WIFI FOR NOVICE

Wifi Printer

2010-01-08T04:45:00.000-08:00

Computer networking is on the fast lane in terms of change-a change that is sure to affect our lives in more positive ways. One of the ways this change will affect us is the way we do printing.

Wifi printer is a new technology that will soon take over the market of computer printers in contrast to the market of printers associated with cable-USB connections. Its cool product that will enhance the use of other wireless network technology in offices and homes.

Types of wifi printer

How would you love it when you get two things accomplished while aiming at one, that wont be a bad idea. wifi printer is it, you buy one printer that has dual capabilities of being connected via local Ethernet or without wires.

These are some printers you can find in the market:

Epson Artisan 800 5-in-1 WiFi Printer-Scan

Canon MP620 Wireless All-in-One Photo Printer

HP Photosmart C4580 All-in-One WiFi Printer

Advantages of wifi Printer

1. When you have one installed in your office or home, you can freely move around with your laptop and still be able to send printing jobs as long as you signal is good. So you don't need to go near the printer to connect the printer physically to your laptop in order to print.

2. As mentioned earlier, your purchase of this printer is a plus because the difference in price compared to a regular printer is not much in addition to the enormous benefit you could derive from a wifi printer since you don't need to constantly boot up the system regular printers are usually attached to using a cable.

3. You may not need to buy several printers for office use even if you have several people in the office using laptops that need to constantly send print jobs from within the office or home network, note that the distance should not be above 100 feet from the location of the printer.

4. On how to connect to wifi printer, the installation and configuration is intuitive trust me.

How to connect a wifi printer

Before you begin installation of your wifi printer ensure that you laptop wifi capability is enabled. You really don't need a router, since the printer has wireless card installed so it can send out microwave signal that all computers with wlan card activated can pick up. Follow the simple steps below to connect to your wifi printer:

Carefully go through the documentation manual that came with your printer to find out if there are any compatibility issues associated with the printer and your machine.

Bring out your printer from its package to ensure that all components and accessories that were listed in the package is complete and in order.

Following the instruction that came with the printer, power it and the on screen display on the printer will guild you in the process of installation.

The properties you should set on your wifi printer should be in accordance with your computer wifi settings.

Run the driver CD that came with your printer on your computer so that it can recognize you printer

Having done this you should be able to see your printer as available network machine that can be connected to, select it to connect computer to your printer.

The features and convenience of using a wifi printer without any cable connection to a computer can make office or home computer usage fun

what are the hot christmas gifts this year

2009-12-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

One of the top questions in the minds of shoppers this Christmas (2009) is-What are the hot Christmas gifts this year? This season will witness the largest sales of electronic products due to popular demand for high tech goods. The buying and selling of products can be easily and securely achieved due to the availability of online business websites that cater for all kinds of online consumer need.

When trying to make purchases it is costly for you as a customer when you need to physically go about looking for some hot chrismas-gift this season of christmas. So instead of visiting one shopping mall to another looking for a gift for a love one, you just go online search for What shoppers view as hot christmas gifts this year. Electronic product have certain advantages in some situation, take for instance the desire to use digital products such as photos, videos, documents, songs, e-books etc to charm your loved ones can really be a money saver. Yes, it is almost easy for you to purchase your digital products on the internet. There are many websites that provides one with easy to use method for buying digital products.

What one shopper may term as hot christmas gifts this year may likely not be the opinion another shopper.

There have been very hot releases the year as per digital files such as songs and videos.Many people are ready to pay money for such hot products if they are certain to receive quality digital contents.

Since software or videos can be easily copied, there is little or no cost for the merchants to reproduce these digital products, because they just need to upload it to the website once and the rest work will be done by the site and this substantially reduces the cost of reproduction and sales also there is no cost of shipping in the purchase of digital products. Customer can get the product within few minutes on their computers. This makes your digital product cheap and easily affordable.

Apart from digital products

How to hookup with a free Wifi connection

2009-09-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Using a free wifi connection may seem somewhat interesting especially if you are low on available cash-No money no problem! Generally, it may seem impossible to use a good internet connection without having to sacrifice a thing or two, but the financial implication or loss of data risk may be very minimal if you take some of the useful suggestions in my previous blogs.

Getting to find a reliable free wifi connection or network may seem a daunting affair if your laptop has adapter which is weak and unable to sniff broadcast wireless networks. The first thing you must do to prepare your laptop for a free wifi connection is to configure your laptop to automatically connect up to free wifi connection which is being transmitted by some wireless access point or a router.

A free wifi internet connection would allow people to access the internet as long as they have a wireless card, with this card installed in your laptop,you are able to sniff any available wifi connections plus the free wifi connections, and then you system seeks to connect to it by notifying you of its presence. It is now your responsibility to choose a preferred free wifi connection, because not all free wifi connection that are available are able to serve you well even if the signal strength is excellent.

A free Wifi network connection finder software can make getting online and finding a way to connect to the internet for free very easy since on installation, it takes over the burden of trying to locate or pinpoint a wifi hotspot and the connection process. There are many different free Wifi connection locator software utilities you can use to make this even easier, so take a look around online and you should have no problem finding what you need, even if you need to frequently change position the software takes over the nit gritty making it possible to enjoy a free wifi connection everywhere with little or no cost. Easy WiFi Radar works on most PCs with most wireless cards, but not on all. Also, it doesn't work on Vista and no update is planned.It's is a free product, and if you wish to take advantage of its functionality, change operating system-Use Windows XP.

An excellent free wifi connection that suits you should be compatible with your laptop and you should ensure that your laptop is connecting to a G or N-type router, since it will provide you with not only the fastest and most stable connection, but will also connect up from a farther distance so that you can move around and not end up losing your connection.

Now, some places you can get a free wifi connection to brows the internet are as follows:

Cafes, Shopping Malls, Universities, Bars, Parks, Libraries and some government offices.

Just select the network and click on connect and your laptop automatically connects to the network specified.

HOW DOES WIFI WORK (WIRELESS FIDELITY)

2009-09-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

Wireless Internet access allows you to get rid of the cables dangling from the back of your PCs by giving you access to the internet via radio waves. So that you can connect to the internet without using an RJ45.

Here's how it works:

• Wifi uses high frequency radio signals a technology (usually referred to as IEEE 802.11b, 802.11a or IEEE 802.11g) to provide a reliable wireless network connection for laptops which is wifi compliant, the internet connection could originates from a DSL or high-speed land-based Internet connection. Wireless network uses infrared or radio frequency of between 2.4 to 2.4835 gigahertz (which is also the frequency of common microwaves and cordless telephones) to link several mobile computer to its network. Mind you IEEE stands for Institute of electrical and electronics engineers. This institution produce the set of standards and specifications that defines the format and structure of wifi signals.

• A Wifi connection becomes available when router or wireless access point ( Routers are device that is able to broadcast wireless internet connection) transmits wifi signal it receives from a DSL or cable Internet connection. The antenna on the router beam this radio signal over a specific range which is about 300 feet for most home connections. The farther the user is from the signal, the slower the connection speed. With this in place any computer device with wireless adapter can connect wireless-ly to the internet by picking the signal broadcast from the Router. A wireless access point can also transmit wifi network it gets through a wired Local Area Network or wifi connection from a router.

• Another antenna, which is installed internally in the laptop or personal computer, receives or catches the signal. With some clicks you can connect your laptop to wifi connection. for more information on how to connect your laptop see how to hookup to a free wifi connection.

The good thing about free wifi connection

2009-09-14T00:35:00.000-07:00

Everyone wants something for nothing. That something varies, but we all want something don’t we. One of the intriguing things I have come to notice is the position that people take as it concerns the use of a free wifi connection in public places and businesses especially in coffee shops and hotels; people are acting as if these are absolute rights! And that the business owners are privileged to have them around. All around we see laptop users moving from one place to the other attempting to gain access to the internet in other to do one thing or the other.

