Title: What You Should Check Before Buying Wireless Equipment

Category: Blog
Author: admin

When you buy wireless equipment, you want to make sure that everything you buy will work in your house with the computer(s) you already have and over the distances required. Before you spend any money on equipment, consider the following issues.

Find out about the construction of your walls. In theory, wireless technology is capable of passing through walls and other obstacles relatively easily. However, in reality, some walls are of a thicker or more solid construction than others and may block some of your wireless signals. You only need to consider the interior walls, of course, and you will need to consider floor construction if you want to use your wireless network on different levels. Materials such as drywall, plywood, other kinds of wood including doors, and glass can be easily penetrated by wireless signals. You could run into trouble with brick, plaster, cement, metal, stone, and double-glazed glass, but it really depends on how porous a material is. If your walls are made of the more difficult materials, your wireless connection may have a shorter range or a slower speed. This means you may have to spend more than you expected to get the kind of equipment that will overcome the structural barriers in your home.

Another thing to check for is potential interference with the wireless frequency range of network. Interference can slow down a network significantly and reduce its range as well. If there is interference, you will know about it because your connection will stop working. The two most common sources of wireless network interference are wireless telephones and microwave ovens. The most common wireless network frequency, 2.4Ghz, is also a popular wireless phone frequency, although you can find phones that operate on other frequencies. Microwaves, however, always operate at about 2.4 Ghz. It is okay to have these devicesin your house, but they should not be in the same room with any computer hooked to your wireless connection.

You should begin your equipment search by determining what you need to create an effective network. You should think about the distances you need to cover and whether you have to go through any stone or brick walls. You can then determine how much you want to spend. If you live in a small house that is made of wood, you can probably buy the least expensive equipment you can find. Remember, the more problems that potentially exist in your network, the more power you need to overcome them, and the more the equipment will cost.

Reading reviews written by experts and other wireless network users can be a big help in selecting equipment. It is always good to get several opinions about a product, particularly if you are buying it online. If you can see somewireless equipment actually in operation, that is even better.

If you are a Windows user, you will have a much easier time implementing your wireless network if you install and/or update to the latest version of Windows. Wireless was not a common technology when previous Windows versions were released, so they do not have built-in support for it. A wireless network will be much easier to set up if you have the Windows XP Service Pack 2 version. It has lots of tools for configuring and using wireless technology that are lacking in other versions.


Title: Tips For Going Wireless With Your Own Notebook Computer

Category: Blog
Author: admin

In this article we are going to look at the basics of a wireless router. How they work and what you can do to make sure it stays that way. If you have a recent model notebook computer you probably have wireless technology built into it. If not you can get a wireless card to install into your notebook to work in conjunction with your wireless router.

Once you are wireless you will know the joy of picking up your computer and walking anywhere around your house with it. Depending on your signal strength you may even be able to hang out on your patio.

Newer notebooks are Wi-Fi ready. It already has the wireless hardware and software built into your computer. Several people in your family may be wireless as well. It is a beautiful thing to see everyone hang out in the family room with their notebooks all able to work or play online at the same time.

You will always be able to connect using the Wi-Fi network at work or steal bandwidth from someone else. There are hotspots everywhere you go including your own neighborhood. You are better off setting up your system in a secure way to avoid your neighbor's doing this to you and then you do not do it to them either.

If you are not wireless yet you will need a few things to convert your home network into a wireless network.

1. You need a Broadband connection using a Cable or DSL modem. You can not have a wireless network if you are on Dial-Up connection
2. A router to broadcast the wireless signal
3. A wireless computer

To set up your wireless network turn off the power to your computers and your Broadband modem. Your computer will communicate with your router automatically when you start it up enabling you to get on the network without any confusion. The router and your notebook should not need any further configuration. The default settings should work.

Your Internet connection should be present. The Modem will have two connections. One for the Cable or DSL modem and one for your computer.

Take the Ethernet cable that is connecting your computer to the Modem. Reconnect it to your wireless router in the WAN connector. If all the cables are correctly placed, you should now be able to get on the Internet from your existing computers and your wireless computers.

A wireless router allows you to communicate to the Internet. A wireless computer communicates to the router. When the two are working in harmony you have a great system that allows you flexibility to enjoy your notebook whenever and wherever you want.


Title: Good Reasons To Have A Wireless Network

Category: Blog
Author: admin

Having a wireless network opens up many possibilities.

Wireless networks provide an inexpensive and easy way to share a single Internet connection among several computers. This means you only need one modem, and you can add additional computers to the network just by plugging in a wireless card and turning them on. The new machines are connected to the Internet immediately.

