Setting Up Your Computer for Wi-Fi

Getting to Know Your Future Wi-Fi Laptop Laptops work in pretty much the same way as full-sized desktop computers—they just come in a smaller package. Most everything is compressed into the small familiar form factor that you can carry around with you (unlike desktop computers, which typically feature separate display devices and system units). So when you are learning about your future Mr. (or Ms.) Laptop Computer, you should know that (just like a desktop computer) your laptop will have: A system unit (which includes the Central Processing Unit, or CPU) A display device (laptop display devices are generally LCD, or Liquid Crystal Display, screens) Peripheral devices, probably including a pointing device such as a trackball that takes the place of a mouse, and likely including speakers for sound The laptop form factor typically includes the system unit, the display, and peripheral devices including a keyboard and pointing devices all in the single small, lightweight package. Essentially, these elements in the laptop are no different from the elements in a desktop computer; it is the small package size, also called the form factor, that makes a laptop computer what it is.

Trade-Offs A friend of mine quipped a number of years ago that "the computer you really want always costs $5,000." Over time, the cost has come down, and you can certainly buy a high-end laptop for less than $2,000 today. But the point of the joke is still true. Unless money is absolutely no issue for you, you will have to make same trade-offs such as: Faster CPU or more RAM Lighter weight or less expensive Paying more for a brand name or less for an off-brand product Bigger and better display or less cost

To Mac or Not To Mac?

It's not part of my intention here to get into religious wars. People take the question of whether to buy an Apple Macintosh or a Microsoft Windows machine with great fervor. Perhaps they should. This really may matter a great deal more than the question of which end to open an egg!

Understanding Handheld Computers The main purpose of a handheld computer is to help you organize your life. All handheld computers include applications that allow you to Manage and organize appointments using calendar and datebook software. This is one of the most important handheld applications. You can enter meetings, appointments, and much more in a format analogous to a "Day-Timer" or similar book-style engagement calendar. Handheld calendar software also allows you to enter repeating events, a great way to track standing appointments, birthdays, and more. Enter notes, memos, or even random poetic musings with a memo pad application. Perform mathematical operations with a calculator. Track the things you need to do with a task list application. Manage your contacts and their information with an address book application. Besides these core applications found in some form or other on all handheld computers, most handhelds also provide a fair number of games and interesting (or useful) applications. Some of the applications ship with the device, but others must be downloaded onto it, usually when the device is attached, or "synched" to a desktop (or laptop) computer, usually via a so-called cradle that is connected using a USB connection to the desktop computer. For example, I can use my Palm PDA to track the phases of the moon and—perhaps more usefully in the San Francisco Bay Area where I live—take the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) schedule with me.

Handhelds and Wi-Fi With the ongoing ubiquity of Wi-Fi, it makes a great deal of sense to plan to use your handheld with Wi-Fi. If your handheld is Wi-Fi enabled, you will have the option of using it to connect on the road, in hotels, and in a wide range of places.

The Future of Wi-Fi

It's dangerous to predict the future. I'll take that chance and risk being wrong! Here's what I think is a cheap prediction.

Within 10 years, all new appliances, home electronics, and gadgets will be equipped in the factory with wireless networking, probably of a sort that meets whatever the Wi-Fi standards of the day are. This will mean that this equipment—and more, practically anything you can thing of—will be able to

• Exchange information with other devices. For example, your burglar alarm can "talk" to your smoke detector and your stove.

• Receive commands from across a network.

The benefits of these two abilities are greater than you might think. They include

• Greater automation because all kinds of machines will be better able to work with one another.

• More effective use of data because it can be shared between numerous devices.

• Better personal control of your environment using the power of your computer. You will be able to exercise this control at home using internal networks, and remotely via an Internet connection. For example, you might use Wi-Fi and an Internet connection to set the temperature in your house from your office before you come home.

As you'll see in this chapter, some of this stuff you can do right now. For example, it's easy to add a Wi-Fi receiver to your home entertainment center so that you can use your Internet connection and Wi-Fi network to stream audio and video to your amplifier and/or television.