Does cutting laptop use during the normal lunch period makes sense or completely restricting the use of laptops more desirable. Not everyone that carries a laptop into a coffee shop make proper use of the free wifi facility , since you cannot eat and type at the same time and do either of them well.

Sometime,I really wonder just how coffee shops which is traditionally meant for coffee break and relaxation became a place where people would work and study at the same time. There are certainly some exceptions but a good number at coffee shops and places like hotel Budapest have little or no reason why they feel it is a good idea to browse the net over a cup of coffee.

To the business owner there are possibilities of lose of sales when a customer is buying one or two cups of coffee and and using his laptop to displace someone who could have buy lunch or dinner simply because he has occupied the table and in addition is using the free wifi connection for an indefinite numbers of hours, it's better to lose the occasional coffee drinker and gain the customer that wants to have lunch and is very likely to leave there after. The provision of free wireless access to customers doesn't mean that they want you to sit there for five hours with a $1.70 cup of coffee while other people have to turn and leave because there isn't anywhere to sit.

Its not that business owners can't make money from laptop users. sometimes they come with their computers for a couple of hours with only some cups of coffee. They next time they visit, they come in for lunch and leave almost immediately. The next day, coffee and food to go with. Then, they filled the place during off peak hours and in the evenings often ordering dinner. You can't have it both ways. You only need to adopt policies that pleases your customers and does not compromise your business.

While I recognize all the advantages of laptops and cell phones - I THINK I use both - their intrusion into the public space makes life less civil. Laptop users should be more aware that as they are using their laptop so also others too should have their turn with the use of such public facilities like the library. I'm so tired of going to my local coffee shop and finding someone has taking up two full tables with their laptop while I can't find a seat for lunch or dinner, its really annoying. Often they're also listening to music or other audio contraptions or gadgets through the speakers rather than on headphones. I don't get it, this is suppose to be a quiet public place not a ROCK N' ROLL concert. I don't fancy playing loud music with your laptop or cell phone because it will distract other library or coffee shop users.

Free wifi connection security

2009-09-10T01:40:00.000-07:00

People from all over the world are now making use of wireless internet connectivity as it provides hassle-free wifi internet connection. Mean while as a free wifi connection provider it is important that some levels of security is put in place in other to have some control over who uses your network which usually helps to increase sales expecially if you are using it to attract customers to your hotel or coffee shop.If you don’t take steps to ensure the security of your connection, you make your connection vulnerable to attacks of hackers making it more likely that they can easily get away with your secret passwords, financial information and personal data. The truth is that, you don’t want any of your data in the wrong hands.

The way to make certain the security of packet data while using a free wifi connection has become one of the most asked questions amongst wireless network users in recent times. The reason behind this is that many spammers and hackers all over the world have taking advantage of wifi connections of people who make use of free wireless internet connectivity. As companies and homes are now changing over to Wi-Fi connections for the reason that it provides more convenience and coverage with less expenses. So, what can you do to avoid this?

Most wifi compliant routers have the capacity to dynamically allocate IP/TCP address to wireless clients by simply enabling the DHCP service, which makes it pretty difficult to ascertain the numbers of client hooked up to your network, the person using the network and the recourses the person is accessing because most free wifi connections have little or no control measures in place. When you turn off DHCP server of your router and allocate IP/TCP manually by providing all the clients in the network a distinct IP address and subnet mask, you will make the network secure as the router will only give these computers access to the internet.

To heighten the security of the wifi connection you could enable wireless security which helps to encrypt packet data, by putting a strong admin password consisting of numerals, alphabets and may be some special characters like #,$,&,*. You can either use WEP or WAP settings to make encryption.

You must also activate the router's firewall to protect your Wi-Fi network. Many wireless routers come with default user id and password. You must change these details once you have achieved wireless connectivity. You must also check which computers are connected to your Wi-Fi.

It is also advisable to regularly change the admin password and network key.

Free wifi connection

2009-09-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

Having access to the internet is fast becoming a priority for the vast users of computer, however before now internet was seen as a high tech luxury privilege for advance users of computers because of the cost associated with having internet connection and the know-how.

Free Wi-Fi connection is available in most hotels, airport facilities, libraries, Resorts, coffee shops and around the environment of some offices. A simple site survey will reveal which connection has good wifi network. In other to gain access to the network one may need to undergo some connection process depending on the configuration of the wifi network.

If you are new to wireless internet usage, then take time to familiarize yourself with the connection procedure outlined in this paragraph or else go to the next point. In order to track the available free wifi connection location, right-click on the network icon on the system tray and select view available network if you are using Windows XP, or connect to network if your operating system is Vista; this will then open a screen showing you the list of all network within range. Choose the required network and select connect. Sometimes one may be required to supply some information to enable complete connection. Basically the procedure to hook up to a free wifi connection is as follows: 1. Set wireless properties TCP/IP properties to -Obtain an IP address automatically- Which is simply enabling DHCP, 2. Disable dial up connection, 3. Select the SSID of the free wifi connection network, 4. Turn off any form of encryption-whether WPA or WEP, and select open before clicking connect.

Now that you have access to the wifi network, what remains is what you wish to do with this connection and how secure the data you send over the network. One thing you must not do using a free wifi connection is performing any form of transaction online without any form of security. This could be done by using SSL for emails or Sending data through HTTPS// rather than just HTTP:// for all forms of financial transaction.

Most free Wi-Fi connection(s) don’t use encryption to scramble the data being sent to and from your computer and the wifi network. This means anyone within hundreds of feet, with the right tools, can potentially intercept the raw data packets of your connection. At the smallest amount, without encryption, they could see precisely what Websites you visit. Moreover, if the Website connection isn’t encrypted with Secure Socket Layer (SSL), (indicated by a padlock icon in your browser) then they could peruse the contents and traffic relating to that particular Website. This could contain the username and password of Websites you log in to, if they aren’t using SSL. The same risk applies to other services, such as FTP or e-mail, that aren’t secured.

Free wifi spots finder or locator for dummies

2009-08-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

A device that detects the presence of an 802.11 network. Also called a "Wi-Fi finder" or "Wi-Fi signal finder," it lets you know if a wifi spot or spots are available without having to turn on your laptop. Handheld finders may have readouts that identify the network ID and status, while keychain-based units blink LEDs to show signal strength.

The Handheld wifi spots finder

The Digital wifi spots finder from Canary Wireless does more than just indicate the signal strenghts of free Wi-Fi spots within rangeb, its readout describes the networks it finds, including the network's name ID (SSID), signal strength, encryption status (Open or Secure) and channel number.

The readout will currently display the SSID of the best free wifi signal network it finds and all other networks available.

Wi-Fi Hardware standard devices

2009-08-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

Wireless Access Point(AP)

Wireless access points connect a group of wireless devices to an adjacent wired LAN. An access point is similar to an Ethernet hub, relaying data between connected wireless devices in addition to a (usually) single connected wired device, most often an Ethernet hub or switch, permitting wireless devices to communicate with other wired devices. An AP can be used ton create a free wifi spot and if it is configured without any security, the network becomes vulnerable to attacks so much that wifi dummies can easily access the internet through it.

Wireless Adapter

Wireless adapters allow computer devices to connect to a wifi (wireless) network. These adapters connect to these devices using various external or internal interconnects such as PCI, miniPCI, USB, ExpressCard, Cardbus and PC card. Most newer laptop computers are equipped with internal adapters. Internal cards are generally more difficult to install.

Wireless routers integrate a WAP, Ethernet switch, and internal Router firmware application that provides IP Routing, NAT, and DNS forwarding through an integrated WAN interface. A wireless router allows wired and wireless ethernet LAN devices to connect to a (usually) single WAN device such as cable modem or DSL modem. A wireless router allows all these devices (mainly the access point and router) to be configured through one central utility. A router can be configured in such a way that it becomes a free wifi broadcasting spot if done without security in mind.

