Wireless Networking
Introduction
Wireless networking means the connectivity and communication
between two or more computers with the cables. There
are different types of wireless networks such as WLAN, wi-fi,
Wimax, Bluetooth, GPRS, IrDA, CDPD, GSM and WPAN etc. They
use the devices similar to the wired network such as LAN card,
router and access points. Mobility and portability are among
the major benefits of a wireless computer network because
users can move from one place to another within its range.
You can access it from airport, hotel room, University campus,
public places, libraries, on road, coffee shop and from home.
The infrastructure consists of the base stations, access points,
connectivity software and cable free distribution system.
They are easy to setup and provides the best data transmission
solution at the places where cluttered wired network is not
possible. The communication is usually carried out through
the radio waves. A wireless router usually consists
of many Ethernet ports that allow to connect the wired with
the wireless network.
Requirements
For setting up a wireless network in your home or office
following components are required. To avoid any compatibility
issues it is recommended to use the components from the same
vendor.
- Wireless LAN card.
- Access Point
- Broadband Router.
- Ethernet Switch/Hub
Setup
Setup involves the configuring the wireless router, installing
the LAN card and connecting the computer to the router.
- Place the wireless router in the centralized place of
your home or office and connect your router with your server.
- Open Internet explorer and type the IP address of your
router in the address bar and press enter.
- You will be prompted for the administrator’s password,
which is set to “admin” by many vendors.
- After supplying the password, you will be given the router
configuration page.
- Here you need to set the Encryption key, SSID (Wireless
Network name) and change the default password of your router.
All the computers must share the same SSID.
- Next, install the wireless LAN card in every computer
of your network. After successfully installing the
LAN card, you will see a notification message on the right
bottom side of your computer screen.
- Double click the wireless icon and click “View available
wireless networks”. If you don’t
see any network, refresh the list.
- You will see your wireless network name, click it and
provide your encryption key and administrator’s password.
After providing the correct information you will be connected
to your wireless network.
You can also select the automatic wireless configuration
from wireless LAN card if your network support IEEE-802.11
standard. Automatic configuration mode searches for
the available networks and notifies you.
Security
Wireless networks are susceptible to electromagnetic interference
and without proper security mechanism, they can be accessed
by the unauthorized users and hackers. The following
security tips will help you to protect your wireless network.
- Change the default Administrator’s password.
- Enable firewall on each computer and on your server.
- Assign static IP addresses to all the devices.
- Disable SSID broadcast.
- Enable MAC address filtering.
- Change the default SSID.
- Turn on WPA/WEP encryption.
- Do not auto connect to open Wi-Fi and other wireless networks.
Advantages
Wireless computer networking provides the numerous benefits
some of the major benefits have been described below.
- Mobility and Portability.
- Expandability.
- Easy deployment.
- Increased productivity.
- Low Cost.
- Stay connected all time.
Disadvantages
As with many advantages, it has some disadvantages too, which
have been described below.
- Range
- Security risks.
- Reliability.
- Speed.
- Compatibility.
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