Wireless Home Networking Simplified

by Doherty, Jim; Anderson, Neil

• ISBN13: 9781587201615
• ISBN10: 1587201615
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-12-18
• Publisher: Cisco Press

Summary

A straightforward, graphic-based reference book for wireless networking for the home and small business.

Author Biography

About the Authors

Jim Doherty is the vice president of marketing at CipherOptics, where he leads the outbound marketing

teams. Prior to joining the CipherOptics team Jim held leadership positions with Symbol

Technologies and Cisco. Jim has more than 15 years of technical marketing and engineering experience

and has led various marketing campaigns for IP telephony, routing and switching, and network

security solutions. Jim is the coauthor of the Networking Simplified series of books published by

Cisco Press. Jim is a former Marine Corps sergeant; he holds a B.S. degree in electrical engineering

from N.C. State University and an M.B.A. degree from Duke University.

Neil Anderson is the senior manager of enterprise systems engineering with Cisco. Neil has more

than 20 years of broad engineering experience including public telephone systems, mobile phone

systems, Internet, and home networking. At Cisco, Neil’s focus is on large corporate customers in the

areas of routing and switching, wireless, security, and IP communications. Neil is the coauthor of the

Networking Simplified series of books including Home Networking Simplified, Home Network

Security Simplified, and Internet Phone Services Simplified. Neil holds a B.S. degree in computer

science.