This utility is most usually an integrated web server which serves web pages to wired and wireless LAN clients and often optionally to WAN clients. This utility may also be an application that is run on a desktop computer such as Apple's AirPort.

Wireless Ethernet bridges connect a wired network to a wireless network. This is different from an access point in the sense that an access point connects wireless devices to a wired network at the . Two wireless bridges may be used to connect two wired networks over a wireless link, useful in situations where a wired connection may be unavailable, such as between two separate homes.

Wireless range extenders or wireless repeaters can extend the range of an existing wireless network. Range extenders can be strategically placed to elongate a signal area or allow for the signal area to reach around barriers such as those created in L-shaped corridors. Wireless devices connected through repeaters will suffer from an increased latency for each hop. Additionally, a wireless device connected to any of the repeaters in the chain throughput that is limited by the weakest link between the two nodes in the chain from which the connection originates to where the connection ends.

Most commercial devices (routers, access points, bridges, repeaters) designed for home or business environments use either RP-SMA or RP-TNC antenna connectors. PCI wireless adapters also mainly use RP-SMA connectors. Most PC card and USB wireless only have internal antennas etched on their printed circuit board while some have MMCX connector or MC-Card external connections in addition to an internal antenna. A few USB cards have a RP-SMA connector.

Most Mini PCI wireless cards use Hirose U.FL connectors, but cards found in various wireless appliances contain all of the connectors listed. Many high-gain (and home made antennas) use the Type N connector more commonly used by other radio communications methods.

Non-standard devices

The longest link ever achieved was by the Swedish space agency. They attained 310 km, but used 6 watt amplifiers to reach an overhead stratospheric balloon. The longest link without amplification was 279 km in Venezuela, 2006

Free Wi-Fi spots can become a Pollution

2009-08-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Uncontrolled Wi-Fi hotspots can become a pollution, whenever there is an excessive deployment of a number of access points in an area, especially on the same or around a neighborhood channel, can prevent access and interfere with the use of other access points by others, caused by overlapping channels in the 802.11g/b spectrum, as well as with decreased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between access points.

This can be a problem in high-density areas, such as large apartment complexes or office buildings with many Wi-Fi access points.

Additionally, other devices using the 2.4 GHz band: microwave ovens, security cameras, Bluetooth devices and (in some countries) Amateur radio, video-senders, cordless phones and baby monitors can cause significant additional interference.

General a guide to those who suffer from these forms of interference or network crowding is to migrate to a WiFi 5 GHz product (802.11a) usually a dual band product as the 5 GHz band is
relatively unused and there are many more channels available. This also requires users to set up the 5 GHz band to be the preferred network in the client and to configure each network band to a different name(SSID).

Excessive free Wifi spots becomes an issue when municipalities or other large entities such as universities, seek to provide large area coverage. Everyone is considered equal for the base standard without 802.11e/WMM when they use the band.

This openness is also important to the success and widespread use of 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, but makes it unsuitable for "must-have" public service functions or where reliability is required.

Interoperability issues between brands or proprietary deviations from the standard can disrupt connections or lower throughput speeds on other user's devices that are within range. For anyone one seeking to set up a wifi spots must ensure the environment is filled with heavy interferences of broadcasting network which becomes an problem if we really want to liberate our novice friend from the "wifi for dummies domain"

Draw-backs to free WI-Fi technology

2009-08-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

One of the most crucial advantage that wireless network has over wired counterpart is that Wi-Fi allows LANs to be deployed without cabling for client devices, typically reducing the costs of network deployment and expansion. Spaces where cables cannot be run, such as outdoor areas and historical buildings, can host wireless LANs or set up a wifi spot.

As of 2007 wireless network adapters are built already into most modern laptops. The price of chipsets for Wi-Fi continues to drop, making it an economical networking option included in ever more devices. Wi-Fi has become widespread in corporate infrastructures, which also helps with the deployment of RFID technology that can piggyback on Wi-Fi account.

Different competitive brands of access points and client network interfaces are inter-operable at a basic level of service to make it ever so easy for wifi dummies to to connect utilize with little or no tech assistance . Products designated as "Wi-Fi Certified" by the Wi-Fi Alliance are backwards inter-operable.

Wi-Fi is a global set of standards. Unlike mobile telephones, any standard Wi-Fi device will work anywhere in the world. Wi-Fi is widely available in more than 250,000 public hotspots and tens of millions of homes, corporate settings and university campuses worldwide. WPA is not easily cracked if strong passwords are used and WPA2 encryption has no known weaknesses. New protocols for Quality of Service (WMM) make Wi-Fi more suitable for latency-sensitive applications (such as voice and video), and power saving mechanisms (WMM Power Save) improve battery operation.

Disadvantages of Wi-Fi

It is difficult to find any technology without limitations. This article is pertinent that all wifi users must take note of especially for anyone that is still nursing the thought that it is meant for wifi dummies. Spectrum assignments and operational limitations are not consistent worldwide. Most of Europe allows for an additional 2 channels beyond those permitted in the U.S for the 2.4 GHz band. (1-13 vs. 1-11); Japan has one more on top of that (1-14). Europe, as of 2007, is now essentially homogeneous in this respect.

A very confusing aspect is the fact a WiFI signal actually occupies five channels in the 2.4 GHz resulting in only 3 non-overlapped channels in the US: 1, 6, 11, and four in Europe: 1,5,9,13

Some countries, such as Italy, formerly required a 'general authorization' for any Wi-Fi used outside an operator's own premises, or require something akin to an operator registration. Equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) in the EU is limited to 20 dBm (0.1 W).

Power consumption is fairly high compared to some other low-bandwidth standards, such as Zigbee and Bluetooth, making battery life a concern. The most common wireless encryption standard, Wired Equivalent Privacy or WEP, has been shown to be easily breakable even when correctly configured. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2), which began shipping in 2003, aims to solve this problem and is now available on most products. Wi-Fi Access Points typically default to an open (encryption-free) mode.

Novice users benefit from a zero-configuration device that works out of the box, but this default is without security enabled, providing open wireless access to their LAN. These configuration should not be seen as a lee way to bypass all the so called problem of connecting to wifi usually experienced by new users. To turn security on requires the user to configure the device, usually via a software graphical user interface (GUI).

Wi-Fi networks that are open (unencrypted) can be monitored and used to read and copy data (including personal information) transmitted over the network, unless another security method is used to secure the data, such as a VPN or a secure web page. ("Wifi for Dummies: HTTPS/Secure Socket Layer.) Many 2.4 GHz 802.11b and 802.11g Access points default to the same channel on initial startup, contributing to congestion on certain wireless channels.

To change the channel of operation for an access point requires the user to configure the device.
Wi-Fi networks have limited range. A typical Wi-Fi home router using 802.11b or 802.11g with a stock antenna might have a range of 32 m (120 ft) indoors and 95 m (300 ft) outdoors. Range also varies with frequency band. Wi-Fi in the 2.4 GHz frequency block has slightly better range than Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz frequency block. Outdoor range with improved (directional) antennas can be several kilometers(kilometres) or more with line-of-sight.

Wi-Fi performance also decreases exponentially as the range increases. Wi-Fi is also less reliable and fast as Ethernet or other cable systems, 802.11g networks have a maximum of 54 Mbit/s whilst cables can reach speeds of 1000 Mbit/s or more. wifi is not suitable for servers or users who need fast internet access, for example, online gamers.

Wifi for Dummies: Wi-Fi Security concern of a Public network

2009-08-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

Unsecured free wifi spots:

Most wifi spots are unsecured. User data is shared as clear text as all users access the internet via free wifi spots. Though some hotspots authenticate users. This does not secure the data transmission or prevent packet sniffers from allowing people to see traffic on the network.

