- •About the Authors
- •Dedication
- •Contents at a Glance
- •Table of Contents
- •Introduction
- •About This Book
- •System Requirements
- •How This Book Is Organized
- •Part I: Wireless Networking Fundamentals
- •Part II: Making Plans
- •Part III: Installing a Wireless Network
- •Part IV: Using a Wireless Network
- •Part V: The Part of Tens
- •Icons Used in This Book
- •Where to Go from Here
- •Nothing but Net(work): Why You Need (Or Want) One
- •File sharing
- •Printer and peripheral sharing
- •Internet connection sharing
- •Home arcades and wireless to go
- •Wired versus Wireless
- •Installing wired home networks
- •Installing wireless home networks
- •Picking a Wireless Standard
- •Planning Your Wireless Home Network
- •Workstations and servers
- •Network infrastructure
- •Network interface adapters
- •Get the (Access) Point?
- •Industry Standards
- •Who or What Is Bluetooth?
- •Wi-Fi versus Bluetooth
- •Piconets, Masters, and Slaves
- •Wirelessly synching your PDAs
- •Wireless printing and data transfer
- •Integrating HPNA and HomePlug with Your Wireless Home Network
- •Home Phoning (ET Got It Backward!)
- •Network Power(line)!
- •Deciding What Is Connected to the Network
- •Counting network devices
- •Choosing wired or wireless
- •Choosing a wireless technology
- •Choosing an access point
- •Deciding where to install the AP
- •Adding printers
- •Adding entertainment and more
- •Connecting to the Internet
- •Budgeting for Your Wireless Network
- •Pricing access points
- •Pricing wireless network adapters
- •A sample budget
- •Planning Security
- •Selecting Access Points
- •Certification and Standards Support
- •Compatibility and Form Factor
- •DHCP servers
- •Gateways, NAT, and cable/DSL routers
- •Switches
- •Print servers
- •Operational Features
- •Security
- •Range and Coverage Issues
- •Manageability
- •Web-based configuration
- •Software programming
- •Telnetting to your device
- •Upgradeable firmware
- •Price
- •Warranties
- •Customer and Technical Support
- •Before Getting Started, Get Prepared
- •Setting Up the Access Point
- •Preparing to install a wireless AP
- •Installing the AP
- •Configuring AP parameters
- •Changing the AP Configuration
- •Installing device drivers and client software
- •PC Cards and mini-PCI cards
- •Compact Flash cards
- •PCI and ISA cards
- •USB adapters
- •Modifying Wireless Network Adapters
- •Synchronizing and Internet Access
- •Wireless Zero Configuration with XP
- •Easy installation
- •Automatic network connections
- •Tracking Your Network’s Performance
- •Apple AirPort Hardware
- •Pick an AirPort Card, any card
- •Apple AirPort Software Updates
- •AirPort 2.0 software
- •AirPort 2.0.4 software
- •AirPort 2.0.5 software
- •AirPort 2.1.1 software
- •OS 9 Wireless Networks
- •Installing AirPort software on Mac OS 9
- •Upgrading AirPort Base Station firmware on OS 9
- •OS X Wireless Networks
- •Installing the AirPort software on OS X
- •Upgrading AirPort Base Station firmware on OS X
- •Adding another computer to your AirPort network on OS X
- •Connection sharing
- •Routers and gateways
- •Sharing dialup Internet connections
- •Obtaining an IP Address Automatically
- •Windows 9x
- •Windows 2000
- •Windows XP
- •Setting Up Internet Connection Sharing
- •Windows 98 SE and Windows Me
- •Windows 2000
- •Windows XP
- •Mac OS X v. 10.2 (Jaguar)
- •Assessing the Risks
- •General Internet security
- •Airlink security
- •How about a bit more about WEP?
- •What’s wrong with WEP?
- •Clamping Down on Your Wireless Home Network’s Security
- •Getting rid of the defaults
- •Enabling WEP
- •Closing your network
- •Looking into the Crystal Ball
- •Waiting for WPA
- •The future: 802.11i
- •A Networking Review
- •Basic networking terminology
- •Setting up a workgroup
- •Will You Be My Neighbor?
- •Sharing a document or folder on Windows 95/98/Me
- •Enabling sharing on Windows 2000/XP
- •Setting permissions
- •Accessing shared files
- •Be Economical: Share Those Peripherals
- •Setting up a print server
- •Sharing other peripherals
- •PC Gaming Hardware Requirements
- •Networking Requirements for PC Gaming
- •Console online gaming services and equipment
- •Console wireless networking equipment
- •Dealing with Router Configurations
- •Getting an IP address
- •Dealing with port forwarding
- •Setting Up a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
- •Wireless Home Entertainment Gear
- •Expanding Your Home Entertainment Center with Wireless Adapters
- •The Home Media Player
- •The Home Theater PC
- •Internet Content for Your Media Players and HTPCs
- •Making a Connection to Your Car
- •Your car’s path to wireless enlightenment
- •Synching your car stereo with home
- •Getting online with your own car PC
- •Picking wireless gear for your car
- •Using your PDA as a remote control
- •Whole home 802.11-based IR coverage
- •See me, feel me, hear me, touch me
- •Discovering Bluetooth Basics
- •Bluetooth Mobile Phones
- •Bluetooth PDAs
- •Other Bluetooth Devices
- •Printers
- •Digital cameras
- •Keyboards and meeses (that’s plural for mouse!)
