Both offer advantages to the home and small business customer

This tutorial will help you understand the practical differences between DSL and cable modem networking. While similar in many respects, DSL and cable Internet services differ in several fundamental ways.

DSL and Cable – Comparison and Contrast

When evaluating cable and DSL services, you should consider the following:

• Speed (advantage – Cable): Cable boasts faster speed than DSL Internet in theory. However, cable does not always deliver on the promise in everyday practical use.

  Read more – DSL vs Cable – Speed Comparison

• Popularity (advantage – Both): In the U.S., cable Internet enjoys significantly greater popularity than DSL, although DSL has been closing the gap recently.

  Outside the U.S., DSL continues to hold the edge. Both dominate the rest of the competition with millions of subscribers to each.

Read more – DSL and Cable Modem Subscribers – U.S.

  Customer Satisfaction (advantage – DSL): Even if a technology is popular, customers may be unhappy with it whether due to cost, reliability or other factors. Indeed, in the U.S. cable services generally rate lower than DSL in customer surveys.

Read more – DSL vs Cable Customer Satisfaction – U.S.

  Security (advantage – Both): Cable and DSL implement different network security models. Historically, more concerns have existed with cable security, although cable providers have definitely taken steps to improve security over the past few years. It’s likely both DSL and cable are “secure enough” for most people’s needs.

Here’s How:

1. Verify the current local IP address of your router. Home broadband routers are manufactured to use a default address such as 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1, or 192.168.2.1. If you are unsure of your router’s default IP address, or if you have changed the default previously, follow these instructions:

2. Verify your computer is connected to the router either via an Ethernet cable or wirelessly association with the router. In either case, ensure your computer possesses a valid IP address.

3. Open a Web browser window and request a connection to the router using its local IP address. For example, type http://192.168.1.1/ in the browser’s address bar to request a connection to a router using the IP address 192.168.1.1.

4. If the browser request is successful, you will be connected to the router and prompted for the administrative login (username and password) information. Enter the administrative login information to authenticate yourself to use the router’s admin screens. Broadband routers contain default usernames and passwords when first installed. Consult your router’s documentation if you need to know the default login information.

5. If the browser request returns an error message, your computer is likely not connected to the router. You may need to perform additional troubleshooting to establish a connection. Try the following procedures and repeat step 3 above as needed to resolve any connection problems:

a. Reboot (power off and on) your router
b. Temporarily disable your network firewall

c. Reset your router to factory defaults (consult the manufacturer’s documentation)

Tips:

1. If this is the first time you are connecting to a wireless router for admin work, consider using a wired Ethernet link rather than a Wi-Fi link. Your Ethernet connection will keep working even if you haven’t finished configuring or accidentally break the Wi-Fi settings.

What You Need:

• Wireless router
• Computer with Web browser

• reposition your router (or access point) to avoid obstructions and radio interference. Both reduce the range of WiFi network equipment. Common sources of interference in residences include brick or plaster walls, microwave ovens, and cordless phones. Additionally, consider changing the WiFi channel number on your equipment to avoid interference.
• upgrade the antenna on your router (or access point). WiFi antennas on most wireless base stations can be removed and replaced with more powerful ones.
• add another access point (or router). Large residences typically require no more than two APs, whereas businesses may employ dozens of APs. In a home, this option requires connecting your primary wireless router (access point) to the second one with Ethernet cable; home wireless routers and/or APs don’t normally communicate with each other directly.
• add a bi-directional WiFi signal amplifier to wireless devices as needed. A WiFi signal amplifier (sometimes called “signal booster”) attaches to a router, access point or Wi-Fi client at the place where the antenna connects. Bi-directional antennas amplify the wireless signal in both transmit and receive directions. These should be used as WiFi transmissions are two-way radio communications.
• add a WiFi repeater. A wireless repeater is a stand-alone unit positioned within range of a wireless router (access point). Repeaters (sometimes called “range expanders”) serve as a two-way relay station for WiFi signals. Clients too far away from the original router / AP can instead associate with the WLAN through the repeater.

 

This article will discuss two different methods for testing application compatibility with Windows Vista.