Some free wifi venues offer VPN as an option, such as Google WiFi. This solution is expensive to scale. Others such as T-mobile provide a download option that deploys WPA support specific to T-mobile. This conflicts with enterprise configurations at Cisco, IBM, HP, Google, and other large enterprises who have solutions specific to their internal WLAN.

"Poisoned free wifi spots:"

A "poisoned spot" refers to a free public hotspot set up by identity thieves or other malicious individuals for the purpose of "sniffing" the data sent by the user. This abuse can be avoided by the use of VPN.

Wi-Fi Protected Access - (WPA)

A Wi-Fi Protected Access security scheme for wireless networks, developed by the networking industry in response to the shortcomings of Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). WPA uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) encryption and provides built-in authentication, giving security comparable to VPN tunneling with WEP, with the benefit of easier administration and use. WPA-PSK is a simplified form of WPA.

Wifi phone:

A WiFi phone is a wireless telephone that looks similar to a mobile phone but places calls via a combination of voice over IP and WiFi rather than via a cellular network. Current WiFi phones use Skype or Vonage for their voice over IP service. To compete with WiFi phones, several cellular carriers have created "Dual-mode phones", which can be easily switched between using a WiFi connection when one is available and a traditional cellular network connection when WiFi is not available. These phone can easily be connected to to free wifi network by following set up instructions.

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2):

A Wi-Fi Protected Access is a class of systems to secure wireless (Wi-Fi) computer networks. It was created in response to several serious weaknesses researchers had found in the previous system, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). WPA implements the majority of the IEEE 802.11i standard, and was intended as an intermediate measure to take the place of WEP while 802.11i was prepared. WPA is designed to work with all wireless network interface cards, but not necessarily with first generation wireless access points.

WPA2:

WPA2 implements the full standard, but will not work with some older network cards. Both provide good security, with two significant issues:

• Either WPA or WPA2 must be enabled and chosen in preference to WEP. WEP is usually presented as the first security choice in most installation instructions.

• In the "Personal" mode, the most likely choice for homes and small offices, a passphrase is required that, for full security, must be longer than the typical 6 to 8 character passwords users often employ.

History:

WPA was created by the Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry trade group, which owns the trademark to the Wi-Fi name and certifies devices that carry that name.

WPA is designed for use with an IEEE 802.1X authentication server, which distributes different keys to each user; however, it can also be used in a less secure "pre-shared key" (PSK) mode, where every user is given the same pass-phrase. The design of WPA is based on a Draft 3 of the IEEE 802.11i standard.

The Wi-Fi Alliance created WPA to enable introduction of standard-based secure wireless network products prior to the IEEE 802.11i group finishing its work. The Wi-Fi Alliance at the time had already anticipated the WPA2 certification based on the final draft of the IEEE 802.11i standard. Therefore, they intentionally made the tags on the frame fields (also known as information elements, or IEs) made different from 802.11i to avoid the confusion in unified WPA/WPA2 implementations.

Data is encrypted using the RC4 stream cipher, with a 128-bit key and a 48-bit initialization vector (IV). One major improvement in WPA over WEP is the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), which dynamically changes keys as the system is used. When combined with the much larger initialization vector, this defeats the well-known key recovery attacks on WEP.

In addition to authentication and encryption, WPA also provides vastly improved payload integrity. The cyclic redundancy check (CRC) used in WEP is inherently insecure; it is possible to alter the payload and update the message CRC without knowing the WEP key. A more secure message authentication code (usually known as a MAC, but here termed a MIC for "message integrity code") is used in WPA, an algorithm named "Michael".

The MIC used in WPA includes a frame counter, which prevents replay attacks being executed.
By increasing the size of the keys and IVs, reducing the number of packets sent with related keys, and adding a secure message verification system, WPA makes breaking into a wireless LAN far more difficult. The Michael algorithm was the strongest that WPA designers could come up with that would still work with most older network cards.

Due to inevitable weaknesses of Michael, TKIP will shut down the network for one minute if two frames are discovered that fail the Michael check after passing all other integrity checks that would have caught noisy frames. It will then require generation of new keys and reauthentication when the network restarts, forcing the attacker to start over.

Free Wi-Fi hotspots For The general public

2009-08-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

Free hotspots Wi-Wi operates in two ways:

• Using an open public network is the easiest way to create a free HotSpot. All that is needed is a Wi-Fi router. However, the disadvantage is that access to the router cannot be controlled.

• Closed public networks use a HotSpot Management System to control the HotSpot. This software runs on the router itself or uses an external computer for it. With the help of this software, operators can authorize only specific users to be able to access the internet, and they often associate the free access to a menu or to a purchase limit.

Commercial hotspots (For WIFI Technology)

2009-08-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

A commercial hotspot may feature:

• A captive portal that users are redirected to for authentication and payment
• A payment option using credit card, PayPal, BOZII, iPass, or other payment service
• A walled garden feature that allows free access to certain sites

Many services provide payment services to hotspot providers, for a monthly fee or commission from the end-user income. ZoneCD is a Linux distribution that provides payment services for hotspots who wish to deploy their own service.

Major airports and business hotels are more likely to charge for service. Most hotels provide free service to guests; and increasingly small airports and airline lounges offer free service.

FON is a European company that allows users to share their wireless broadband and sells excess bandwidth to outside users (Aliens). Since this may breach users terms of service FON has agreements with many broadband providers / ISPs.

The nature of commercial WiFi has seen a profound shift since its first adoption. Much like O’Reilly’s term “Web 2.0” has come to represent the current and next generation of web sites and web applications like Wikipedia, Craig’s List, blogging, and Google’s personalized homepage, Joshua Beil coined the term "WiFi 2.0" to represent the evolution of commercial WiFi.

Whereas WiFi 1.0 was characterized by:
• Single location, short range
• Non revenue generating or manual methods of revenue collection
• Unsecure or WEP
• No branding
• No localized content/advertising
• No gathering of user demographic data

WiFi 2.0 is characterized by:

• Multiple locations and/or mesh splash page portals
• User revenues and or sponsor-based revenues generated
• Partial or fully branded by location or provider
• Location-based content and advertising
• Survey and other tools to gather intelligence about users

History of wi-fi (Wireless network)

2009-08-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

Wi-Fi hotspots were first proposed by Brett Stewart at the NetWorld+Interop conference in The Moscone Center in San

Francisco in August 1993. Stewart did not use the term 'hotspot' but referred to public accessible wireless LANs.

Stewart went on to found the companies PLANCOM in 1994 (for Public LAN Communications, which became MobileStar and

then the hotspot arm of T-Mobile) and subsequently Wayport in 1996.

The term 'HotSpot' may have first been advanced by Nokia about five years after Stewart first proposed the concept.
During the dot-com boom and subsequent bust in 2000, dozens of companies like WPMedia of the Rural Agriculture town

of Kingstree SC had the notion that Wi-Fi could become the payphone for broadband.

Although WPMedia Inc. invented, developed and patented United States Patent 7,035,281, <[1] (retrieved on 2007-09-

20) the concept of authenication, metering and billing for public domain WiFi use, the company's implementation

never expanded beyond a few hundred square miles. The original notion was that users would pay for broadband access

at hotspots and then expand to a completely roaming network. Although some companies like T-mobile, and Boingo have

had some success with charging for access, over 90% of the over 300,000 hotspots offer free service to entice

customers to their venue.

Free hotspots continue to grow. Wireless networks that cover entire cities, such as municipal broadband have

mushroomed. MuniWireless reports that over 300 metropolitan projects have been started.
Many business models have emerged for hotspots. The final structure of the hotspot marketplace will ultimately have

to consider the intellectual property rights of the early movers; portfolios of more than 1000 allowed and pending

patent claims are held by some of these parties.

