A step-by-step guide to building your own network.
GETTING STARTED
All it takes is a broadband connection, a few hundred dollars, and a willingness to pull the plugs.
1. Get a base station
When it comes to buying equipment, think g, not b. New 802.11g hardware is nearly five times faster than 802.11b gear, and it will interoperate with that as well.
If you're a PC family, try the Linksys WRT54G 802.11g base. It will work on almost any Net connection, and the company often gives out software upgrades. It has a built-in firewall to stop hackers from plucking your credit card number from the airwaves, and a throughput jack lets you hardwire other computers via Ethernet cable. These should cost about $150.
If you're an Apple household, get an AirPort Extreme, about $200. It's prettier than earlier AirPorts, and newer Macs come with the software to run it.
2. Buy a client card
Linksys' 802.11g card (in both laptop and desktop versions) is a good deal for PCs. At about $75, it's 10 bucks more than the old cards yet will enable you to use the faster 802.11g bases.
For Apple owners, go to the Apple Store and buy whichever card the company offers for your computer: AirPort Extreme for top machines, AirPort 802.11b for the lower end. One of the newer PowerBooks has the card built in, and some new Macs come with the Extreme card.
3. Turn on the network
Simply plug your Internet connection into the base station and install the client card in your computer or laptop. Then turn on the base and your now-wireless computer. Wait as they find each other. Open a browser and try to go to a favorite site. If it works, congratulations: You've got Wi-Fi. If it doesn't, you most likely have to enter some ISP information into your base station's setup program. Check your manual.
Finally, rename your network. There's nothing more confusing than when two neighbors both have a network named "default" or "linksys." Pick something easy to remember, as users of older Windows laptops will need to enter it every time they join in.
EXTENDING RANGE
Smart placement of your gear and investment in a powerful client card will increase by a few yards the distance you can roam from your base station.
1. Avoid obstacles
Usually, just moving the base from behind a wall or raising it higher off the ground will help it to reach all corners of your house. Keep it away from metal tables and dense filing cabinets, which can block radio waves.
Also, the signal strength of most bases and laptops isn't the same in all directions, but rather radiates along a plane that may not be pointing the right way for your needs. If your base has the usual "rubber duck" antennas, try tilting one straight up and one sideways, to cover different planes. If you have an AirPort or another unit with an internal antenna, stand it on end to see if it works any better.
If those simple steps fail, and you've got a Linksys 802.11b base, the company's $80 plug-in signal booster extends its range enough to cover most homes.
2. Move your laptop
The more powerful your Wi-Fi card, the better. Most models run on 30 to 100 milliwatts. Hot-rodders go for the 200-milliwatt Engenius Ultra Long Range card. It's the most powerful card for sale in the US that meets FCC approval. Not only does it transmit farther, it's more sensitive to incoming signals.
As with the base, the card's antenna signal and receptions are strongest in one particular plane. You can often get a better connection by slightly tilting your laptop or facing a different direction.
3. Futz with the antenna
You've likely heard about people attaching a Pringles can to a base station or a laptop client card. And you've probably seen photos of "war-driving" teens with 3-foot antennas attached to their notebooks, looking to share someone else's network. Let them. You can try adding a smaller external antenna for about $100, but it may provide only a 10 to 15 percent range boost indoors. Spend your money on a more powerful card instead.
BEING SECURE
With enough encryption, even the CIA would have trouble reading your email. But additional safeguards can slow your network. Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to keep out all but the most determined hackers.
1. Create a password
If all you want to do is keep neighbors and passersby from hitching a free ride, you can close the network. Your base station's setup menus include an option to establish a mandatory logon password that everyone must type to connect.
To prevent anyone else from reconfiguring the base station, change its default password, too. Many base stations come with passwords like "admin" or "default," both of which are hardly original and easy to guess.
Closing your network won't prevent a dedicated hacker from breaking in or sniffing your online-shopping traffic for credit card numbers, but your home network is an unlikely target. Worry more about locking the car.
2. Use encryption
If you intend to send sensitive email and spreadsheets containing confidential data, encrypt your data traffic with the Wired Equivalent Privacy protocol. As its name suggests, it's meant to make Wi-Fi as secure to use as a network cable.