- •Bluetooth adapters
- •Discovering Public Hot Spots
- •Freenets and open access points
- •For-pay services
- •Using T-Mobile Hot Spots
- •Using Wayport Hot Spots
- •Using Boingo Hot Spots
- •Tools for Finding Hot Spots
- •Netstumbler.com
- •Boingo
- •Check the Obvious
- •Move the Access Point
- •Move the Antenna(s)
- •Change Channels
- •Check for Dual-Band Interference
- •Check for New Obstacles
- •Install Another Antenna
- •Add a Signal Booster
- •Add a Repeater or Bridge
- •Check Your Cordless Phone Frequencies
- •Your Bath
- •Your Car
- •Your Exercise Gear
- •Your Home Appliances
- •Your Musical Instruments
- •Your Pets
- •Your Phones
- •Your Robots
- •Your Wearing Apparel
- •CNET.com
- •802.11 Planet
- •Broadband Wireless Exchange Magazine
- •80211b.weblogger.com
- •PC Magazine
- •Electronic House Magazine
- •Home Automation Magazine
- •Practically Networked
- •ExtremeTech.com
- •Network World
- •Other Cool Sites
- •Index
126 Part III: Installing a Wireless Network
The general guidelines for installing a USB wireless NIC are as follows:
1.Insert the CD that accompanied the USB adapter into the CD-ROM drive.
If the CD’s AutoRun feature doesn’t cause the setup program to start, use the Run command from the Start button (in Windows) or open Windows Explorer to run the Setup.exe program on the CD.
2.Install the wireless station (client) software.
During the installation of the wireless station software, you might be asked to indicate whether you want the USB wireless adapter to be set to infrastructure (access point) mode or to ad hoc (peer-to-peer) mode. Choose infrastructure mode to cause the wireless network adapter to use the AP to communicate with other network devices. You might also be asked for the SSID (network name) and to indicate whether you will use WEP encryption.
3.After the wireless station software is installed, restart the computer.
4.After the computer restarts, attach the USB adapter to one of the computer’s USB ports by running a USB cable from the network adapter to the USB port.
Windows should recognize that you have installed new hardware and will automatically search the hard disk for the driver. When Windows finds the driver, it will enable the driver for the adapter. That’s it — you’re all finished.
Modifying Wireless Network Adapters
Some occasions might warrant modifying one or more of the adapters’ parameters. For example, you might need to change the adapter’s WEP key or SSID to match changes that you have made to the AP. The wireless network adapter’s manufacturer has provided utility software for this purpose. For example, Figure 7-3 shows the ORiNOCO (www.proxim.com) Client Manager program that you can use to select a different wireless network SSID or to change the WEP key. (For more about SSIDs and WEP keys, see the step lists in the first section of this chapter.)
Figure 7-3:
The
ORiNOCO
Client
Manager.
Chapter 7: Setting Up Your Windows PCs for Wireless Networking 127
If you use Windows XP, however, you can use the operating system’s utilities to change settings in your wireless network interface adapter. Windows XP is the first Windows OS that has support for wireless networking built in. We talk about this built-in support in the later section “Windows XP’s Wireless Zero Configuration.”
Synchronizing and Internet Access
To get your Pocket PC to synchronize with your PC through the wireless adapter — and to enable wireless access to the Internet — follow these general steps:
1.On the Pocket PC, choose Start Settings Connections Network
Adapters. Then select the wireless network adapter from the list of installed adapters on the Network Adapters screen and click Properties.
A screen similar to what’s shown in Figure 7-4 appears. Click the
IP Address tab. Marking the default setting (the Use Server-Assigned IP Address radio button) is easiest. The DHCP server on your network that assigns the IP addresses for all the other devices on the network will also assign the IP address for your Pocket PC.
Figure 7-4:
Assigning an IP address for your Pocket PC.
2. Determine the IP address of the PC with which the Pocket PC will synchronize.
•If your PC runs Windows 95/98/SE/Me, choose Start Run, type winipcfg, and then click OK to display the IP Configuration window. Select the PC’s network adapter from the drop-down list. Copy down the IP address for the PC’s network adapter and then close the IP Configuration window.
128 Part III: Installing a Wireless Network
•If your PC runs Windows 2000/XP, choose Start (All) Programs Accessories Command Prompt. In the command prompt window that appears, type ipconfig, and then press Enter. Copy the IP address for the PC’s network adapter and then close the command prompt window.
3.On the Pocket PC, go to the Name Servers tab of the wireless network
adapter’s Properties screen.
You accessed the Properties screen in Step 1; it should still be visible on the Pocket PC.
4.In the WINS text box, enter the PC’s IP address that you copied in Step 4.
Figure 7-5 shows the Name Servers tab with WINS address filled in.
Figure 7-5:
Supplying
a WINS
address.
You should now be able to wirelessly synchronize the Pocket PC with the PC. And if your wireless network is connected to the Internet, you should be able to wirelessly access the Internet on your Pocket PC. To check for the functionality of these two features, proceed to Steps 5 and 6.
5.While the Pocket PC is not in its cradle, choose Start ActiveSync and then click the Sync button (on the ActiveSync screen that appears).
You should see the ActiveSync pop-up window on the PC and a message on the Pocket PC telling you that the two computers are synchronizing.
6Launch Internet Explorer and browse the Internet to find out whether you have wireless access to the Internet.