Commercial hotspots

A commercial hotspot may feature:

• A captive portal that users are redirected to for authentication and payment
• A payment option using credit card, PayPal, BOZII, iPass, or other payment service
• A walled garden feature that allows free access to certain sites
Many services provide payment services to hotspot providers, for a monthly fee or commission from the end-user

income. ZoneCD is a Linux distribution that provides payment services for hotspots who wish to deploy their own

service.

Major airports and business hotels are more likely to charge for service. Most hotels provide free service to

guests; and increasingly small airports and airline lounges offer free service.

FON is a European company that allows users to share their wireless broadband and sells excess bandwidth to outside

users (Aliens). Since this may breach users terms of service FON has agreements with many broadband providers /

ISPs.

The nature of commercial WiFi has seen a profound shift since its first adoption. Much like O’Reilly’s term “Web

2.0” has come to represent the current and next generation of web sites and web applications like Wikipedia,

Craig’s List, blogging, and Google’s personalized homepage, Joshua Beil coined the term "WiFi 2.0" to represent the

evolution of commercial WiFi.

Whereas WiFi 1.0 was characterized by:
• Single location, short range
• Non revenue generating or manual methods of revenue collection
• Unsecure or WEP
• No branding
• No localized content/advertising
• No gathering of user demographic data

WiFi 2.0 is characterized by:

• Multiple locations and/or mesh splash page portals
• User revenues and or sponsor-based revenues generated
• Partial or fully branded by location or provider
• Location-based content and advertising
• Survey and other tools to gather intelligence about users

What is it about WI-FI

2009-08-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

Wi-Fi Logo

A logo from the Wi-Fi Alliance that certifies network devices comply with the IEEE 802.11 wireless Ethernet standards. In the early 2000s, Wi-Fi/802.11 became widely used (initially 802.11b, then 802.11g), and within a short time, all laptops and other handheld devices came with Wi-Fi built in. Earlier laptops can be Wi-Fi enabled by plugging in a Wi-Fi adapter via the USB port or PC Card. For details about how Wi-Fi fits into a home or office network, see wireless LAN.

What's in a Name?

Wi-Fi sounds a lot like "hi-fi," thus it is mistaken to stand for "wireless fidelity." Although the term may have been inspired by "high-fidelity," Wi-Fi is officially just a catchy name, not "wireless fidelity."

A hotspot is a venue that offers Wi-Fi access. The public can use a laptop, Wi-Fi phone, or other suitable portable device to access the Internet. Of the estimated 150 million laptops, 14 million PDAs, and other emerging Wi-Fi devices sold per year for the last few years, most include the Wi-Fi feature.

For venues that have broadband service, offering wireless access is as simple as purchasing one AP and connecting the AP with the gateway box.

Hotspots are often found at restaurants, train stations, airports, libraries, coffee shops, bookstores, fuel stations, department stores, supermarkets and other public places. Many universities and schools have wireless networks in their campus.

A Wirless Network Bridge (WI-FI Technology for dummies)

2009-08-11T05:07:00.000-07:00

A wireless bridge can be used to connect networks, typically of different types. A wireless Ethernet bridge allows the connection of devices on a wired Ethernet network to a wireless network. The bridge acts as the connection point to the Wireless LAN-wireless local area network - (Pronouced as WLAN /W-lan/, or "LAWN" /lorn/, sometimes "WiLAN" /wi-lan/)

A communication system that transmits and receives data using modulated electromagnetic waves, implemented as an extension to, or as an alternative for, a wired LAN. WLANs are typically found within a small client node-dense locale (e.g. a campus or office building), or anywhere a traditional network cannot be deployed for logistical reasons.

Benefits of a Wireless Bridge include user mobility in the coverage area, speed and simplicity of physical setup, and scalability. Being a military spin-off, WLANs also provide security features such as encryption, frequency hopping, and firewalls.

Some of these are intrinsic to the protocol, making WLANs at least as secure as wired networks, and usually more

so. The drawbacks are high initial cost (mostly hardware), limited range, possibility of mutual interference, and the need for security-enable clients.

WLAN Architecture for WIFI technology

2009-08-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

Station

All components that can connect into a wireless medium in a network are referred to as stations. All stations are equipped with wireless network interface cards (WNICs). Wireless stations fall into one of two categories: access points and clients.

• Access points

Access points (APs) are base stations for the wireless network. They transmit and receive radio frequencies for wireless enabled devices to communicate with.

• Clients

Wireless clients can be mobile devices such as laptops, personal digital assistants, IP phones, or fixed devices such as desktops and workstations that are equipped with a wireless network interface.

Benefits of WLAN(Wi-Fi technology)

2009-08-11T04:39:00.000-07:00

The popularity of wireless LANs is a testament primarily to their convenience, cost efficiency, and ease of integration with other networks and network components. The majority of computers sold to consumers today come pre-equipped with all necessary wireless LAN technology.

The benefits of wireless LANs include:

• Convenience: The wireless nature of such networks allows users to access network resources from nearly any convenient location within their primary networking environment (home or office). With the increasing saturation of laptop-style computers, this is particularly relevant.

• Mobility: With the emergence of public wireless networks, users can access the internet even outside their normal work environment. Most chain coffee shops, for example, offer their customers a wireless connection to the internet at little or no cost.

• Productivity: Users connected to a wireless network can maintain a nearly constant affiliation with their desired network as they move from place to place. For a business, this implies that an employee can potentially be more productive as his or her work can be accomplished from any convenient location.

• Deployment: Initial setup of an infrastructure-based wireless network requires little more than a single access point. Wired networks, on the other hand, have the additional cost and complexity of actual physical cables being run to numerous locations (which can even be impossible for hard-to-reach locations within a building).

• Expandability: Wireless networks can serve a suddenly-increased number of clients with the existing equipment. In a wired network, additional clients would require additional wiring.

• Cost: Wireless networking hardware is at worst a modest increase from wired counterparts. This potentially increased cost is almost always more than outweighed by the savings in cost and labor associated to running physical cables.

Disadvantages

Wireless LAN technology, while replete with the conveniences and advantages described above, has its share of downfalls. For a given networking situation, wireless LANs may not be desirable for a number of reasons. Most of these have to do with the inherent limitations of the technology.

• Security: Wireless LAN transceivers are designed to serve computers throughout a structure with uninterrupted service using radio frequencies. Because of space and cost, the antennas typically present on wireless networking cards in the end computers are generally relatively poor. In order to properly receive signals using such limited antennas throughout even a modest area, the wireless LAN transceiver utilizes a fairly considerable amount of power.

What this means is that not only can the wireless packets be intercepted by a nearby adversary's poorly-equipped computer, but more importantly, a user willing to spend a small amount of money on a good quality antenna can pick up packets at a remarkable distance; perhaps hundreds of times the radius as the typical user. In fact, there are even computer users dedicated to locating and sometimes even cracking into wireless networks, known as wardriver. On a wired network, any adversary would first have to overcome the physical limitation of tapping into the actual wires, but this is not an issue with wireless packets. To combat this consideration, wireless networks users usually choose to utilize various encryption technologies available such as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). Some of the older encryption methods, such as WEP are known to have weaknesses that a dedicated adversary can compromise.

• Range: The typical range of a common 802.11g network with standard equipment is on the order of tens of meters. While sufficient for a typical home, it will be insufficient in a larger structure. To obtain additional range, repeaters or additional access points will have to be purchased. Costs for these items can add up quickly. Other technologies are in the development phase, however, which feature increased range, hoping to render this disadvantage irrelevant.

• Reliability: Like any radio frequency transmission, wireless networking signals are subject to a wide variety of interference, as well as complex propagation effects beyond the control of the network administrator. In the case of typical networks, modulation is achieved by complicated forms of phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), making interference and propagation effects all the more disturbing. As a result, important network resources such as servers are rarely connected wirelessly.

