Wireless for Idiots: Freeper needs 'what-to-buy-and how-to-hook-it-up' help with wireless.

Rudder | 07-09-06 | Rudder

[Rudder]

Since she (my trucker friend) has, and uses extensively, a company cell phone, and is computer facile, she would like to use both the parking lot wireless and the fully-mobile (ala cell-phone) wireless.

Often she is in unexplored (too her) areas and would like to be able to stop road side and do a map quest. As it stands now she calls me on the cell and I do a map quest for her...but I'm not always home.

[Osage Orange]

Nice hat.........

[KoRn]

"WEP ???"

It's encryption for your wireless traffic. Without encryption someone can be near your network and 'see' your traffic, 'sniff' your traffic. An example would be me sitting in front of your house with a laptop and a sniffer running. I could literally see everything you are doing, and decoding your sessions. With an assembled packet stream I could read your usernames and passwords if you were communicating with insecure applications, and that happens allot. I don't even need to be connected to your network to so this. The sniffer operates at layer 2, network connectivity as most people know it is at layer 3 with regards to IP addresses.

Nevermind the jargon, just encrypt your traffic! Then it would only take hours or days to do what I just said, but then if your traffic isn't visible in the first place, no one will know it's there. ;^)

[Rudder]

Got it. Thanks.

[js1138]

Express Cards slot (54mm);

If the built-in wireless card isn't what you need, you are screwed. The Express Card slot is brand new, and no one makes wireless cards for it yet. New laptops have this slot, but it is currently useless. There's nothing to plug in, and the only effective adapter is $200.

This means that the laptops currently being sold (nearly all of them) CANNOT get Verizon wireless Internet.

[COBOL2Java]

Here's some good info on how to secure your wireless network:

Securing your Wireless Network
Improve Home Network Security

In addition, as this article says, configure your wireless router to NOT broadcast your SSID (Service Set IDentifier). Even so, change your SSID to something that more closely resembles a password (i.e., with a combination of alpha, numeric, and special characters), like 'J0urn@1' - or even better yet, let a 2-year old type it out, and get something like '@Ef8df8(*33v]' :-). I live in a fairly "wireless" neighborhood, and you wouldn't believe how many SSIDs I "see" out there, with names like "default," etc.

Change your password frequently!

[6ppc]

I surmise the Wireless card contains a radio transceiver, correct?

Correct

[somemoreequalthanothers]

This week my company hooked me up with wireless. I furthered my education quite a bit. We have a Verizon wireless card, which is essentially a cell phone in my laptop that provides the connection. It works reasonably well, the speed is decent, costs $60 per month but requires a contract of one year.
Unfortunately I can't get service at home with it, as I live somewhat in the boondocks. I was looking forward to surfing the net in bed, but such is not to be.