The software and hardware that enables you to use Wi-Fi in some of these ways has yet to be manufactured. But there's a plethora of new Wi-Fi applications coming down the pike! It's clear today what some of these applications are. Others will probably be a surprise. But surprise is what to expect from Wi-Fi as a disruptive technology that has achieved many things that were never expected.

By learning now about Wi-Fi, what it is, and what it can do, you'll be ahead of the curve when new Wi-Fi applications appear.

In this chapter, I'll show you what you can do easily today. I'll also show you some things that are in the works (and which you could put together if you were a devoted hobbyist). You'll undoubtedly see commercial versions of these Wi-Fi applications in the next few years. Finally, from time to time I'll mention Wi-Fi applications that aren't really being tried yet.

Other Nifty Gadgets

There are all manners of ways that Wi-Fi can be used to make your life more fun and profitable. In the following sections, I'll show you a few of them.

Home Entertainment

I think that some time soon all home entertainment—stereos and televisions—will be equipped with Wi-Fi from the factory. We will be able to download music and movies using our computers and zap it across our Wi-Fi networks to be played.

Of course, the home entertainment devices will also be able to download content directly via Wi-Fi through the home network's router and the high-bandwidth Internet connection.

You will also be able to use your computer to control a variety of aspects of configuring your home entertainment devices, for example, a la TIVO, without having to worry about connecting wires or the physical placement of your home entertainment assets.

In the here and now, as opposed to sometime soon, you can't buy home entertainment devices equipped in this way. What you can buy is a Wi-Fi multimedia receiver that can be plugged into your stereo or television. This device allows you to stream audio or video over the Internet and play it across your Wi-Fi network on your stereo or television home entertainment systems.

Going Mobile with Wi-Fi

Loading Software Before You Go

As an experienced road warrior, it is likely that you already know what software to load into your laptop (or PDA) before you leave. It's still worth observing that there is no guarantee that you will be able to access the Internet just because you have Wi-Fi–enabled equipment. You need to plan to be self-sufficient. This means loading the software you'll need before you go. At a minimum, you should probably bring on your computer or PDA:

• Drivers and related software for your Wi-Fi card
  

• Wi-Fi hotspot directory information (

• Software to access a Virtual Private Network (VPN) if your company operates one. if it requires special software.

• An Internet browser.

• An email program such as Outlook.

• All of the general software you will need, including contact management, word processing, presentation, and any specialized software related to your job or interests.

There's nothing more inconvenient than arriving in a strange city for an important meeting, and finding you don't have the one piece of software you need. So think carefully before you leave, and be sure to load anything you think you might even possibly need.

Also, particularly if you are going to be doing a lot of flying, be sure to load some recreational programs (such as music, video, or games) before you leave home.

Taking Hotspot Info with You The perfect road warrior carries information he might need with him. For example, as you probably know if you've been on the road a great deal, it can be a lifesaver to have toll-free numbers for hotels and airlines handy. In a similar spirit, when you travel with a Wi-Fi–enabled computer or PDA, you should certainly obtain information about Wi-Fi hotspots before you leave.

Where Is Wi-Fi Likely to Be? The answer, at least in a few years, is that Wi-Fi will be everywhere. Being able to connect to the Net wherever one wants will seem as natural as being able to breathe. Perhaps the right to surf without wires will rank right up there with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (not to mention the right to chug down the freeway in a giant-size gas-guzzling vehicle).

You can find Wi-Fi in all kinds of unlikely places (see the sidebar "The Web Is a Global Village" for an example).

THE WEB IS A GLOBAL VILLAGE

A number of villages in northeastern Cambodia use Wi-Fi in an unusual way to connect with the Internet. Five men on mountain motorbikes connect these villages, which are otherwise too remote for Internet access, with the world. Each motorbike is equipped with a rugged portable computer equipped as a Wi-Fi access point.

Internet search queries and email are stored on the portable devices when each bike drives past solar-powered stations near the villages, which are linked to the villages using standard Ethernet cabling. Then the content is "dropped-off," again using Wi-Fi technology, when the bike goes past a central satellite station that connects to the Internet.

The same process in reverse brings email (and answers to queries) back to the villages.

