Resources

CGM Systems, Inc. - Technology Consulting since 1988
(all information is provided as-is and without warranty. You assume all risk for it's use)

CGM Systems, Inc.
Resources home
Contact Us
Online Store

Tips

• Wireless 802.11 B, A or G. - You will need to choose one of these standards.  There is a great chart at http://www.linksys.com/edu/wirelessstandards.asp that details the differences between them. Currently, we are recommending the G standard to our clients. The range is good and the speed surpasses the B standard. Most G devices are compatible with B devices.

• Bridging - If you are building a home or small business network with the following conditions:
  • You have a wireless access point or a wireless router
  • You are running Windows XP on a machine that has wireless and ethernet ports
  • You are experiencing IP conflicts

  Consider disabling bridging on the machine(s) in question. Once you have disabled bridging, shut down the machines and reboot the router. We have found that bridging in this situation creates IP conflicts

   

• Security - If you install your wireless network and simply click through the default installation settings, you are leaving yourself wide open to hackers. Anyone who is so inclined can use your internet access, leave trojans on your machines, store illegal porn, stolen credit card numbers and who knows what else on your machine. When you install wireless:
  • Always set WEP (Wireless Encryption). Not all wireless adapters allow for a passphrase so you might have to learn how to create a hexadecimal key. If you don't enable WEP, you are wide open.
  • Change the default channels
  • Periodically check your router logs to look for any unusual activity.
  • Change the Default SSID. Your wireless network will have a default name. Change it to something else
  • Change the default password for your wireless access point or router. The default passwords for the common brands is common knowledge. Change those default passwords or anyone can take control of your wireless access point.

  Enabling WEP can be a little tricky. However, you don't want to be without it.

  Note - There is a new standard for encryption called WPA. This is a little more complex to set up. If you have existing wireless equipment you will probably need to upgrade your firmware and software.

   

• Troubleshooting. If you cannot get a reliable connection there are a number of troubleshooting steps that might help:
  • Temporarily Disable Encryption - This is a little dangerous but it will tell you if the problem is caused by the encryption method.
  • Temporarily relocate the wireless access point to get closer to the device with the problem. If you have a cable wireless router, you can purchase a long coax cable which will allow you to move the router closer to the device with the problems. You may be able to move other wireless routers or access points by temporarily using a longer Ethernet cable.  The idea is to reduce the distance between the points to see if you can get a more reliable connection.
• Possible Solutions - If you cannot get a connection, you might want to try the following
  • Try relocating the devices
  • Purchase a wireless booster. There can be problem with this solution; (1) They are tricky to set up with an encrypted system (2) They pick up the strongest signal. This could be your neighbor's wireless net, not yours (3) if you are going to use more than one booster (or expander) you will need to manually reconfigure the IP addresses they use.
  • Purchase high gain antennas. These antennas are not inexpensive but they might help in cases with marginal reception
  • Run a hard wire to another access point. Suppose you want wireless coverage in an office that is some distance from your wireless router. You can run one ethernet cable to the office and install a wireless access point there. Be aware that this will require some configuration decisions such as whether to allow roaming.

• Miscellaneous tips -
  • Try to plan your network so that you have at least one machine that can be hard wired to the access point or router. That will make configuration a lot easier.
  • Walk around your office or property with a laptop and watch the signal strength that is reported. That will give you a good  idea of your coverage.

   

• Health - There is a lot of discussion about the possible adverse effects of wireless. (Some of the cards operate on the same bands as microwaves). If your laptop has a wireless card, and you are a little paranoid, you might want to think twice before using it on your lap. (there is some delicate anatomy in that area)

CGM Systems, Inc.
Resources home
Contact Us
Online Store

Copyright 2003, 2004, 2005
by CGM Systems, Inc