WiFi TechnologyWiFi began as a way to extend

home and small office network access without installing more cable. As it’s popularity continues to grow, the technology has adapted to the demands of the market place.

WiFi TechnologyWiFi operates under a set of

compliancy standards set by the IEEE, (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology.

WiFi Technology802.11b was first to reach the

marketplace. It is the slowest and least expensive of three options.

802.11b transmits at 2.4 GHz and sends up to 11 Mbps. While slow, it has a larger range than 802.11a.

802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11g802.11a was next. It operates at 5

GHz and can handle up to 54 Mbps. While it is faster, it has a much lower effective range.

802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11g802.11g is a mix of both worlds. It

operates at 2.4Ghz (giving it the cost advantage of 802.11b) but it has the 54 megabits per second speed of 802.11a. It is also backward compatible to 802.11b. This makes it the most used system today.

802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11gMost WiFi cards and integrated

circuits in laptops today are capable of all three of these communications technologies.

Adding WiFi to Your ComputerOne of the best things about WiFi is

how simple it is to install and operate.

Most new laptops come with WiFi integrated onto the motherboard. You don't have to do anything to start using WiFi.

Adding WiFi to Your Computer

It is also easy to add a WiFi card to an older laptop via the PCMCIA, or PC Card slot. Even a desktop PC can be upgraded through an expansion slot or a usb cable to an external unit.

Adding WiFi to an Older ComputerInstall the drivers for the card Find an 802.11 hotspot.Access the link.

A hotspot (also called an access point) is a connection point for a WiFi network. It is a small box that is hardwired into the Internet. The box contains an 802.11 radio that can simultaneously talk to up to 100 or so 802.11 cards.

Locating HotspotsThere are many WiFi hotspots now

available in public places like coffee houses, restaurants, hotels, libraries and airports.

The number of hotspots in the world is growing daily. One way to find a hotspot is to search the Internet.

Connecting to a Hotspot

There are actually two steps to making a wireless connection.

The first is to have your notebook "talk"

to the hotspot, which means that your hardware and the hotspot must recognize each other. This should happen automatically if the wireless hardware is turned on and new.

Connecting to a Hotspot (Cont’d)On most notebook models, you will see

some sort of signal icon on the bottom right hand corner of your screen or a lit indicator on the notebook itself, which will give you feedback for "On" and signal strength (a red screen means your radio is Off; a green screen indicates it is On). OFF ON

Connecting to a Hotspot (Cont’d)

You can also see the quality of the signal by clicking on the radio icon. (actual icons vary by manufacturer)

Connecting to a Hotspot (Cont’d)On older equipment there may be

no auto search. You will have to find the SSID, or

Service Set Identifier of the hotspot (usually a short word of 10 characters or less). Also, a channel number (an integer between 1 and 11) is required.

Connecting to a Hotspot (Cont’d)The search feature of newer

equipment will find this information from the radio signals generated by the hotspot and display them for you. If it does not, then ask the provider for the info.

WiFi SecurityWiFi hotspots can be open or secure.

If a hotspot is open, then anyone with a WiFi card can access the hotspot. If it is secure, then the user needs to know a WEP key to connect.

WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy

WiFi Security (Cont’d)WEP is an encryption system for the

data that 802.11 sends through the air.

Encryption systems prevent non-authorized parties from reading or changing your data.

WiFi Security (Cont’d)Specifically, it is the process of

encoding the bit stream in such a way that only the person (or computer) with the key (the matching digital sequence) can decode it.

WEP

WEP has two variations: 64-bit encryption and 128-bit encryption.

40-bit encryption was the original

standard, but was found to be easily broken.

WEP

128-bit encryption is more secure and is what most people use if they enable WEP.

For a casual user, any hotspot that is using WEP is inaccessible unless you know this WEP key.

WEP (Cont’d)If you are setting up a hotspot in

your home, you may want to create and use a 128-bit WEP key to prevent the neighbors from casually logging on to your network.