material between the transmitter and the receiver the weaker the signal will be.

"The frequency at which 802.11b and 802.11g is transmitted allows it to penetrate solid materials allowing, in most indoor environments, a maximum range of 300 feet. 802.11a experiences a steeper decline in throughput as distance increases from the access point and has a maximum range of about 150 feet in most indoor environments"

Can laptops use wireless home broadband?
Some laptops have a wireless network adapter already installed and those can certainly use a wireless home broadband. If the laptop does not have an installed wireless network adapter, you can purchase one that plugs in to the PCMCIA slot. Of course, as with anything related to computers, you will need to perform all necessary driver installation and/or network configuration and password installations. Good luck.

How do you set up wireless broadband Internet access in the home?
When you get broadband cable or dsl you should be set up with a modem connected to your computer with an ethernet cable (similar to a phone cable). To make this wireless you need a wireless router (this connects the modem to the computers) and wireless cards (there are different kinds for desktops or laptops) for each wireless desktop or laptop.

How do you set up wireless connection to computers?
You'll need a wireless access point, either a wireless card for your desktop or a laptop with a built-in wireless or a wireless PCMCIA card. At that point, either follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer or contact the manufacturers help line. Each manufacturer has slightly different applications and different versions of available operating systems treat the procedure in slightly different ways.

What is wireless network?
A wireless network is a system for connecting a computer to a network without the use of cabling.  In its simplest form it consists of a computer with a wireless card and a wireless router.  The card and the router communicate with each other through radio waves, just like a cell phone and cell tower.  The router is usually attached to another computer, a series of computers, or an Internet connection such as a DSL modem or cable modem.

How do you use a sierra wireless air card with a wireless router?
A call to ATT engineering revealed that the Air Card Data via the ATT Communications Manager will not operate over a second network.

One solution is to route the USB cable 1st to a USB switch that will select 1 of either 2 or 4 ports on the switch and then connect to the desired computer ... you must maintain a length of less than 16 feet to the switch and after that you can route from the switch to the various computers using USB cables. If any one of the legs of USB cable after the switch is greater than 16 feet, use an Active USB extender cable. These are essentially a 1 port USB device which amplifies the signal every 16 feet. You can daisy chain up to 5 of these devices.