Wireless Connectivity

RE: Free networks disappearing?

dparkts — Thu, 05 Jun 2003 00:15:00 GMT

(Sorry I'm jumping a little late on this topic...) We shouldn't forget the lessons of Juno and NetZero. Free wireless networks are not sustainable, and *somebody* has got to pay for the bandwidth, equipment, maintenance, upgrading, etc. This is actually something that we're struggling with. We are a nonprofit with the opportunity (and plans!) to deploy a community wireless network. And although we would love to deploy high-speed wireless connectivity in the community, we also have to find a way to make it pay for itself or subsidize the costs so that those who don't have or can't afford access to wireless technologies get it.

--davis.

RE: home-brew antennas

jcravens42 — Fri, 30 May 2003 15:25:00 GMT

"Jayne, why wouldn't you endorse the idea?"

Mainly, it was a joke. The reality is that I don't know enough about it. But I'm learning! The BBC did a story where a guy is driving around London with his souped-up pringles can, looking for wireless networks to hack into... and for some people, that's what the jazzed up Pringle's can represents -- ability to hack. Most people are NOT advocating this, ofcourse.... and, if I really wasn't leaning towards liking it, I never would have made that post...

RE: Free networks disappearing?

donc — Fri, 30 May 2003 02:54:00 GMT

infusion of caffeine, you can sleep the sleep of the just (snip)

I don't know Zac... an infusion of caffeine usually makes me sleep the sleep of the damned!! (coffee... every good IT persons drink of choice; good for at least another hour of coding :-)

CYA, Don

RE: Free networks disappearing?

dkc — Thu, 29 May 2003 20:14:00 GMT

Susan, I have a couple of ideas for how you can suck an Internet connection off your friendly neighborhood coffee shop.

Place a repeater somewhere between your apartment and the coffee shop. For example, if you can see your friend's window from your window, place the repeater in her window. It will pick up the signal from the coffee shop and retransmit it. This might not be all that practical, however, and your laptop still might not be strong enough to receive the signal. Which leads me to my second idea.

Attach a directional antenna to a WiFi/Ethernet bridge. Point the antenna out your window at the coffee shop. Then you can either plug into the bridge with an Ethernet cable, or plug an access point into the bridge to retransmit the signal inside your apartment.

I feel compelled to point out, however, that there may be ethical questions to be answered in this scenario. The coffeeshop is probably offering free wireless Internet access in the hopes that you will bring your laptop into the shop and maybe order a monster latté. If you suck off their Internet connection without giving them your business, you may be breaching this tacit social contract. But if you frequently stop by for an infusion of caffeine, you can sleep the sleep of the just. Just something to think about.

Zac

home-brew antennas

dkc — Thu, 29 May 2003 15:46:00 GMT

Jayne, why wouldn't you endorse the idea? I have built several tin-can antennas and they work great. The Pringles can has been supplanted, I think, by a design that employs a large can. I have eaten more Dinty Moore Beef Stew than I cared to just so I could get the can. :) There are instructions all over the Net, but if anyone has questions about this, please post and I can provide details.

Zac

RE: Free networks disappearing?

donc — Thu, 29 May 2003 10:21:00 GMT

Hi Susan,

I'm guessing you are probably using the little dipole aerial that comes with a WiFi access card (or worse, an inbuilt aerial!) - if possible get a little directional aerial to mount on the roof or wall pointed at the remote hot-spot... these aerials are measured in db gain (6 is good; 12 is better; 22db gain will provide coverage for miles - although keep the aerial cable-run as short as possible)

Rgds, Don

RE: wireless for road warriors

jcravens42 — Thu, 29 May 2003 09:04:00 GMT

It's time to talk about Pringles Cans.

The original Pringles Can Antenna design for Wireless LANs is by Rob Flickenger:
http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448

And pictures and details from a guy who used this article to create his own magic Pringles Can:
http://verma.sfsu.edu/users/wireless/pringles.php

I'm not endorsing this idea... I'm also not not endorsing this idea...

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

scott.r — Wed, 28 May 2003 14:17:00 GMT

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.

wireless for road warriors

dkc — Tue, 27 May 2003 19:15:00 GMT

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

RE: Free networks disappearing?

Susan_Tenby — Tue, 27 May 2003 19:11:00 GMT

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.

Free networks disappearing?

dkc — Tue, 27 May 2003 19:04:00 GMT

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

wireless faster than modem?

dkc — Tue, 27 May 2003 18:28:00 GMT

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

details of access points

dkc — Tue, 27 May 2003 18:21:00 GMT

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

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

RebeccaOrris — Tue, 27 May 2003 18:08:00 GMT

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!

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

Susan_Tenby — Tue, 27 May 2003 18:07:00 GMT

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