Wireless Data Blaster

WEP is better than nothing at all, but any war driver or the 13 year old next door to you can download one of several utilities on the 'net that can break into WEP in a matter of minutes. The protocol is badly broken.

Here is an article that explains WEP's weaknesses and why it shouldn't be used. Most security professionals recommend leaving WEP turned off and using IPSEC to secure your wireless connection.

Yeah, wireless networks have certainly been around for a while (we've had them at work for some time now....), but they CAN be a challenge to install in your home if you find yourself using equipment from different vendors. It's NOT supposed to matter (standards are standards, right???), but trust me........it does. I have a D-Link DI-704P wireless router, an Orinoco WAP (wireless access point), a Cisco Systems 340 Series wireless card in one laptop (the main family system.......an IntelliStation M Pro workstation, to be fairly exact........is hard wired into the router since they sit next to each other), a D-Link 650+ wireless card in another laptop, and will be picking up another wireless card (when I say cards, I'm obviously talking about PCMCIA wireless networking cards) for a third laptop here soon.

It all works like a champ, but toss in two different ISP's and a VPN that I use for work, etc., etc., it was MORE than challenging to get it all humming together.

I strongly recommend that anyone who wants to get into wireless networks pick a supplier and use their stuff across the board. D-Link, Linksys, whomever........

I was going to go with a combined wireless router/wireless hub combo unit (there are many on the market and can be had from about $160 to over $325, depending on the brand), but I "inherited" the WAP for no cost, so what the heck. :) Just got the router ($50) and another card (already had one) and off I went.

Always check out pricewatch.com for excellent prices on such things.

The very high speeds attained by this technology are offset by it's relatively short distance.

Where I see this really coming into to play is by replacing the jungle of cables that exist in a server farm. I will be able to grab a new server, install it in the rack, turn on some kind of encryption and connect it to the local LAN without running new cables all over the place.

When rack space runs out, I can install a new rack next door without having to drill holes in the wall.

If I can get 200-300 Mb/sec, then even with the overhead of encryption I can reach or surpass a 100Mb LAN and forget about the wires.

"What is the essential difference between 802.11a and 802.11b. I see them both gaining ground. Which is the VHS and which is the Betamax?"

Essential difference? Speed.

802.11b is a rated at 11 Mbps ("11 megabit"), vs. 802.11a: 54 Mbps ("54 megabit").....each is actually "megabits of data per second". Understand that at either 11 or 54 megabit, you're talking top BURST speed under ideal conditions and will rarely hit such a speed. There are now a number of manufacturers out with 802.11a gear, but it's still new and a bit pricey. Most such gear can actually support either 802.11b OR 802.11a.

For now, I just opted for 802.11b: darned sight cheaper, and my needs were simple. I didn't so much care about fast data interchange here in my home (moving data from one computer in the house to another); I basically wanted to share the high-speed Internet acceess across all of these computers (i.e. wanted a fast link to the Internet for all systems; didn't care about transferring back and forth among these same computers at blinding speed......make sense??). If you look at the data rates your high speed Internet provider can give you, 802.11b is more than enough.

The good news is that there is no "VHS vs. Beta" thing going on here; it's just "speed bumps", if you will. :)

Hope that's clear as mud.......LOL :)

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