The rub: Installing it can be tedious, so it's most suitable for businesses with IT staff. WEP works much like a basic network password, but logging on may require users to type in four computer-generated, 26-character cryptographic keys - gibberish like 0x4B90CD37BA128367F2A25AE527. Be prepared to assist visiting salespeople and other office guests.
WEP also has known security holes, so it will be phased out around the end of 2003 in favor of Wi-Fi Protected Access, a more robust encryption method with a user-friendly interface.
3. Install a VPN
The most secure way to connect via Wi-Fi is a virtual private network, which creates an encrypted pipeline from your computer (through your base station) to an Internet gateway under guard at your ISP or company's server room. But you'll need an expert to set up and maintain this gateway. Ask your office IT staff if it has a VPN. Or, if you need security for personal use, Boingo includes one in its consumer-grade service plans.
The downside: Compatibility issues may keep you from connecting to your VPN through some wireless networks. Also, help can be hard to get on the road. At those times, you'll have to surf bare - if you dare.
SHARING YOUR NETWORK
*You may be eager to include your neighbors and passersby. If your ISP permits sharing, remove the password from your network. Then these few extra steps will make your gift go farther. *
1. Turn off passwords and encryption
Make it easy for others to get on. This will be scary for some people, but liberating once you realize potential eavesdroppers aren't interested in you. They want to use the bandwidth, not read your email.
2. Insist on security
If you'd like to keep a password and/or encryption on the network, set the network names to the URL of your homepage, e.g., www.paulboutin.com. Put contact info there for Wi-Fi users, who can request the password from you.
3. Position your base station appropriately
Remember, signal strength decreases as the distance between base station and laptop increases. Place your base as close as possible to a street, patio, or chairs where others will sit.
4. Register your hot spot
Many Wi-Fi users go online to 80211hotspots.com, WiFinder.com, and NetStumbler.com to find hot spots, but the databases are only sparsely populated: Finding a hookup in, say, rural Maine could be tough. Submitting your network to these sites will make you a star.
TAKING IT ON THE ROAD
*Finding networks is easy if you have the right tools and do your homework. *
1. Sniff with software
Windows XP and Apple's Mac OS X automatically build and update lists of available networks. But you'll get a lot more information by downloading software from NetStumbler.com, or its Apple counterpart, MacStumbler.com. These free programs tell you not just the names of available networks but how strong their signals are and whether they have encryption turned on.
2. Sniff with hardware
If you're wary of whipping out your precious laptop in strange places, carry iDetect's WFS-1 Wi-Fi Sniffer, a credit card-sized pocket device with LEDs that light up in the presence of a network. It's also good for walking around the room to find the strongest signal point before you settle down to work.
3. Don't take no for an answer
Staff in hotels, coffee shops, and offices are often unaware there's a base station hidden right behind them. Double-check for yourself by touring the room with NetStumbler software or Wi-Fi Sniffer. If you can't find a signal in a hotel you know is networked, change rooms to get closer to a base.
4. Dare to look stupid
Just like a cell phone, your wireless notebook is a radio with a built-in antenna. If you need to lock onto a weak signal, a little body movement can get you online while others are pounding their keyboards in frustration. Turn slowly in circles, raise your laptop up and down, hold it above your head like the Ten Commandments - hey, it beats taking a cab back to the hotel.
5. Stop and smell the coffee
Find a Starbucks, where you can get T-Mobile service - 2,000 hot spots and counting. The cost: a $6-per-hour charge to your credit card.
MAKING MONEY
*If you're hoping to get rich off your home network, forget it. But if luring business travelers through your door is how you make a living, Wi-Fi can bring in extra customers and keep them there. They may even pay for the privilege. *
1. Advertise
Most businesses hide their base station in the back room. Why not set it out front in plain sight, with a clearly visible sign? Internet access may be just what shoppers rushing past are looking for.
2. Give it away
If you're a retailer looking to maximize foot traffic, take the simplest route: Set up an open network with no password, so anyone who walks in can get online instantly without your staff's help. Once they're logged on and settled down, they're yours.
3. Outsource
If you're bent on charging for Wi-Fi, hire somebody to run the operation. Boingo offers a plug-and-play solution for small businesses, while Surf and Sip may even come in and set up the system. These companies handle sign-ups, tech support, and billing, then send you a cut of the monthly take.