I Want to Be a Hotspot Well, I don't think you really want to be a hotspot—but perhaps you might want to put one up so others could use it. If you run any kind of small business, this might make a great deal of sense. By way of comparison, Schlotzsky's, Inc., which runs deli restaurants, has stated that adding free Wi-Fi to its shops adds more than $100,000 revenue for each store per year (through added purchasing by customers who come to the store for the Wi-Fi hotspot, or who stay longer than they otherwise would). You might also want to put up a Wi-Fi hotspot simply as a service to your fellow humans (believe it or not, this kind of altruism has largely sparked the growth of Wi-Fi!). The technical aspects of putting up a Wi-Fi hotspot, meaning the hardware infrastructure required, don't differ that much from putting up a Wi-Fi network for personal or business use. To start with, you need a broadband connection. If you are planning to resell access via a Wi-Fi hotspot, most cable and DSL providers will require you to buy a commercial-grade account (rather than a personal use account).

Wi-Fi Networks

The national U.S. networks and provides telephone numbers and Web addresses. This contact information may be useful if you want to do further research, or if you decide you want to sign up with a specific network. It could also help if you are traveling to an area that is particularly well served by a specific provider.

Special Pricing, Good and Bad

You should be aware that there are likely to be all kinds of special pricing deals when you sign up for Wi-Fi access. Mostly, this is all to the good.

For example, most establishments that provide fee-based Wi-Fi access also have some special, introductory offers. In this spirit, it is typical to find a coupon at Starbucks good for a one-day pass on T-Mobile Hotspot.

However, you should also know that some Wi-Fi networks allow individual hotspot operators who are part of their network to charge more than the standard network price for access. For example, the business model of the SurfHere network is one in which it is more important to support hotspot providers than it is to create a national network for individuals. So SurfHere is quite clear that many of its hotspot providers can (and do) charge more than the standard network fees. If the location charges more than the standard network fee, your credit card will be billed for the overage.

Comparison Shopping Don't be thrown by the complexities of all the different Wi-Fi pricing models. It's not really as complicated as it may seem. As a practical matter, the first time you use a Wi-Fi hotspot, you'll probably take advantage of a promotional offer, or buy one-time (or pay as you go) access. It's a good idea to stay uncommitted for a while, and to try a variety of different networks. So start with one-off usage, and get a feel for a number of the Wi-Fi hotspot networks. You should make note of locations, access speeds, and how good the customer service is. After you've used a number of Wi-Fi hotspots, you should begin to get the sense of your usage patterns, and you may be ready to sign up for an extended payment plan by the month (or even an annual contract). If you keep a log showing your actual usage and compare it to pricing explained in this section, you may be able to come up with the best pricing comparison.

Creating a Wi-Fi Network

Understanding the Different Pieces of Hardware

So you want to set up a new wireless network in your home or office. Or, you want to extend an existing wire line network to provide wireless capabilities. In either case, relax! These are pretty easy things to do using Wi-Fi technology. You'll have your wireless network up and running in no time—and be using your computer in your living room, in your garden or on your deck, and from all kinds of unlikely places.

Wireless Networking Kits

A number of companies produce wireless networking kits. These kits are essentially a bundle containing an access point, two wireless PC Cards or wireless USB connectors, software drivers, and instructions.

For example, for around $50 from a discount retailer, you can buy the D-Link DWL-920 kit, which includes an 802.11b access point and two USB 802.11b connectors.

Microsoft's Wireless Desktop Kit MN-610 sells for about $130, and contains "everything you need to set up a wireless 802.11b network" for two desktop computers. Essentially, the contents are the same as the D-Link kit: an access point and two USB wireless connectors. (Yes, the Microsoft USB adapters have a larger form-factor than the D-Link units, and may have a greater range.)

There's nothing particularly wrong with these networking kits, but they don't get you very far. Although the Microsoft kit is a little on the expensive side for what it is, the D-Link bundle might actually save you a little money over buying the pieces separately.

Don't get me wrong—I'm all for anything that will make life simpler for you. But in this case, wireless networking kits don't bring much to the party. You can start with one of them, and expand your network later if you want. Still, it is no more complicated to buy an access point and create your own "kit."