A wireless network also lets you access files and printers from anywhere in your home. It allows you to synchronize files you have on your laptop with your home computer, and you can easily send files between computers as well. Using awireless network to transfer files is faster than sending them via e-mail or burning them to a CD! Because printers connected to one of the computers on a network are shared by all the computers on that network, you can write documents anywhere in your home, press the 'print' button, and collect the printed files from a printer that is connected to another computer.

If you are a game player, you've probably noticed that your games often have an option to play over a local area network or LAN. Wireless networks are LANs! This means you and your family can play these games together and don't have to be on computers that are next to each other to do so. Let's face it – it's more fun to play against real people, and it's even more fun to play against people you know instead of strangers on the Internet. Your games will also play much faster over your LAN. Additionally, you can connect game consoles to the Internet and begin playing these games online. It is much easier to experience online play through an Xbox or PlayStation 2 that is connected to a wireless network than have to use a modem!

Wireless network connections are always on. This means you can connect to the Internet whenever you want without waiting for your modem to dial in. Laptops can be carried from room to room, and they will always have access to the Internet. Since wireless networks operate without the need to log in, you don't need to set up usernames or passwords.

The single greatest thing about a wireless network is that it is, well, wireless! The biggest reason to have a wireless network is because it eliminates the need for costly, ugly, and dangerous wires trailing all over your house. You can use your computer in any room you want – no more being trapped near a phone outlet or walking over that tangle of wires in your home. The cost of getting enough Ethernet cables can add up, and sometimes, you may even have to make holes in your walls to set up a wired network. If you're renting, of course, this is impossible. With awireless network , you don't have these problems – you can even use your computer outside if you want! And if you move, there is no need to disconnect and pack up all those wires, and you no longer have to examine all the wires for damage whenever yourInternet connection goes down.

You can see how having a wireless network can simplify your life.


Title: Get the Highest Speed Out of Your Wireless Computer Network

Category: Blog
Author: admin

Author: gwalding

When it comes to a wireless standard, the first thing we all look at is how fast will this baby run! And you know the trade-offs, you can spend a lot of money to get the fastest thing running, or you can back off a little and save a lot.

The good thing about wireless networks is that the price difference between wireless standards is almost gone. There are some things that could add up, but I will explain the difference and why you might want to go that route or not.

Now, let's get to the different wireless standards you can choose from.

1. 802.11b – 11Mbit at 2.GHz
2. 802.11a – 54Mbit as 5.0GHz
3. 802.11g – 54Mbit at 2.4GHz
4. Hybrid Systems

When you get ready to purchase your equipment, you will see a lot of systems saying that they are faster than these standards listed above. Most will say 108Mbit per second, some 125Mbit per second and a few even higher. To operate at these speeds usually requires you to only use their network cards to access their access points, some of them require a specific card from them to get that speed. If any other card connects, then they will drop back to the standard speed and you lose the extra speed you probably paid extra to get.

What Should You Get

I was purchasing equipment for a completely new wireless setup. We only had one older wireless computer and I replaced the card in it with a new one. I did purchase a system that advertised the 108Mbit speeds since I knew who was going to connect to it.

If you are building a new network setup, I suggest you purchase a system that will run faster than the standard, but only if you know who is connecting. If not, then get a system that runs on the 802.11g standard. The price is about the same as 802.11b but runs 5 times faster.

Source: Free Articles


Title: Setting Up your Own Wireless Network

Category: Blog
Author: admin

Author: Olly Fallon

Setting up a wireless network to share Internet access, printers, files and more, can be very convenient and cost-effective. Setting up one in your own home or office is even better as you can surf the web anywhere most comfortable for you. Plus, all you need is a router and it's easier to install than people perceive it to be.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 is not really needed for wireless networking, but it provides the easiest method for networking. It also helps protect against hackers, trojans, worms, and other potential Internet intruders. Here are the four steps in creating your own wireless network:

1. Shop for your wireless equipment.

Of course, wireless networking presupposes the fact that you have a computer system that has wireless network adapter or a built-in networking support hardware and a broadband Internet connection. The main component to shop for is the wireless router, which is the hardware responsible for converting the signals coming from your Internet connection into some form of a wireless broadcast. The network adapter allows the computer to wirelessly connect to the router. (Note: Make sure that you get a wireless router, and not an access point.)

2. Connect the wireless router.

First, you need to locate your cable or DSL modem and unplug it. Next, you must connect your wireless router to your modem (modem must be stay directly connected to the Internet). Do this by plugging one end of a network cable into the modem and plug the other end to the Internet, WAN or WLAN port on the router. After hooking everything up, the computer will automatically connect wirelessly to the router, and the router will consequently send information through your modem to the Internet.