• Speed: The speed on most wireless networks (typically 1-108 Mbit/s) is reasonably slow compared to the slowest common wired networks (100 Mbit/s up to several Gbit/s). There are also performance issues caused by TCP and its built-in congestion avoidance. For most users, however, this observation is irrelevant since the speed bottleneck is not in the wireless routing but rather in the outside network connectivity itself.

For example, the maximum ADSL throughput (usually 8 Mbit/s or less) offered by telecommunications companies to general-purpose customers is already far slower than the slowest wireless network to which it is typically connected. That is to say, in most environments, a wireless network running at its slowest speed is still faster than the internet connection serving it in the first place. However, in specialized environments, the throughput of a wired network might be necessary. Newer standards such as 802.11n are addressing this limitation and will support peak throughputs in the range of 100-200 Mbit/s.

Wireless LANs present a host of issues for network managers. Unauthorized access points, broadcasted SSIDs, unknown stations, and spoofed MAC addresses are just a few of the problems addressed in WLAN troubleshooting. Most network analysis vendors, such as Network Instruments, Network General, and Fluke, offer WLAN troubleshooting tools or functionalities as part of their product line.

What is WLAN?

2009-08-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

A wireless LAN written WLAN is a wireless local area network. This is the linking of two or more computers without using wires. WLAN utilizes a technology based on radio wave to enable communication between devices in a limited area, also known as the basic service set. This gives users the mobility to move around within a broad coverage area and still be connected to the network.

For the home user, wireless has become popular due to ease of installation, and location freedom with the gaining popularity of laptops Public businesses such as hotels, offices, coffee shops or malls have begun to offer wireless access to their customers; some are even provided as a free service. Large wireless network projects are being put up in many major cities.

The first generation of wireless data modems was developed in the early 1980's by amateur radio operators. They added a voice and data communication modem, with data rates below 9600 bit/s, to an existing short distance radio system, typically in the two meter amateur band. The second generation of wireless modems was developed immediately after the FCC announcement in the experimental bands for non-military use of the spread spectrum technology. These modems provided data rates on the order of hundreds of kbit/s. The third generation of wireless modem [then] aimed at compatibility with the existing LANs with data rates on the order of Mbit/s. Several companies [developed] the third generation products with data rates above 1 Mbit/s and a couple of products [had] already been announced [by the time of the first IEEE Workshop on Wireless LANs]."[4]

This was the first time Wireless LAN became publicly available at consumer pricing and easily available for home use. Before the release of the Airport, Wireless LAN was too expensive for consumer use and used exclusively in large corporate settings.

Originally WLAN hardware was so expensive that it was only used as an alternative to cabled LAN in places where cabling was difficult or impossible. Early development included industry-specific solutions and proprietary protocols, but at the end of the 1990s these were replaced by standards, primarily the various versions of IEEE 802.11 WI-FI

Wifi for Dummies: Security and Email

2009-07-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

Most wifi users make use of public domain email server with the wrong feeling that their mails is private, the fact is; it is very easy to counterfeit emails; i.e., to send email as if it came from an important person. This in fact means forging the senders credential to unsuspecting recipient.

It is common for your email to be read while it is being transmitted: left to its own, email is like an open letter addressed to someone. Security agencies world over are looking at emails via computerized scans.

Anyone could send you email posing as someone else or using systems that can shield their email address and replace it with another, this action can be very disturbing.
It is also quite easy for someone to alter the content of email after it has left your machine: this requires more technical skills then the simple forging of a return address, but standard internet email provides no protection against it.

Some public email system use a form of authentication to which attaches it to the sender of all messages, and the software used to read email checks this. This system can verify whether or not an email has been compromised. To get out of the so called wifi for dummies email scams, then you should install a digital certificate on your computer.

Digital signatures provide evidence who email comes from, and that it has not been compromised in anyway. All wifi users should form a habit of using digital signatures for vital email; you will have a lot of credibility if you ever need to disown forged mail that appears to be from you. They also allow you to encrypt email so that no one can read it except the recipient.

A favorite trick of junk-mail senders (spammers), is simply done on the return address, you simply alter your email address in the settings in your email software i.e. your email "client") The next message you send will have the forged return address; the only way to discover this is by checking for inconsistency indicating that the mail is probably fake, but it is very demanding.

With digital keys, you can also encrypt a message so that it is only readable by the recipient. Signing a message proves who it came from, but anyone can read the message in transit through the internet (although changing the message invalidates the signature). Encrypting makes sure the message is unreadable during transit.

Before you can encrypt a message to someone, you need their "public key", which you get automatically if they send you a signed message. It is also possible to get public keys from directories, if your desired correspondent has stored their public key with a directory.

Wifi for dummies: 5 baby steps to connect your laptop to wifi client(windows)

2009-07-30T08:06:00.001-07:00

Laptops support the convenience of movement, since you can connect to the internet from anywhere as long as it has wi-fi network or wifi network as popularly used. You can do online games or expand your office task venue to various locations, work at your favorite coffee shop, which is a attractive satisfying experience. As long as your laptop has a wireless card installed or is it has internal adaptor it can get to the internet. Just configure the wireless connections as it should be and you’ll be browsing the net in no time.

It is assumed that the wifi network is within range i.e. your laptop is within the radius of the transmitting router or access point(AP) and you laptop wireless capability is enabled with the appropriate driver installed.

Step 1: Start up your computer and allow it to boot completely

Step 2: Check somewhere at the bottom left corner of your screen(the task bar or system tray) you will find the wifi connection icon

step3: Right click on the wifi connection icon and select view available network or connect to a nectwork for vista

step 4: Sellect the SSID of the network you want to connect to and click connnect

step 5: When you are prompted to fill in the network key which is a 10 digit combination of
letters and numbers, you type in the key giving you by the network administrator, select the security level either WEP or WPA and then connect

Alternetively,

step 1: From step 3 above click on "Properties."

step 2: Select the tab to scan available network.

step 3: Select your SSID and click on add at the bottom of the dialog box

step 4: If however your Wifi network isn't in the "Available Networks" section, then you need to manually include it

Step 5: Add your network SSID, WEP key and click on ok

If you are a Mac usersand you wish to connectto wifi, then you have no problem because Macs are user-friendly, so naturally, their wireless settings are easy to configure. Only make sure your Macbook has an AirPort card. This is your laptop’s means of picking up wireless signals.

To configure your wifi, follow the following steps:

Step 1: Click on the Apple logo, which opens the main menu.

Step 2: Select Applications and Click on Internet Connect, which pulls up the Internet Connect screen.

Step 3: View the tabs then click on AirPort

Step 4: Turn on the AirPort. It will, then, pick up the wireless networks in area. Click on a wireless network

Step 5: . Supply a user name and a password, if necessary. Open Safari and enjoy your time online.

Wi-fi Technology

2009-07-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

WiFi is another word used to describe wireless internet or wireless network, its often used by none technical users who is only knowledgeable on how to access wireless internet network. WiFi is essentially an acronym meaning wireless fidelity. It could also be possible that some advance user may be ignorant of this terminology. More or less it is sometimes referred to as Wifi. The term Wi-Fi term is written in many ways such as, Wifi, WiFi, WIFI, Wi-Fi, fiwi etc.

Origin

Wi-Fi was introduced by Wi-Fi alliance in 1985. At that time it wasn't widely used but were just restrcted to certain organizations for testing purposes. Wi-Fi Alliance pioneered the development of WiFi technology, hence all the hardware associated with Wifi is mostly certified by Wifi Alliance compliance. Wifi later developed this technology and then eventually lunched for public use in USA in 90’s, so became the standards for most of the computer communications in numerous establishments around the world.Wifi standard technology refers to all associated hardware and technology encompassing the 802.11 network standards which is set by IEEE. IEEE is short form of Institute of electric and electronic engineering. There are lots of enhancements made in standards of 802.11 and 802.11a, 802.11b and other dual networks. The latest standard of 802.11 families is 802.11y. Other known standards are 802.16. These are the standards technology referred to as WiMax. In recent times there is an immerging technology which is IEEE 802.3.