Choosing a Wi-Fi Access Point

A decent 802.11b Wi-Fi access point can be had for between $50 and $100 (in fact, probably for even less than $50). By contrast, an elegant 802.11g unit, the Apple Extreme Base Station, costs about $250 (a little less if you take the model without the external antenna port). Although industrial-strength commercial units can cost a good bit more, the point is that these are not hugely expensive pieces of equipment.

You'll pay more for 802.11g equipment than for 802.11b equipment because 802.11g is newer and faster. This is a choice with obvious trade-offs that you'll have to make.

Likewise, the Apple Extreme Base Station costs a little more than equipment manufactured by a vendor that is not Apple—but then again it is a wonderfully designed piece of equipment with extended range, an elegant form factor, and great ease of use.

Preliminaries

It's good news that usually a standard installation of a Wi-Fi access point is not much harder than plugging it in and turning it on. Typically, you'll be ready to use your wireless network (and shared Internet connection) within minutes.

But, much as I love Wi-Fi technology, I have to be honest. There can be a dark side to setting up a Wi-Fi access point. It's as if you were walking along a mountain path with steep drops on either side. As long as you can keep to the path everything is fine, but if you slip off either side, you can run into trouble.

Trouble tends to come in two forms:2

• If your network is at all complicated, configuring your access point may require a little moxie.

• Access points are tricky pieces of equipment, and a small percentage of them simply ship from the factory with defects.

Plugging in the Hardware

Now that you've collected your current settings, you are ready to rock and roll, er, plug and unplug things.

The first thing to do is to power down the computers on your network, any hubs, switches, or routers, and your cable or DSL modem. You may have to unplug the modem to turn it off because many of these devices don't come with power switches.

Ad-Hoc Networking Ad-hoc networking means that each computer talks to each other directly without the "supervision" of a device such as a router. This arrangement is sometimes called peer-to-peer networking.

Setting Up a Hotspot with a DMZ

Suppose you have a small office with a network, and want to set up a public Wi-Fi hotspot. The single most important requirement is that people who use the Wi-Fi hotspot should not be able to access the office network.

There are many ways to set up a network to do this, depending on the functionality that is required. Also, if you are setting up a commercial hotspot, you should get the advice of the Wi-Fi network provider you will be working with in planning the hotspot (unless you expect to be doing service provisioning yourself). You should also know that there are a number of turn-key "put up a hotspot" kits available, which you can buy and not have to think about further.

In any case, the key concept to protect the private network is the DMZ.DMZ is a term borrowed from the military that is short for demilitarized zone. In networking terms, it means a computer or subnetwork that sits between an internal network that needs to remain secure and an area that allows external access, for example a Web server or a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Securing Your Wi-Fi Computer and Network

