Step-by-Step: Creating a Wireless Network - Part 1 Determine Your Needs and Set Your Goals Aaron Weiss
It's no secret by now that wireless networking is quickly replacing tangled messes of cables in many homes and small businesses. No more fishing wires through walls, no more tripping over wires laid across doorways, and no more yelling at Fido and Fluffy when they think Ethernet cables are chew toys.
What people love most about wireless networking, though, is the freedom it offers to share files between a computer in your office and one in your lap out on the patio, or to surf the Internet from bed. But with that explosion comes an avalanche of choices and technologies that can quickly become overwhelming. The good news is that putting together a wireless network can be simple. The key is to assess your needs, acquire the right equipment, and proceed through a few basic steps.
Step 1: Determine Your Needs and Set Your Goals
Wireless networking equipment is not all created equal, in part because different users have different needs. Think of a wireless network as having three primary personality traits: speed, range and security. Depending on your situation, you may want a network with all three or you may need a network strong in only one or two.
A typical city dweller. You simply want to surf the Web and check e-mail using your portable computer around your apartment in the city. In this scenario, neither speed nor range need be best in class, but security is important because you are close to neighbors whose computers could pick up your signal.
A typical country dweller. You also just browse Web sites and log in to e-mail but your house is large, you have lots of land, and your neighbors are spread far and wide. You want Internet access from the backyard so range is important, but you may not need the most speed or the strongest security.
A business. You may need it all — speed for moving large documents around your network quickly, good range for providing access to users spread throughout several rooms or floors, and strong security to lock down your communications and prevent sensitive information from being compromised.
As you might expect, there is some correlation between price and performance when it comes to wireless networking equipment. Although prices continue to fall, considering your needs first will not only help you choose the right gear, but perhaps save you some money in the process.
Step 2: Choose Your Speed
Faster is better, right? It can be, and more speed certainly can't hurt. But, like pumping premium octane fuel into a budget car, buying more wireless speed may mean paying extra for something you don't really need.
There are two official wireless technologies you will typically find walking into any major name electronics depot: 802.11b and 802.11g. Often these are simply referred to as “b” and “g” respectively.
Wireless “b” gear is rated to 11Mbps while “g” gear is rated to 54Mbps. You may see these figures promoted on the packaging.
Newer technology is being added to wireless equipment to support even higher speeds such as 108Mbps and, most recently, 300Mbps. But these premium-priced devices are not yet based on official standards, meaning they may be compatible only with specific models from the same vendor, and future compatibility is unknown.
Don't Be Fooled By Marketing Claims:
- The top speed your wireless network will achieve is approximately half the advertised speed rating. A “b” network tops out at 5.5Mbps, a “g” network at about 27Mbps, and so on. Your real world speeds may be even lower due to wireless interference.
- “Mbps” does not mean “megabytes per second” but rather “megabits per second.” In real world terms, 1Mbps equals approximately a 122 Kilobytes/sec data transfer rate.
- A faster wireless network will not necessarily improve your Internet experience. You will be able to share files between your own computers as fast as your wireless network will allow, but your Internet download speed is limited by your broadband service. Most broadband service available in the U.S. today ranges from 0.5-10Mbps, or faster in some exceptional cases.