Wifi security

The development of wifi networks is still in progress. Wifi for the most part is extensively used network world wide and many companies like banks transfer their sensitive data using Wireless networks. With this increased use of Wireless network, it brings potentially risk for critical data of users or organization. Data can be encrypted before sending it through wifi network even highly sensitive. WiFi security mechanism must ensures certain level of data integrity and confidentiality just as wired network provides. However, if proper security measures are not adopted, intruders can attack the network and can cause major damage to not only network but privacy of users.

Neatness of office area

There was a time when cables were used to network many computers simultaneously. Hardware like routers, hubs, switches etc took over wired communication between computers. It has brought high tech change in communication of computers by enabling wireless connectivity. It just keeps things very simple without much hassle and networks connections can be made far more easily. No wires are required. Wireless network keeps environment very tidy and more organised. There are many other features of Wireless LANs for example high speed connectivity. Wifi provides high speed connectivity and faster communication where cables are not practical to integrate for example in remote areas. The important features associated with it included Site survey, enterprise grade equipment, Scalability of systems, VPN Compatibility, flexible authentication methods, Guest satisfaction, End user mobility and easy access through Hotspots.

WiFi supports two different modes;

They are infrastructure and the ad hoc. The Ad hoc Wireless connections can be made without the use of the device called router or access point. Most network administrators prefer ad hoc over infrastructure mode. Ad hoc however have issues that must be tackled from time to time. Wifi devices connected using Ad hoc mode offers less security against unauthorized users. Ad hoc mode configuration that not permit disabling SSID broadcast in contrast to infrastructure mode, this brings hackers into play, and using ad hoc mode it is not very difficult for intruders to enter into the wireless network. There are two major differences between these two modes which is the rate at which data is transmitted accross the network. Wifi network standard 802.11g requires Ad hoc mode of communication to support 11Mbps bandwidth in contrast to it 54Mbps data transfer which is supported using infrastructure mode. Hence Ad hoc mode is considered much slower than Infrastructure mode.

Wireless based networks usage is becoming more popular in most develope countries; every organization is acquiring it if it was not using it before. Some cities have actually provided the entire city a wifi and turn the city into hotspot, big example in front of us is Chicago. Chicago have installed huge transmitter in shape of big size dish of Wifi which broadcast Wireless LAN radio signals throughout the city. It provides high speed internet connectivity very cheaply. Laptops, desktop computers, PDAs and other Wireless LAN card installed devices can access the network and get high speed connectivity on move. WiFi users is increasing by the day and so the hardware manufacturers are manufacturing the products on large scale scale. These products are easily available in market with reasonable cost. Laptops, PDAs, mother boards of latest desktop computer now come with built-in wireless LAN cards. If it is not installed already in your laptop one can buy PCMCI slot wifi card to install for accessing wireless network. Wifi PCI cards are also widely available in market. Now USB wifi are also ailable for short range but still works good.

Intelligent routers are available in market which works to connect different devices to wireless network. These routers can be configured with or without PC. All is required to plug internet cable in Ethernet or USB port to router’s appropriate port. When internet is available to routers it can be configured using its control panel using IP 192.168.1.1. That’s where we can enable SSID broadcasting or disable it and perform other functions. PCs can also be attached to routers for more advance management which routers cannot performs. PCs are mostly required to be used where network is huge and keeping and maintaining its integrity and stability is very important.

In this modern era everyone wants everything wireless, Wifi belongs to wireless technology family. There are so many other wireless technologies which have evolved around the time and Wifi is now been taken for granted and internet users in the world is now talking about much advanced and enhanced wireless network known as WiMax. WiMax is an advanced technology which goes several steps ahead of Wifi technology on many bases which includes Speed at which data is transferred, range with which connection is made and so much more.

Lets keep our fingers crossed as we see emerging technology one wonders which technology replace WiMax .

Wifi for Dummies

2009-07-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

Wifi and wireless connection for newbie’s could become a daunting task without the help of a competent hand. You want a home wireless network, but you're afraid it won't work. Here's how to do it right.Wireless networking is the best thing to happen to the Internet since the browser, but whoever came up with it should have tested it at home first.

The current crop of 802.11 wifi equipment can reach through a room or two, but many homeowners find it's not enough to cover the entire house and yard. Wi-Fi (wifi) uses a microwave radio signal to reach through walls, floors, and ceilings, just like a cordless phone. But these obstacles also dampen the signal just as they do with the phone. The advertised range for Wi-Fi is 150 feet indoors and 300 feet outdoors, but in real life it often fails to reach from the kitchen to the living room, or upstairs to the bedroom.When you want to connect your computer to a local area network you use a RG45 connector cable but if you want to connect you presero or HP Laptop having a wifi capability to the Internet you don’t need to plug a network cable into your computer. Wifi for dummies will show any net user determined to exercise his inalienable right to surf the Web from the swimming pool, or someone that want to blanket an entire property with Wi-Fi, using only off-the-shelf consumer hardware and without running more cables.

That meant setting up multiple Wi-Fi bases ("access points," as they're called) linked back to a single DSL line which you connect via the wireless router, a device that connects to the LAN and the high speed/ broadband internet modem by wire, and then shares those connections through wireless radio signals with wireless users in range.

Laptops come with a wireless-transceiver which simplifies Wifi connection on high-speed Internet access. Wifi adaptors in laptops makes it easy to connect computers, printers, fax machines, and phones into a single communication network without having to string wires around your office.

This article: wifi for dummies will not be complete if I don’t explain some simple facts;

A Wifi network is made up of wireless routers; sometimes it may involve a series of routers of AirPort Extreme, Linksys or Belkin. In order to set up a Wifi network, you need a broadband ISP connection, a cable or DSL modem, a wireless router, and a set of wireless receiving devices for the wireless clients you expect to access the LAN which is your laptop.

Fundamentally, there are two types of wireless networks:

Wireless Distribution Systems: WDS; the most common business networks today) and Mesh networks. The fundamental difference is that Mesh networks provide automatic discovery and configuration. That means if one of the links in a Mesh network fails, the network attempts to find an alternative path around the failed router.

If a WDS link fails, you're out of luck until a technician fixes the router or creates a different connection. WDS systems require the network administrator to configure all connections between Access Points manually so each Access Point knows where to find all the other APs in the matrix; Mesh does the job automatically.

Technical issues this wifi for dummies should not include: Ignore it if you care!

All wireless network devices are based on the IEEE's 802.11 standard, but there are 4 flavors:The original standard, 802.11b, is still quite common. It operates at 2.4 GHz and generally achieves 6 Mbps of actual data transfer. One reason that rates so low is that in this frequency range interference from other wireless devices like phones, other notebook computers, even microwave ovens slow the signal. 802.11a was a step up from 802.11b. It operates at a higher frequency (5.8 GHz) in order to avoid wireless interference, but at the same time it is more vulnerable to signal loss through walls and other obstacles, so its range of service is smaller. An 802.11a AP may only cover an area 25 percent as large as an 802.11b AP.

Theoretically data rates can reach to 54 Mbps, but in reality most users seldom exceed 15 or 20 Mbps. 802.11a equipment tends to be pricier than 802.11b. 802.11g, the current standard, splits the differences between "b" and "a" by using 802.11a's higher bit-rate along with "b"s lower frequency band. Real-life throughput is only 25 Mbps, but area coverage is better than "a," and "g" equipment is backward-compatible with the b standard. 802.11n, the wave of the future, is still under construction, but it promises to deliver throughput up to 50 times greater than b, and 10 times greater than a or g.