"Social" Engineering "Social" Engineeringis a term for tricking a person into revealing their password or other confidential information. A classic social engineering trick is to send email claiming to be a system administrator. The email will claim to need your password for some important system administration work, and ask you to email it back. Often, the email will appear to be from a real system administrator, and be sent to everyone on a network, hoping that at least one or two users will fall for the trick. You can also be scammed for your password via telephone. In fact, theft of credit card information or identity information via "dumpster diving" (or from a restaurant credit card receipt) are examples of social engineering that do not involve technology or the Internet. Another common trick used by social engineers is sometimes called "shoulder surfing." This is when someone reads your login information, password, or other confidential information over your shoulder. Wi-Fi users are particularly vulnerable to shoulder surfing. The best defense is to be alert and very careful if you think someone may be looking over your shoulder. If you think someone has read your password, you should change it (or get it changed) immediately. For example, if you think someone may have read your T-Mobile Hotspot password over your shoulder as you entered it in a crowded hotel lobby, you can use the T-Mobile personal preference page to change your password, or contact T-Mobile technical support right away by email or telephone. If somebody is watching you when you type in your password, you should move away, or ask them not to look while you log in. It's not polite to read someone else's password, so you shouldn't worry about being impolite yourself when you ask someone not to read it. Physical Lockdown The physical theft of mobile computers is a pretty big problem, with around 400,000 laptops a year stolen in the United States. Like other kinds of computer crimes and security breaches, in a great many physical mobile computer thefts insiders are responsible. Typical insiders include employees, temporary workers, and contractors. The moral is to be leery about leaving your laptop lying around, either in the office or when you are traveling. This sounds like pretty obvious advice, but what if you just don't want to lug it around with you—for example, to go on a bathroom break during a convention? A common and relatively inexpensive security device to deal with this kind of situation is the cable lock. The manufacturer of the cable lock provides a way of attaching the lock to the computer. (Often the lock plugs into a port on the laptop, with a security mechanism preventing its removal without the key). The cable then loops around a stationary item, such as a desk leg. Cable locks can be had for as little as $20 to $30. Probably the best known cable lock manufacturer is Kensington, www.kensington.com. In some cases, the manufacturer of the cable lock guarantees the laptop attached with the cable lock. The problem with cable locks is that they can easily be cut using bolt cutters available in any hardware store. To add another level of security, you can use a cable lock alarm, such as the Defcon, made by Targus. Targus, www.targus.com, best known for its mobile computer cases, makes a number of different cable lock alarms for as little as $40. These alarms make a huge racket when the cable is tampered with. Targus also makes a PC Card, the Targus Defcon Motion Data Protection (MDP) card, that slips into the PC slot on your laptop. This card, which sells for about $100, provides double-barreled protection. First, it sounds a loud alarm in response to motion (so it works as a physical theft inhibitor). The card also encrypts the computer, with PIN access (this encryption inhibits data theft as well as physical theft). When the alarm has been triggered (because the card encounters unauthorized motion), a second, 16-digit PIN is required to gain access to the computer's operating system and files. If you are going to be carrying around important, confidential data on your Wi-Fi–enabled mobile computer, this sounds like a pretty good investment to me! There are quite a few solutions along the lines of the Targus MDP card that get more and more complex. Some of these schemes include biometric scanning devices—to authenticate you as the owner of your mobile computer. In other schemes, wireless technology is used to maintain a series of "leases" that keeps the mobile computer going. If the mobile computer fails to obtain a lease for a certain period of time, it stops working, and encryption is engaged. With these schemes, generally a cell phone call can also trigger arming of the defense mechanisms. Companies that sell sophisticated defense systems along these lines include CoreStreet, Digital Persona, Keyware, RSA Security, and Vasco. Using Password Protection In a mobile computer equipped with Wi-Fi, you can (and should) password-protect operating systems such as Windows XP. This makes it a great deal more difficult (although not always impossible) to boot up your computer without knowing the password. You can also set a password in the BIOS of most computers. This provides a better level of security than an operating system password, but it is also not absolute. To set a BIOS password, you must enter the BIOS screens for your computer. This is done during the boot-up process when you've turned the computer on, generally by pressing a key (such as the Delete key) or key combination while the computer is booting up. File Sharing We tell our children that sharing is good, but when it comes to computers, running with sharing turned on can pose a security risk. If you are connecting to a Wi-Fi network—or any network—and sharing is turned on, anyone else on the network can read your files across the network. For that matter, your files can be altered or deleted across the network, as well. How Real Is the Threat? Make no mistake, the threat is real. If you compare a wireless network with a conventional wired network, essentially the security risks posed by the two are the same with one big exception. The big exception is that a wireless network provides no physical security. Essentially anyone can tap into a wireless network. In comparison, to hack a wired network you need a physical connection to the network's wiring. Attacks from the Internet are a threat to both wired and wireless networks. But otherwise, no one can attack a wired network without gaining admittance to your premises. Wireless networks are vulnerable to attacks from people who are not on your physical premises. This means that protection cannot be obtained by physical security measures, but only by implementing appropriate internal management and security measures. A lock on your door should inhibit someone who would like to access your wired network, but it is meaningless to the security of your wireless network. What Steps Should You Take? The steps you should take depend on how important the security of your personal network is to you. Some people will feel it more important than others to implement comprehensive security measures. But some of the basic security measures you can take are easy, and involve little (or no) trouble to set up and little extra trouble on the part of network users. So everyone should take at least some security measures