Table of Contents

How Does It Work
How Wireless LANs Work	p. 3
Why Wireless?	p. 4
Before We Get to the Wireless Bit, What the Heck Is a LAN?	p. 5
Okay, Now the Wireless Part	p. 9
Challenges for Wireless Communication	p. 9
The Solution	p. 10
Putting It All Together	p. 11
Summary	p. 12
Where to Go for More Information	p. 13
Wireless Standards: What the Letters Mean	p. 15
The Standard 802.11 and the IEEE	p. 16
802.11a	p. 17
802.11b	p. 18
802.11g	p. 19
802.11n	p. 20
Combinations	p. 21
What Happened to the Other Letters?	p. 21
Summary	p. 22
Where to Go for More Information	p. 22
Selecting the Right Wireless Standard for Your Network	p. 23
What to Consider When Choosing Your Wireless Standard	p. 24
Compatibility	p. 24
Relationships Among Wireless Standards	p. 25
Dual-Band Products	p. 26
Proprietary Extensions	p. 27
Speed	p. 27
Range	p. 28
Security	p. 28
Cost	p. 29
Additional Considerations	p. 29
Comparing the IEEE WLAN Standards	p. 30
Recommendations	p. 31
Summary	p. 32
Where to Go for More Information	p. 32
What You Should Know
Planning Your Wireless Network	p. 35
Wireless Network Topologies	p. 35
Sketching a Network Layout	p. 37
Thinking Your Network Plan Through	p. 39
Determining the Networking Capabilities of Your Computers	p. 40
Looking for a Wired NIC	p. 40
Looking for a Wireless NIC	p. 40
Determining Your Immediate Needs to Create a Wireless Network	p. 43
Completing Your Plan	p. 44
Summary	p. 45
Wireless Security: What You Need to Know	p. 47
Why Should I Worry About Wireless Network Security?	p. 47
What Do I Do to Secure My Wireless Network?	p. 50
Don't Advertise Your Wireless Network	p. 51
Scramble Your Signal	p. 52
What Is Encryption?	p. 52
Choosing an Encryption Key	p. 53
Disable Ad Hoc Networking	p. 54
Other Tips to Consider	p. 55
Summary	p. 55
Where to Go for More Information	p. 55
What to Buy	p. 57
Determining Network Readiness	p. 57
Making Your List, Checking It Twice	p. 61
Wireless Router Options	p. 62
Wireless NIC Options	p. 63
Gear for Travel Bugs and Road Warriors	p. 65
Extra Stuff	p. 66
Where to Buy Your Gear	p. 67
Summary	p. 69
Where to Go for More Information	p. 69
How Do I Set It Up?
Wireless Router Setup	p. 73
Connecting the Wireless Router	p. 74
Configuring the Wireless Router	p. 75
Using the Linksys Setup Wizard	p. 77
Using an Internet Browser	p. 84
Using Linksys EasyLink Advisor	p. 91
Summary	p. 98
Where to Go for More Information	p. 98
Wireless NIC Setup	p. 99
Installing the Wireless NIC	p. 99
Installing a PCI Wireless Card in a Desktop Computer	p. 101
Installing a PCMCIA Wireless Card in a Laptop Computer	p. 102
Installing a USB Wireless NIC in a Computer	p. 103
Associating the Wireless NIC to the Wireless Router	p. 105
Wireless Profiles	p. 106
Wireless Connection Managers	p. 108
Using the Windows Wireless Network Connection Utility	p. 109
Using Linksys WLAN Monitor	p. 111
Using Linksys EasyLink Advisor	p. 113
Summary	p. 121
Where to Go for More Information	p. 122
Wireless Security Setup	p. 123
Setting Up Wireless Encryption	p. 123
Tips Before We Start	p. 125
If Only It Were That Easy	p. 126
Manually Setting Up Wireless Encryption	p. 127
Enabling WEP Encryption on the Wireless Router	p. 128
Enabling WEP Encryption on the Wireless NIC	p. 130
WPA Encryption Example	p. 137
Setting Up Wireless Encryption with Linksys SecureEasySetup	p. 142
Linksys SecureEasySetup on the Wireless Router	p. 144
Linksys SecureEasySetup on the Wireless NIC	p. 148
Setting Up Wireless Encryption with Linksys EasyLink Advisor	p. 150
Linksys EasyLink Advisor on the Wireless Router	p. 151
Using EasyLink Advisor to Add Encryption to Wireless NICs	p. 156
More Wireless Security Steps	p. 162
Stop Advertising Your Wireless Network	p. 163
Turn On the Firewall	p. 164
Prevent Unintentional Roaming	p. 164
MAC Address Locking	p. 166
Top Troubleshooting Tips for Wireless Encryption	p. 167
Summary	p. 167
Where to Go for More Information	p. 168
"Honey, This Stupid Wireless Thing Is Not Working"
Troubleshooting: I Can't Connect at All	p. 173
Steps to Connecting	p. 174
Scanning	p. 176
Matching	p. 176
Associating	p. 176
Securing the Connection	p. 176
Obtaining an IP Address	p. 177
Sending and Receiving	p. 177
What Can Go Wrong	p. 177
Problems During Scanning	p. 178
Problems During Matching	p. 179
Problems During Association	p. 180
Problems Securing the Connection	p. 180
Problems Obtaining an IP Address	p. 180
Problems Sending and Receiving	p. 180
Five Things to Look At First	p. 181
How to Tell if You Do Not Have a Connection	p. 181
Figuring Out Why It Will Not Connect	p. 183
Scanning-Related Issues	p. 184
Incompatible Wireless Standards	p. 184