Power to the AP

If you spend much time looking at Wifi equipment specifications, you'll start seeing the acronym "POE" fairly often. That stands for Power over Ethernet, and it refers to technology that provides connection to Access Points and even remote wireless routers without needing to plug them into a wall outlet. The power comes down the same Ethernet cable as the data. It comes in very handy for deploying APs quickly and inexpensively.

Be sure to follow the instructions slowly and type in configuration numbers carefully. Unlike most computer setup operations, mis-configuring a wireless base can have dire consequences—including disabling all your wireless hardware. To start configuration poke at the factory reset buttons with a paper clip to start over from scratch.The most important factor in Wi-Fi is location.

Distance saps wireless strength, and so do most construction materials. Keep your base stations away from solid walls and doors, as well as any metal objects or computer equipment. Put them near windows or hollow walls instead. Our test home's lightweight California stucco walls turned out to have impenetrable wire mesh inside them. To reach outside, we placed the unit in sight of a window facing the pool. Most home window glass is transparent to microwaves as well as light, so a window is better than a wall or a door.Walls and other equipment indoors interfere with the radio signal and reduce the radius of effective wireless coverage. You can expect to get an effective 100 foot radius of indoor service from a router or AP, and 300 feet outdoor (where there are fewer obstacles to interfere with the radio waves).

To expand the service area of your wireless network, you can add additional APs and interconnect those using standard Ethernet cables or special wireless connections. If you're fortunate enough to live somewhere bigger, additional bases on upper and lower floors will stretch your network's range. This device have spherical coverage pattern into a circular disk that reaches further horizontally, at the expense of vertical coverage to floors above or below. Before you buy more hardware, though, it's always worth moving the base station to a different spot, rotating it, or standing it on its side.

The results may defy common sense, but go with what works.Under our plan blanketing your estate in Wi-Fi will cost at least $249 and could run to a thousand bucks or more for a castle in the Hamptons. But as with your first computer or first Internet connection, you'll get a return on investment that can't be counted in the household budget.

The first time you dispose of a tedious backlog of e-mail while kicking back in your favorite lawn chair, you'll know instantly your new network is worth every penny.The average user has no idea of the risks associated with public Wi-Fi hotspots. Here are some very simple tips for them to keep their network access secure. Many hotels provide free wireless access with little or no security in cooperated into it. Anyone who uses free WiFi without understanding inherent data risks is left at the mercy of hackers

WEP and WPA

Most people know by now that they should connect to a wireless connection using one of two encryption technologies: either WEP OR WPA Sure, WPA is a heck of a lot better than WEP, but even WEP is better than nothing. However, that's what most hotels use: nothing. Free wireless is an add-on, so they want to keep costs low. WEP or WPA would add additional complications and expense, and additional customer support where none would be available, so most hotels just run their wireless wide open. That means that unless you're specifically given a WEP or WPA key to enter, assume that everything your computer is sending or receiving is sent in the clear. Meaning, anyone who knows what they're doing can see many of your passwords once you type them in.

To use that wireless connection securely, then, you need to worry about the programs you're using to access the Net.Wifi users use the web for sending and receiving email, and IM friends and associates. Sure, lots of programs use the Net in some way, but the three I just mentioned are the most common.

Web: When it comes to web browsers at the hotel, there's one big piece of advice you should adhere to: don't use Internet Explorer! Yes, Microsoft has released a preview of the beta of the forthcoming IE7, and it does look better in a lot of ways (although holes were found almost immediately upon its release, but hey, it's a preview of a beta), but that final release is still a long ways off. For now, use IE 6 only if you are absolutely forced to.So what should you use instead? Use Firefox, Opera - or Safari if you're a Mac user. All three are free, powerful yet easy to use, and all are safer than Internet Explorer. I'm partial to Firefox but you should be interested in Firefox for its excellent security record (especially when compared to Internet Explorer's truly abysmal security problems) and the extensions that help you secure the browser and your Internet usage even more.

Once you have your browser open, use your head. Avoid web sites in which you're viewing or entering user names, passwords, account numbers, credit card numbers, social security numbers, and other sensitive data ... unless those sites use https instead of http. If you have to log in somewhere, but the web page's URL begins with https, then it's using a technology called SSL, and it's OK; if the URL begins with http, be careful.

If you're just reading the news or sports scores, don't worry about it, but if you're working with sensitive data, do not view or enter information on those types of pages.If your company provides you with VPN access on your laptop, use it. That's a sure fire way to ensure that everything you send and receive is encrypted, and it makes your surfing much safer.

Email

You can check your email in two ways: using a web browser, or using an email program running on your computer (like Outlook, Outlook Express, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Eudora, and others). Let's talk about each of those in turn. Email via Web Browser. There are companies that provide email primarily through web browsers, like Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo! Mail, but most ISPs who allow people to download their email using programs also provide access to that same email using web browsers. Most every web mail out there provides a secure (https) page for logging in to check your email, but that's it. Your password will be safe, but none of your emails. Reading and writing emails is done using plain http, which means that everything is sent in the clear, not good.

I like Gmail a lot, but Gmail doesn't use https for reading emails (it does use it for logging in, though). To get around that, I installed the Customize Google extension for Firefox (and it only works in Firefox). Once the extension is installed, go to Tools > Customize Google Options. Go to the Gmail tab and make sure that "Secure (switch to https)" is checked. Press OK to close the window, and you're done. Now you'll log in to Gmail on an https page, and you'll read and send mail on https pages as well.

I like this solution because you don't have to think about it again.You can switch to https once you're in Gmail by simply clicking in your address bar, changing the http to https, and then loading the page. Now everything is secure ... as long as you don't close your browser. If you do, you need to manually change to https again, and again.

The Customize Google extension does this automatically, so it's a better solution.Hotmail offers a "secure mode" that uses SSL, but by default you login at an insecure http page, just like you do with Yahoo! - which isn't good. For either service you can click on the tiny "Sign in using enhanced security" or "Submit over SSL" link that most people will never see.

Advice

Furthermore, it is advisable to use access points all of the same model of hardware, rather than mixing one kind of central base station with different satellite units as I have noticed some tech guys do. Finally, you should chosen wifi equipment that has mass-market consumer hardware, not something sold to the "enterprise" niche of office IT professionals. That way, one could send any dummy to the mall with only one model of gadget to purchase, one for which they could find enough customer support. So that we could start with one, and then keep adding more of them until they covered the whole house.

Conclusion

It's possible to use your laptop safely in a hotel, but you have to take a bit of responsibility for that security. You'll need to use your common sense, change a few habits, and perhaps install and use some new software. I know that this is a lot for most people, but aren't your private data and conversations worth it? And if you have any questions, you know who you can call. If you're a security professional reading this column, why not show it to the Philips in your life and offer your help; if you're a Philip, try the advice in this column, and feel free to ask the computer person in your life for aid. I know they'll be glad to help.

My jamb exams result

2009-07-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.myjambexams.com/ a site for checking jamb result and printing of University admission letter. This site is very slow i must confess.
Dmegs is an excellent Web directory, check it out
Dmegs Web Directory

To be on a safer side try opening the site during the period where fewer person visite the site to check there result like 8pm till the early hours of the morining i.e. 6am

The step to take to check your result and to properly print the result in an acceptable manner is as follows:

How To

1. Select Examination Type

2. Select Year of Examination

3. Enter Your Card PIN Number

4. Enter Your Registration Number

5. "Check Result" or "Proceed"

6. Use a coloured printer.

I think this problem can be attributed to:

low server capacity with so many net users trying to gain access to the server at the same time, thousands or even millions of clients hitting the web site in a short interval of time.

Some computer worms sometimes cause abnormal traffic due to its spread over millions of computers over the net.

Alot of servers have limited bandwidth available for use and some large web sites with very few resources which sometimes cause abnormal traffic because of millions of infected computers