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Wireless Networking Explained
There are currently several different names and standards for networking without the use of wires. This article aims to make things clearer.
Below is a list of the main different types of networking currently in use:
| Data Transfer Speeds (Download/Upload) Megabits per second | Working Range (meters) | Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethernet (100Mb) Wired | 100/60 Mbps | 90m per segment | Fast and cheap. Most new PCs & Notebooks come with an Ethernet Port as standard. Upgrades are cheap and there are hundreds of manufacturers to choose from. | Requires Cat5 cabling and larger networks will require hubs and switches. |
| Wi-Fi (802.11b) Wireless* | 11/5.5 Mbps | 30m | Affordable and widespread wireless standard. There are dozens of manufacturers of 802.11b hardware. Integrated on many new notebooks and all Centrino Notebooks. | Data transfer speeds are low so transferring large files takes time. Not good for large multimedia files. |
| Wi–Fi (802.11g) Wireless* | 54/22 Mbps | 30m | Faster data transfer rates make 802.11g suitable for transferring large files and large multimedia files. | Currently more expensive than 802.11b. There are fewer products available from fewer manufacturers therefore compatibility issues are more common than with 802.11b |
| Bluetooth Wireless* | 0.7/ 0.3 Mbps | 6–15m | Very cheap integrated radio on hand PDAs and Mobile Phones. Useful for transferring data between devices. Low power consumption. | Low data transfer speeds make it unsatisfactory for most users. Bluetooth is meant for short-range, temporary networking in conference rooms, schools or homes. |
*Wireless networking requires connection to a compatible base station, router or hotspot which is connected to the internet.
Information about finding a hotspot near you can be found here. Iansyst supply wireless base stations and routers. More information about the products we sell can be found here.Advantages of Wireless (Wi-Fi)
Wi-Fi removes the need for cabling so gives great flexibility to the user: visitors can be easily granted internet access; computers can be located anywhere in the building (as long as it is in range of the base station); and computers can be moved around.
Wi-Fi is compatible with a wide range of devices: Windows, Mac and Linux PCs can all connect via Wi-Fi. You can also connect Pocket PC and Palm OS devices (with a wireless adaptor) such as the Alphasmart Dana.
Pitfalls
Whilst Wi-Fi is much faster than dial-up internet access, it is not as fast as the stated speeds. A realistic data transfer speed for an 802.11b connection would be around 4Mbps. This happens for several reasons including excessive distance from the base station and thick walls which can weaken the signal and affect the data transfer speed.
Using security slows transfer speeds even further as it requires the access point or router to do more processing before sending and receiving data. However you leave your network unsecured at your peril!
Security
There are two main ways of securing your wireless network: WEP (Wireless Encryption Protocol) and MAC filtering (Media Access Control). Both have their Pros and Cons.
WEP is a method of securing your network where the data itself is encrypted (i.e. encoded in such a way that no one without the special key can read it) as with many encryptions they can be broken if someone clever enough spends enough time to crack it, although this is very rare for home users. Bearing in mind that WEP actually changes the data, it also slows down the maximum available speed since time is needed each end to encode and decode the data.
The alternative is MAC filtering which doesn't use encryption. Every computer around the world has an individual MAC address assigned to it - and it's completely unique. This MAC address allows your computer to be uniquely identified on a network. MAC filtering works by the modem or wireless router holding a list of all the computers allowed on your wireless network.
Although WEP can be slower, it's more popular in large corporations and wireless internet cafes since it needs less looking after. If you want someone to be able to access your WEP wireless connection, you simply supply them with the key needed to get on.
MAC filtering on the other hand is considered more secure, since you need to know details of the computer to add it to your access list before it can get on the wireless network. This means MAC filtering takes slightly more effort to setup and is more popular for small offices or home users, since there are less computers to keep details for.
Each individual router or access point will have different ways of setting up WEP and MAC filtering. If you want information on how to set up security for the products we sell you can download the manuals below:
ZDNet have a comprehensive article on wireless networking which can be read here.