Wireless Communication

I am new to wireless communication. I bought a notebook computer with a wireless card factory installed internally. I know that I will need a Router to use my notebook wireless. Do I need an adapter or anything else other than a Router?

What are you connecting to?

Your ISP via wireless ? What kind of service do you have? dial-up? cable? DSL?

A wired local area network?

A wireless network at Starbucks?

A PLC on a wireless network? Not on a wireless network?

Another notebook with wireless?

For home/office networking/access you just need a router, this will allow you to connect to the Internet thru cable/dsl modem AND share files/printer etc with other computers in your home.

Wifi use will not require anything but authorization and doing the setup for access, my University provides Wifi to the students. As mentioned Starbucks and a few other places offer Wifi but in mosts cases you have to pay. Verizon wireless now offers Wifi broadband access so if you have Verizon check with them.

You can find information and how to information for routers here: http://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=1&pid=62

This may help more, its tutorials: http://www.dlink.com/tutorial/wireless/

If you do purchase a router/access point, make sure you set up some kind of security, change the defaults, everyone knows what they are. I read some where that 2 out of 3 wireless networks installed in the home are WIDE OPEN.

There are lots of web pages about wireless security, how to implement it, and how to crack it. Generally speaking if you install some kind of security, you can at least keep the neighbors out. Most cracking schemes require someone to be within the signal distance of your router, so if you see someone with a laptop parked outside your house, check it out.


Regards,

Ken

I just finished resetting my wireless network for the month. I highly recommend changing channels and codes at least once a month. While I would not mind it if my neighbors rode my connection, I do not want strangers on it. There are people that have a hobby of riding around finding open networks or cracking secured ones. They'll then pass the info on to their friends or others.
A friend of mine is an electrician turned lawyer (long story). I helped him set up his wired and wireless network in his office. While setting it up we could get access to at least four other wireless networks in his area. Amazingly all the workgroups were labeled as the business names. Not hard for a rogue teenager to thrash someones system with open networks like this.

Dale