#134 Wireless Connections

So now you have a wireless notebook computer. How do you find wireless networks and how do you connect to them? Bad news is the answer is it depends on what operating system you have (XP or Vista) and what hardware you have (does it use Windows for connection or its own special program). The question of hardware is the first one to answer. The 3 laptop manufactures that PCSS sells all do things different. HP uses the Windows wireless network connection. Lenovo and Toshiba have their own utilities. If you own Lenovo or Toshiba, I probably showed you how to find wireless networks when you bought the PC.

I'm going to outline the process of connecting under XP, but I have a link that will take you through the process in either XP or Vista: Wireless Connection with XP or Vista

Under XP you need to watch the task bar near the clock. Look for this icon: It may have a red slash or X through it if you are not connected. Right click on this icon and get this menu:

If you click on View Available Wireless Networks and you will get a list of wireless connections in your area. The list will also tell you if the connections are secure and the SSID (network name). If the connection is listed as secure you will need the pass code (from the owner) to log on that network and get the Internet. IF the connection is unsecured you can just highlight the networks name and click on Connect. IF there are no networks listed then there are no available networks where you are.

Once you connect the little icon in the task bar will no longer have the red X or slash and when you hover your mouse over the icon it will tell you what network you are connected to and the quality of the connection (Excellent, Good, low, very low).

Note that not all networks share the Internet. Some are there to share files or printers.

Here are two good sites to fine a free connection where you are: JWIRE

WiFi Free Spot

#133 - Wireless 101

So here we are to try and clear up all the confusion about what wireless networking is and isn't. What is has been and what is in the future. So lets dive right in.

How does wireless networking work? A wireless network uses radio waves, just like cell phones, televisions and radios do. In fact, communication across a wireless network is a lot like two-way radio communication. Here's what happens:

A computer's wireless adapter translates data into a radio signal and transmits it using an antenna. A wireless router receives the signal and decodes it. It sends the information to the Internet using a physical, wired Ethernet connection. The process also works in reverse, with the router receiving information from the Internet, translating it into a radio signal and sending it to the computer's wireless adapter. The radios used for WiFi communication are very similar to the radios used for walkie-talkies, cell phones and other devices. They can transmit and receive radio waves, and they can convert ones and zeros into radio waves and convert the radio waves back into ones and zeros.

But WiFi radios have a few notable differences from other radios: 1. They transmit at frequencies of 2.4 GHz or 5GHz. This frequency is considerably higher than the frequencies used for cell phones, walkie-talkies and televisions. The higher frequency allows the signal to carry more data. 2.They use 802.11 networking standards, which come in several flavors

The IEEE (Electrical Engineering Professional Society) sets up standards the 802.11 is the standard for wireless networking. The flavors are alphabetical and start with: 802.11a the oldest standard. 802.11a transmits at 5GHz and can move up to 54 megabits of data per second. It was used by some technical groups, but never got broad use. 802.11b was the first widely used standard. It uses the 2.4GHz frequency (the same as some wireless phones so if you have any 2.4GHz phones you can't have a wireless network) and was fairly inexpensive to make equipment. The most popular standard is the present 802.11g. 802.11g transmits at 2.4 GHz like 802.11b, but it's a lot faster -- it can handle up to 54 megabits of data per second. The latest is 802.11n. This standard IS NOT FINALIZED yet, but equipment companies are selling what they call "draft n" routers and receivers right now. This standard significantly improves speed and range. For instance, although 802.11g theoretically moves 54 megabits of data per second, it only achieves real-world speeds of about 24 megabits of data per second because of network congestion. 802.11n, however, reportedly can achieve speeds as high as 140 megabits per second.

Well enough geek talk. Its enough to know that you probably own an 802.11g system and the future is twice as fast with 802.11n. Should you buy 802.11n now? The jury is out on how compatible the "draft n" equipment will be with the finalized standard. PCSS is living just fine with our 802.11g network.

Next post we'll talk about how you actually link up to a wireless network with Windows XP, Vista or proprietary program (see Dell and Lenovo).