Day 1: 5/27/2003 -- Wireless Networking: Definitions and Introduction

Thanks for joining us for this online event at TechSoup. Over the course of the next few days, we will be taking a look at wireless networking; what it is, how to use it, and why you might want to use it. Today's topic is a basic introduction to lay the foundation for the coming days. It deals with terms and concepts and will put the discussion in its proper context.

The kind of networking we are talking about connects computers in a building together using radios instead of wires--this is called a wireless LAN (aka WLAN). The technology that makes this possible is variously known as WiFi, Airport, and 802.11. These are all just different names for the same technology. There are other wireless networking technologies that are beyond the scope of this discussion--we won't be talking about Internet access via mobile phone networks, for example.

Wireless networks are increasingly popular for a number of reasons. A wireless LAN:[ulist][*]allows users of portable devices such as laptops and handhelds to roam around a building while remaining connected to the network[*]costs less to set up than a conventional wired network[*]may be the only solution when a building is historic and cannot be altered to accommodate wiring[/ulist]Right now there are three flavors of WiFi. They are usually referred to by the letters A, B, and G, which refer to the section letters from the specification for the technology.[ulist][*]The first version to come out was 802.11b. This version was popularized by Apple under the brand name "Airport" and operates at up to 11 Mbps.[/*]
[*]The next version to come out was 802.11a, which operates at up to 52 Mbps, but equipment using this spec is incompatible with 802.11b.[/*]
[*]Now there is 802.11g, which is backwards compatible with the earlier "b" equipment, but also supports faster speeds on par with "a". [/ulist]It doesn't take much to get started. Consumer grade equipment is relatively inexpensive, starting around $100 for an access point and less than $100 for a network card. The price of this equipment makes it very attractive, but cheap equipment does not come with security features that your network may require. Tomorrow we will look at some of the security issues introduced by wireless networks and why you might not want to buy the cheapest equipment you can find.

Now that I've rattled on for a bit, are any of you using wireless already? What have your experiences been?

 

We haven't started yet, but are interested. We are moving to a (yet-to-be-defined) new location and are considering switching to wireless. When I asked for an opinion from the organization we use for network support, they responded with complete trepidation. They had to absorb the cost of an entire wireless network because they had not quoted correctly - they did not factor in enough access points. Their previous experience with wireless was in a warehouse environment and the next was in an office (not cubicle) environment. They are prepared to quote us on a wireless versus wired space, but I can tell they are very uneasy about it. I am sure their hesitation will be reflected in the estimate. I get confused in the discussions - so many people talk about the security threats from the signals that know no bounds and yet signal strength seems to be a problem as well.

In some ways wireless networks are similar to wired networks--and in other ways they are very different. When selecting an organization to assist you with setting up a wireless network, it is important to choose someone with experience in that area. If your network consultants are not confident about their ability to work with wireless networks, then you should look for someone else to help you out. At the very least, you could make the bid process a little more competitive by getting a second company to provide an estimate.

The fact that in a past deployment your consultants came up short on the number of access points is a good sign that you will want to look elsewhere for assistance. Any wireless LAN deployment that is bigger than a single room should include a site survey to come up with the exact number of access po ints required. That involves setting up a temporary access point at various locations throughout the area to be covered by the LAN, and measuring signal quality in the area served by each access point. If I were planning a wireless network, I would not provide a final estimate until after the site survey was complete.

There are definitely tradeoffs when choosing between a wireless and a wired LAN. A properly designed wireless network can be as secure as a wired nework, but as we'll see tomorrow, a poorly designed network will leave you wide open. Wireless networks are not nearly as fast as wired networks, so that is a factor to take into consideration.

Zac

"Now that I've rattled on for a bit, are any of you using wireless already? What have your experiences been?"

I'm wireless only at home, with my iBook and airport. It was a completely luxury purchase, not really needed, but I love surfing from anywhere in my apartment, or even out on my patio. I can create a network for up to 49 other users, and the temptation to invite 49 other laptop users with airport cards to my backyard for an evening of surfing and German beer is tempting...

I'm no advanced user -- I know how to drive the car to interesting places, but can't change the oil and am not even sure what's what under the hood; the same is true for computers and software for me. But I have to say that setting up my wireless at home was darned easy -- practically plug and play. I'm just really glad the Apple directions came in four different languages (not only German).

I have used the Airport base station at home, too. I agree that a single access point is extremely easy to set up. If you decide to have that WiFi party, I hope you'll include me as one of the 49!

We're just wired now, but I'm looking into ways to extend our network into places in our facility where there is no wiring, and where putting in wiring at this point would be prohibitively expensive. So I'm looking to get basic questions answered, such as: how do you connect an access point to a wired network? Does it become a node on the network, like another hub? What kind of range do you get, and how does actual building structure affect it (for example, my workplace is extremely cell-phone dead, unless you're standing next to the windows. Would something like this hinder or help our wireless efforts)?

Hi. I'm not an expert either, but I'm a road warrior with laptop, Palm Tungsten, a wired network at work and a DSL connection at home (where I work a fair amount of time).

I'm trying to figure out whether wireless would be faster than some of the 56k (max) hotel data ports I have to use; whether I could use wireless to connect in airports; and whether my cell phone has anything to do with it. I would also like to know if wireless can be combined with wired, so that, for instance, I could connect wirelessly to our server from our board room.

