Going Wireless
RIVER BENDER - March, 2009
Two years ago I wrote an article for the River Bender titled "What's a Hotspot?" which you can still see at http://pages.suddenlink.net/davew/jan07.htm. It was my introduction to home wireless networks after discovering that I could connect to the Internet over wireless networks created by others. Since then I have subscribed to broadband service from Suddenlink and created my own wireless network that allows my laptop and two desktop PCs to connect to Internet and also share files. The purpose of this article is to discuss what's going on in wireless today and why you may want to get onboard.
A few days ago I drove around River Bend with my laptop on the front seat to see if hotspots still existed as they were two years ago. While driving slowly down Plantation Drive from Shoreline to Shoreline I picked up 58 wireless signals or hotspots so I suspect there must be hundreds of wireless networks in River Bend now. To my surprise, I also discovered that half were secure and most of them used very tight WPA encryption. Two years ago practically all were unsecure and access to Internet was possible without the owner's knowledge
What's going on? Why the increased interest in wireless? The reason is that the majority of residents have left slow dial-up ISPs and joined high-speed providers such as Suddenlink or Embarq. Many have more than one PC they wish to connect to the Internet over their high-speed connection and the easiest way to do this is with a wireless network. I've read that some neighbors have even gotten together to share a wireless network and cut Internet access costs but this doesn't always work because of the short range of wireless. The service provider may also have restrictions on sharing.
What does one need to create a wireless network? Basically you need a wireless router to physically connect to your broadband modem. It becomes the hub to which other PCs connect to by cable or wireless. My router is placed alongside my main PC where the broadband modem is located and my other PCs access it via wireless. They do this by having a plug-in wireless adapter card added. Newer laptops already have built-in wireless but older ones usually have a slot or a USB port where a wireless adapter can be plugged in. My main PC already had a Network Interface Card (NIC) installed so I cabled it directly to the router.
Before setting up your network you need to decide on a manufacturer of the wireless router and the adapter cards because it's best not to mix them. I happen to use NetGear but I noticed that most hotspots used Linksys. Your next decision is what wireless protocol to use and you can see different types at http://www.netgear.com/Solutions/HomeNetworking/WirelessNetworking.aspx. I happen to use the less expensive "standard G" which you'll often see on sale at Staples or WalMart.
Type "Create a wireless network" or similar words in Google and you'll be flooded with information, including videos on how to create your wireless network. Lots of people have created them. You can too.