Wireless Turned Off	p. 185
Poor Signal Strength	p. 187
Matching-Related Issues	p. 189
SSID Mismatch	p. 189
SSID Broadcast	p. 192
Association-Related Issues	p. 193
Security- and Encryption-Related Issues	p. 196
Encryption Type Mismatch	p. 196
Encryption Key Mismatch	p. 197
Windows XP Authentication Setting Mismatch	p. 209
IP Address Assignment-Related Issues	p. 210
Determining if an IP Address Is Assigned	p. 211
Determining if IP Address Assignment Is Failing	p. 212
Trying the Windows XP Repair Function	p. 214
Checking the Router's DHCP Client Pool	p. 215
Wireless Connection Made	p. 216
Oops, How Embarrassing!	p. 218
The 10-Minute Miracle	p. 218
Summary	p. 218
Where to Go for More Information	p. 218
Troubleshooting: I Can Connect Sometimes	p. 219
How Wireless Coverage Works	p. 219
Tuning Your Wireless Coverage	p. 221
Performing a Wireless Survey	p. 221
Wireless Survey Using Windows XP	p. 223
Wireless Survey Using Linksys WLAN Monitor	p. 224
What to Conclude from Your Wireless Survey	p. 226
What You Can Do to Improve Coverage	p. 227
Improving the Location of the Wireless Router	p. 227
Trying Different Channels	p. 229
Trying Different Antenna Positions	p. 234
Upgrading the Antenna	p. 236
Using Wireless Range Extenders and Additional Access Points	p. 236
Upgrading the Wireless Router	p. 237
Summary	p. 237
Where to Go for More Information	p. 237
Troubleshooting: I Can Connect, but It's Slow	p. 239
Is the Broadband Internet Connection the Bottleneck?	p. 239
Checking the Broadband Connection	p. 241
Testing Your Broadband Speed	p. 243
Is the Wireless Network Too Slow?	p. 244
Understanding Wireless Standards and Speeds	p. 244
Verifying Wireless Network Speed	p. 245
Is the Wireless Network Signal Getting Degraded?	p. 248
Interference from Other Wireless Routers	p. 248
Checking for Conflicting Wireless Routers	p. 248
Determining Whether the Conflicting Wireless Router Is Causing an Issue	p. 250
Correcting a Conflicting Wireless Router Situation	p. 251
Interference from Cordless Phones and Other Devices	p. 252
Determining Whether the Conflicting Cordless Phone Is Causing an Issue	p. 252
Correcting a Conflicting Cordless Phone Issue	p. 254
Summary	p. 255
Where to Go for More Information	p. 255
Bells and Whistles
Wireless Video and Entertainment	p. 259
Wireless Video Cameras	p. 259
Finding Uses for Wireless Video Cameras	p. 261
Connecting the Video Camera to Your Wireless Network	p. 263
Determining Who Can Access the Video Camera	p. 268
Viewing Video from Within Your House	p. 271
Viewing Video over the Internet	p. 273
Setting Up the Wireless Router for Internet Camera Viewing	p. 274
How to View the Camera over the Internet	p. 276
Problems with Viewing Video over the Internet	p. 277
Using the Video Camera as a Motion Detector	p. 277
Wireless Online Gaming	p. 279
Gaming Servers	p. 280
Options for Online Gaming	p. 280
How to Connect Video Game Consoles to Your Wireless Network	p. 281
Setting Up the Wireless Game Adapter	p. 282
Connecting a Video Game Console	p. 284
Connecting to an Online Game Provider	p. 285
Networking Your DVR	p. 288
Typical DVR Setups Today	p. 289
Reasons to Network Your DVR	p. 289
Networking Your DVR	p. 290
Using TiVoToGo	p. 291
Summary	p. 293
Where to Go for More Information	p. 293
Wireless to Go	p. 295
What Is a Wireless Hotspot?	p. 295
How to Find Wireless Hotspots	p. 297
Wireless Hotspot Options and Costs	p. 298
Discovering and Connecting to Wireless Hotspots	p. 299
Connecting to Hotspots Using Linksys WLAN Monitor	p. 300
Connecting to Hotspots Using Windows XP	p. 302
Connecting to Hotspots Using Boingo	p. 305
Passing the Membership Test	p. 305
Example: Connecting to a Free Service at Bear Rock Cafe	p. 306
Example: Connecting to T-Mobile Service at Borders Book Stores	p. 307
What Not to Do When Using a Wireless Hotspot	p. 308
Setting Up Your Own Portable Hotspot	p. 310
How Wireless Travel Routers Work	p. 310
Setting Up a Wireless Travel Router	p. 311
Setting Up Your Laptop to See the Travel Router	p. 314
How to Use a Wireless Travel Router	p. 315
Summary	p. 316
Where to Go for More Information	p. 316
The Future of Wireless Networking	p. 317
Wireless Networks Will Be Faster	p. 317
Wireless Networks Will Go Farther	p. 319
Wireless Networks Will Be in More Places	p. 319
Wireless Networks Will Move with You	p. 320
More Devices Will Connect to Wireless Networks	p. 321
Summary	p. 321
Where to Go for More Information	p. 321
Appendixes
MAC Address Filtering	p. 325
802.1 In Wireless Channels	p. 331
802.11 Additional Revisions	p. 333
Glossary	p. 335
Index	p. 345
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.