So I've got a lot of questions...

I was surprised to find out that wireless is slower than wired connections, and I'm very interested in security issues.

Hi I am Susan and I manage this community and work at TechSoup.

I am actually about to take the plunge and become one of San Francisco's wireless pirates. I am very tempted to do it soon, before all the free networks disappear and it costs as much as DSL to sit in a park and surf the web. One of my main deciding factors in my leap to wireless is that we work at home one day a week, and the corner cafe has free wireless Internet access. I just like the idea of working from a cafe.. . I have been seduced by the idea of wireless, ever since I discovered the wireless networks at Burning Man http://www.burningman.com/on_the_playa/infrastructure/info_services.html#directory
This year, I want to be connected while I play in the desert.

Ona more serious note, I am ready to buy and I was wondering what type of set up everyone has. I am a mac person at home, so I was thinking about just going with an Ibook and airport card, but I wanted to take an informal poll:
What machines are people using and are they happy with them? I am like Jayne, I can drive, but I have no idea (nor do I even want to understand) what's under the hood.

Thanks for listening and I look forward to this exciting event,

Susan

I'm interested in wireless access to the internet (mainly e-mail) for our road warriors. They've got 5 minutes at an airport before their plane departs and want to read a few e-mail messages. It takes 3 minutes to start their laptop, much less dial-up, read mail, and then shut it down.

I'd be a star if I could get my road warriors set up to better access their e-mail while they are on the road. But the solution has to be relatively inexpensive both in terms of equipment and in terms of that usually underconsidered cost ofTech Support!

Yes, an access point is a node. It usually connects to the network via a standard Ethernet cable. Range varies depending on the setting. Outdoors with unobstructed line of sight on a clear day you could get a few hundred feet easily. Indoors it depends on how many walls, floors and other obstacles are in the way, and what they are made of. This is why a site survey is so important--you have to actually test out the range for each proposed access point to see how much area they cover.

Even though your building has poor cell phone reception, WiFi might still work. You won't know until you test it out.

Zac

 

Yes, wireless would almost certainly be faster than your modem connection. The most common type, WiFi 802.11b, operates from around 2 Mbps to 11 Mbps. Even at the slower rate that is much faster than the maximum rate of your modem.

Many airports offer wireless access, sometimes you have to pay for it.

Yes, if you add a wireless access point to your board room you could connect to the network wirelessly.

Zac

 

Hi Susan,

I seriously doubt that free wireless networks will disappear. I read recently that about 4 access points are sold every second. It's not just T-Mobile that is buying them. Walking around neighborhoods in San Francisco I find dozens of open access points. There are over 20 in my apartment complex alone. My favorite is an old Cisco AP named tsunami (the default name for those APs), accessible from Yerba Buena park. So don't worry about the free access points disappearing. On the contrary, they are multiplying!

Wireless networks are appearing at an explosive rate. There is even some talk that they may become so pervasive that in the future you will be able to make calls from your mobile phone for free (or real cheap!).

I use a Power Mac G4 350 at home--it's great. I have also used a TiBook, but the wireless range is limited by the metal housing. I have a couple of friends who run iBooks and they are universally delighted by them.

Zac

 

I have a friend who lives directly above the cafe with the free network hotspot. She is able to receive the free signal. I live about a block away, which is too far to reach the signal from my home. My question is, is there a piece fo hardware that will boost the signal to reach me a block away? I heard about a booster, but I wanted to check in with you experts about it.

WiFi for your mobile users doesn't cost very much. Wireless network cards can be had for less than $100. As I mentioned in another post, hotspots (areas covered by wireless networks) are cropping up in airports. Wayport is a company that offers access (for a fee) at 12 airports. If you choose a solution like this, your users can call Wayport for tech support. T-mobile is aggressively extending its network of WiFi hotspots to Border's Books, Starbucks, airports and all sorts of places. Another nationwide network to consider is Boingo. I'm not sure how much access to these commercial networks costs, but I'm sure you can pay as you go.

If mobile access to email is all you need, though, you might want to check out Blackberry. It isn't WiFi-related, but it is a popular solution. Blackberry is both a handheld device and the service that powers the device.

Also, regarding the amount of time that it takes to power a laptop up and down, you might want to try out hibernation. If your users are running Windows 2000 or Windows XP, they can hibernate instead of shutting down.

Hibernation saves the active state of a computer--open programs, files, processes--and then shuts down. Coming out of hibernation can take less time than starting up from scratch because the computer doesn't have to boot. The state the computer was in when it went into hibernation is restored.

Zac

Timely topic, as I am just days away from setting up wireless at home and perhaps a year away from establishing a hot spot at work.

As for equipment... I will go with 802.11g compliance now, to make sure we've got the greatest speed available now. (The slower 802.11b would probably be perfectly adequate, but g's compatibility with a could be handy someday.) I looked for a router with detachable antennas, so I could increase signal strength and directionality with a higher-gain antenna (if necessary for our LAN and for other legal uses). The router I have selected also has a built-in print server, so we won't have to power up the desktop just to print off the laptops.

In my semi-limited shopping around, I found just a handful of dominant companies offering suitable and (I hope!) reliable equipment.