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a beginners guide to wireless

how does wireless work?

Wireless networking uses the same technology as the age-old transistor radio!

WLANs use RF (Radio Frequency) waves to communicate - same as the common transistor radio, but at a much higher frequency. Setting up a wireless network at home takes a wireless modem router plus a wireless network adapter for each computer that wishes to connect wirelessly.

In a typical network setup, your wireless-enabled modem broadcasts a signal; any computers capable of connecting wirelessly can listen for and connect to that modem.

All wireless devices adhere to the IEEE 802.11 standard, as defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. The standard ensures that all devices transmit data the same way, so performance and security can be maintained across all kinds of devices. This has become more important in recent times, with everything from games consoles to photo-frames now using wireless networking.

A typical wireless setup In a typical network, traffic is handled and transmitted by a central device (a modem or router).
These devices usually have built in firewall protection.

how fast is wireless

Wireless speeds are now up to 3x faster than conventional ethernet networks. We've come a long way in less than a decade!

Depending on the standard, wireless speeds vary between zero and 300Mbps (Megabits per second). To compare, a traditional wired computer network can transfer information at speeds up to 100Mbps.)

The fastest standard currently available is 802.11n. Most newer broadband routers support this speed, although it isn't typically found in devices beyond the PC. 802.11n's theoretical maximum is 300Mbps - 3 times faster than a standard wired networks.

802.11g is the most common standard for wireless connections, used by the majority of home computers and gaming consoles. It was developed with the intention of merging the range and reliability of 802.11b with the speed of 802.11a. Its maximum transfer speed is 54Mbps, roughly half that of a standard wired connection, but still more than enough for the fastest broadband connections and home networks.

802.11b is the oldest of the currently used wireless standards. It supports speeds of up to 11Mbps, or about 10% as fast as your standard cable PC network. Nowadays, it's rare to find new devices on store shelves that still use this standard.

The 802.11a standard was the very first standard. Developed in early 2000. It was advanced for its time, and operated at speeds similar to the fastest g standard used today. However, it operated at a higher frequency than the available alternatives, proving unreliable indoors as walls and furniture easily absorbed the high-frequency waves. This led to the market adopting the 802.11b standard instead, despite its much slower transfer speeds.

Comparison of wireless standards - speed. Typical range of different wireless standards under normal conditions.
Note that the latest n-standard is much faster than its predecessors.

wireless range and limitations

Generally speaking, faster wireless speeds also have a wider range. It's quite common to connect to your wireless network from across the road - even further, if conditions are good!

That said, many factors can alter the speed and strength of a wireless signal, including:

  • Distance - generally, the closer your computer is to the router, the faster your maximum speed.
  • Geography - RF signals can transmit through walls, but wall thickness (and even the type of paint!) can affect signal strength.
  • Interference from other electrical devices - cordless phones and microwave ovens, for example, can weaken a signal dramatically and sometimes even disrupt the signal altogether.
Comparison of wireless standards - range. Typical range of different wireless standards under normal conditions.

wireless security

While wireless networks provide more freedom than their wired brother, they are more exposed and susceptible to abuse from outside parties. With any wireless network, always apply password protection and encryption, so only your intended users can access it.

Wireless communication uses an encryption mechanism known as the initialization vector (IV). Sent with each packet of information, the IV's job is to ensure that transmission is secure and cannot be read by machines outside the network.

WEP has now been supercided by much more advanced forms of encryption - use it at your own risk!

WEP (Wireless Encryption Protocol) is an older form of encryption, rarely used today. It uses 64-bit (10 characters) or 128-bit (26 characters) password 'keys', limited only to the letters A-F and numbers 0-9. Anyone wanting to connect to a WEP-protected wireless network must enter the key configured in the chosen router.

The WEP standard is no longer recommended, as computers outside the network can 'listen' to traffic being sent between computers and reverse-engineer the key needed to connect. WEP allows 16 billion different key combinations for an IV - this may sound impressive, but a hacker can reverse engineer your key in as little as 10 minutes using a standard desktop computer.

WPA or WPA2 (WiFi Protected Access) is a newer, much safer security measure. It lets you set a password of any length, using any combination of characters and symbols. WPA is by far the most secure method of protecting your home network and is highly recommended over WEP. WPA allows up to 500 trillion possible key combinations, with no way to determine the key unless you are already an authenticated user within the network.

Think of WEP as a cheap, rusty padlock, where anyone with the right tools and enough time can pick it, exposing your information.

Meanwhile, WPA is like a well-made combination lock. Much harder to unlock and near impossible to break with brute-force attacks.

tips for keeping your network safe

  • Always use WPA or WPA2 as the encryption method for your home network.
  • Use a combination of words, numbers, upper case, lower case and non-standard characters.
  • If you are sharing files between several computers, you can add password protection to folders for an extra level of security.
  • Change your password regularly. (See our tips for picking a secure password.)
  • For added security, avoid storing passwords in your computer or web browser.

further reading