CUTTING LOOSE WIRELESS COMPUTER NETWORKS MEAN WORKING AND SURFING JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE.Byline: Benjamin Becker Benjamin Becker (born June 16, 1981 in Merzig, Saarland, Germany) is a professional tennis player. Becker is not related to former World No. 1 Boris Becker. He won the 2004 NCAA singles title while helping Baylor University to the team title. Staff Writer Millions of Americans are crossing over. They're gnawing off their leashes, unshackling their feet and heading for the hills. Yes, they're going wireless. Gone are the days of being bound to a dismal desk space, of wallowing through webs of wires and patching up walls scourged by installations gone awry. WiFi (wireless fidelity See Wi-Fi. ) has ushered in a new era - an era that allows computer users to go beyond the reaches of a 25-foot telephone cord. ``I've been wireless a little more than a year,'' said Upland resident Ted Fauce. ``I work out of my home and I found that we needed to have more than one computer connected to the Internet anyway. ... Before I got wireless, we had these wires across the floor.'' Setting up a wireless network in the home has become more efficient, user-friendly and inexpensive than in years past. The pros outweigh the cons and the option is a godsend god·send n. Something wanted or needed that comes or happens unexpectedly. [Alteration of Middle English goddes sand, God's message : goddes, genitive of God, God for homebound home·bound adj. Restricted or confined to home, as of an invalid. employees, cyber surfers and the casual user. ``I think the whole setup probably was less than $100,'' Fauce said. ``And that was a year ago. If you look in the Sunday paper Sunday paper n → (periódico) dominical m Sunday paper n → journal m du dimanche , at Best Buy you can buy a (wireless) card and a router for probably $50 or $60.'' Fauce learned how easy the process was. All you need to go wireless in the home is a wireless card (installed or plugged into a laptop) and a wireless router A network device that combines a wireless access point (base station), a wired LAN switch and a router with connections to a cable or DSL service. Wireless routers provide a convenient way to connect a small number of wired and any number of wireless computers to the Internet. , the card's counterpart, which will ultimately receive its signal. ``A router allows you to use a single Internet connection to place multiple computers on that same network connection,'' said Dwight Jordan of Sky River Communications, a local wireless ISP (1) See in-system programmable. (2) (Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides access to the Internet. Connection to the user is provided via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL and T1/T3 lines. (Internet service provider Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. ). ``There are two types of routers: there's a hard-wire router or there are the wireless routers that are used to access a wireless network.'' But don't let the term ``wireless'' fool you. Wires do eventually come into play in the configuration. The setup is wireless as far as the laptop is concerned, but the router, which receives the laptop's signal, is connected to cable or DSL DSL in full Digital Subscriber Line Broadband digital communications connection that operates over standard copper telephone wires. It requires a DSL modem, which splits transmissions into two frequency bands: the lower frequencies for voice (ordinary . ``You've got to connect to the Internet with a wire at some point,'' said Steve Carender, national sales manager sales manager n → gerente m/f de ventas sales manager n → directeur commercial sales manager sale n → for MapleNet Inc., a nationwide broadband wireless See wireless broadband. company. ``An Internet provider Internet provider - Internet Service Provider has a huge connection out to the Internet. It's connected to what we call a DS-3 (digital service line). It's basically a really large broadband pipe Slang for a high-speed communications channel. The "pipe" is the metal wire or optical fiber. See broadband and fat pipe. .'' Carender said people interested in establishing a wireless network in the home don't need to worry about signing up with wireless Internet service providers. Those are intended for people who want to surf the Web away from their home-based router, which is essentially their access point to the Internet. ``WiFi means just the access points, it's just the short range kind of stuff, and then wireless Internet is where an ISP wants to provide high-speed access to businesses,'' Carender said. ``They put up a cell tower and then they can deliver service in a radius of five to 10 miles.'' The home wireless network, which employs WiFi technology, is basically cutting the cord between the computer and the Internet access See how to access the Internet. (i.e. cable or DSL). Then, in that cord's place, two devices (a router and a wireless card) talk to each other via frequency signals. It's a way to cut out the middle man (the cord) and give users freedom to navigate the Internet on their couch, in the kitchen or even on the patio. ``It just seems like with more and more people having laptop computers and not wanting to sit in one spot, it's easy to go in the kitchen or if you're watching TV, it's easier,'' said Jim Ankers, president of Digitron Communications, a Woodland Hills-based wireless installation company. ``We have a total of four computers. I have a laptop, my wife has a computer, and my two kids each have their own computers. Both of their computers are connected wireless. It was much simpler to do that wireless.'' Ankers said if it weren't for WiFi technology, he would have had to run cables and wiring through the walls, a costly and often difficult process. But along with the surge of excitement for the inexpensive home wireless network is a new fear: wardriving. ``Wardriving is when I drive around with my laptop and I just find where all the open access points are,'' Carender said. ``If you had an access point in your house, I could pull up on the street in my car and jump on the Internet through your access point. ... Right now the hotel across the street, I can get on that; one of my neighbors, I can get on that.'' With unchecked access, users can hack into home computers and laptops, or whatever drives are shared through the network. Free software on the Internet actually plots on a map all the open access points within a certain radius, allowing wardrivers all the free access they want. But Ankers said maintaining a secure network is easy. He said most people just don't bother to set it up. ``When you put in a wireless router, the wireless router comes with a default setting of no security,'' he said. ``When you go into the router setting you look at the security levels in there. ... When you go to set up your initial unit, you'll want to go into the WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) An IEEE standard security protocol for wireless 802.11 networks. Introduced in 1997, WEP was found to be very inadequate and was superseded by WPA, WPA2 and 802.11i. encryption and set up your encryption rate. ... You need a combination of 10 letters and 10 numbers. Unless somebody has that code that you put in there, when they drive by your house they won't be able to get in there.'' Ankers likened the device to a safety lock: Without the combination, hackers don't have access. ``You need the pass code to have access through the device into the Internet,'' Carender said. ``A lot of people don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. or don't care to turn on the security when they set it up.'' Jennifer Davis, a representative of Dell, said if people read the instructions, the whole process of going wireless takes less than an hour. ``As long as you put the CD in and follow the instructions, you're good to go,'' she said. ``I think I set mine up in 30 minutes.'' Fauce said the traditional network cluttered his home with traversing wires snaking throughout the house. ``It got kind of messy,'' he said. ``I just replaced the wire routers with wireless routers. ... I don't sit at the desk anymore. I sit in the family room with my feet up on the coffee table.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) We're all CONNECTED ...But our computers are wireless Tina Burch/Staff Photographer (2 -- color) Ted Fauce of Upland, who works from home, set up a wireless network more than a year ago. Thomas R. Cordova/Staff Photographer |
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