3. Configure the wireless router.

Using another network cable, temporarily connect your computer (through the network adapter) to one of the open network ports on your router (make sure the port is not labelled Internet, WAN or WLAN). When turned on, your computer will automatically connect to the router. Afterwards, open the Internet Explorer on your computer and type in the address in order to configure the router. The address (and password in some cases) varies depending on the brand of your router, so you would need to refer to the instruction manual.

When you reach the router's configuration page, you would need to configure the following:

- The wireless network name (SSID). This identifies your network so try to choose something unique.
- The Wireless Encryption (WEP)/Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). These two help protect your wireless network through a passphrase that you will provide. You can make the passphrase unique and long, you don't need to remember it.
- The administrative password. This password controls your wireless network, so choose one that is unique and you will not forget as this is needed to make changes in your router settings.

After filling these up, be sure that you click Save Settings, Apply, or OK to save the information. Afterwards, you may now disconnect the network cable from the computer.

4. Finally, connect your computers.

This method requires Service Pack 2, so if you don't have it yet, plug your computer into the router and download and install SP2. If your computer runs on a Windows XP SP2, it should directly notify you that a wireless network has been detected. To connect to the wireless network, follow these steps:
- Right click this wireless network icon found in the lower right corner of the screen then click on View Available Wireless Networks.
- The Wireless Network Connection should appear shortly and you should see the network name you specified previously. If you don't see it, click Refresh network list at the upper left corner of the window. Once you see the name, click on the Connect button on the lower-right.
- You will then be prompted for the password you entered earlier in the Network key and Confirm network key boxes. Type in this key and click on Connect.
- Windows XP will then show connects the computer to your network and you will be connected shortly.

A Note for Computer Newbies
If you are a computer novice, it is best to purchase an ADSL modem with a built-in wireless router to make wireless networking easier and straightforward.

For integrated ADSL modem-wireless router system, network connection can be done in two simple steps:
1. Connect. You first need to connect the Ethernet cable to the router to the PC, the phone cord from the phone socket to your router, and the power supply.
2. Configure. Once everything is connected, switch the unit on, type the IP address of the router into the web browser, select the connection type and enter the username provided by your Internet service provider.

Source: articlesbase.com


Title: The Advantages of Wireless Internet

Category: Blog
Author: admin

Author: R Shah

Whether you are a business or residential Internet surfer, a wireless Internet connection or Wi-Fi can significantly improve your computing experience with lightning fast broadband speed as well as improved mobility.

With our rapidly growing technology oriented society of personal digital assistants, cell phones, and other mobile technology, the demand for wireless connections with increased broadband width has significantly increased over the last few years.

Wireless Internet connectivity has become more affordable and reliable thanks to the advances in bandwidth technology that provide data transfer up to two megabytes per second where the norm used to be one megabyte. Additionally, a wireless broadband connection is more reliable than a satellite connection because the signal does not have to travel as far for data transfer to commence.

A wireless Internet connection also provides a fast response when you download Web pages and facilitate email messages due to the improved bandwidth technology. Interactive applications such as videoconferencing, chat, gaming, multimedia programs, and social networking, are much easier to use and navigating your computer in general becomes much more efficient.

For the residential Internet surfer, wireless Internet connectivity means being able to access a high speed connection without having to install fiber or any associated extra lines. What’s more is that you can create a complete wireless Internet connection throughout your home that will allow you to access the Internet anywhere within a one-hundred foot range. This means you can sit out on your deck with your laptop if you wish or move about freely within your house without sacrificing Internet connectivity. With wireless Internet you are no longer limited to one room of the house or even one computer.

Wireless Internet connectivity also has a distinct advantage over a network because it is easier and more cost effective to set up without the necessary wires that are usually required for a conventional network configuration.

For the business user, wireless Internet connectivity means the sky is the limit with regard to mobility. Business people are no longer chained to a desk and can network with colleagues from anywhere, at any time, and in any place via email, instant messaging, and Web cam conferencing.

If you have recently purchased a new PC, you will find that most of them are equipped with wireless capability as a standard feature. This nifty feature will automatically find the nearest wireless access point and automatically connect to it, unlike the older methods of having to configure your computer to access a connection.

Wireless Internet connectivity also allows you to use your PC without the complications of devices that require connection with a cable. With a wireless connection, the devices are enabled with what is called Bluetooth capability and they will easily work with any wireless connection.

Wireless technology has also increased its advantages with new breakthrough devices such as wireless stereo speakers, headphones, computer peripherals, televisions, and microphones. Without a doubt, we are rapidly becoming a wireless society and in many ways the advantages are leading to a less stressful and easier way of life in both the personal and professional venues.

Source: ArticlesBase.com

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