One of the largest barriers to upgrading to Windows Vista is that of application compatibility. Many applications that ran flawlessly under Windows XP are either problematic, or will not run at all in Windows Vista. As such, it is imperative that you test for application compatibility before upgrading to Vista.

There are two primary methods of performing an application compatibility test. One method is geared primarily toward smaller companies and home users, while the other method is intended for use in enterprise class environments. Because everyone’s needs are different, I will show you both techniques.

The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor

The tool of choice for smaller organizations (or for home users) is the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is a simple (but effective) tool that is designed to test to see if a PC is ready to be upgraded from Windows XP to Windows Vista.

Although this tool is intended for smaller organizations, do not let that fool you. The tool does a very effective job of making sure that the system in question is adequately prepared for the upgrade. Using the tool simply involves downloading it, running the Setup Wizard, performing a scan, and looking at the results.

You can download the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor directly from the Microsoft Web site. The tool will run on any version of Windows XP, so long as it is 32-bit. Once the tool has been downloaded, simply double click on the file that you have downloaded to run the Setup wizard. Setup is extremely simple.

Once Setup is complete, you must run a system scan to check the PC’s Vista compatibility. Pretty much any product that requires you to scan a system (anti virus, disk repair program, etc.) requires you to sit and wait while the scan completes. This tool does require you to wait for about five minutes for the scan to complete, but the wait is not a complete waste of your time, because the tool gives you information about the differences between the various versions of Vista during your wait.

When the scan completes, you will see a summary screen. Notice at the top of the screen that the first piece of information that you are given is a definitive answer as to whether or not the computer can run Vista.

The lower portion of this screen provides you with some basic information regarding Vista’s system requirements, the computer’s hardware devices, and applications installed on the system. As you can see in the figure, this machine met all of the necessary system requirements, but there were a few hardware devices for which the tool had no compatibility information. Clicking the See Details button (in the Device section) displays a screen showing which devices the tool had no information on. Had there been device compatibility issues, those would have appeared on this screen as well.

The bottom portion of this screen contains a section on application compatibility. . the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor has identified some problems with some of the applications installed on this machine. Clicking the See Details button (in the rograms section) causes the utility to display the screen.

As you can see in the figure, the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor displays the name, vendor, and version number for each application that has Vista compatibility issues. The utility also displays a summary of the action that is required in regard to the application. In this particular screen shot, it appears as though the required action message is completely generic, but that is not the case. I have had this screen to tell me that if I uninstall an application prior to the upgrade, I will be able to reinstall it after the upgrade with no issues. The point is that the utility does not just display the same message for every application.

Just as the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor displays applications known to have compatibility problems, it also displays a list of applications that are guaranteed to be compatible with Vista

If you look toward the top of the screen shown in Figure C, you will notice that the compatibility report is tabbed. This allows you to switch back and forth between system, device and application compatibility information. Notice that the tab on the right is a task list. If you click the Task List tab.

Notice in the figure that the Task List displays the tasks that need to be completed prior to upgrading to Vista. The Task list also displays any tasks that you will have to do after Vista is installed. Again, the messages shown in the figure look generic, but the Task List really is worth paying attention to, because it does occasionally tell you something important that you need to do. For example, the Task List may tell you that you need to reinstall an application after the upgrade is complete.

Why Not Use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor in the Enterprise?

As you can see, the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is a great tool. That being the case, you might be wondering why you cannot use this tool in an enterprise environment. The reason why this tool is not suitable for larger organizations is because scans must be performed individually on each machine. There is no way to automate system scans or to compile a report that displays the scan results of every workstation in the organization.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor provides you with exactly the same information as Microsoft’s enterprise class solution (Business Desktop Deployment 2007). The real value of Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is its simplicity. The Business Desktop Deployment 2007 tool is effective for deploying Vista to large numbers of workstations, but takes a lot of work to configure. As you have seen, there is absolutely no configuration necessary for running the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. Therefore, my advice would be that if you have fewer than 100 PCs in your organization then you are probably better off manually testing workstation compatibility by using Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. For organizations with more than 100 PCs, you should normally use Business Desktop Deployment 2007 to assist you with the upgrade.

Wireless and Antenna Terms

Wireless routers, access points, and adapters send and receive radio wave signals through antennas. The antenna is hidden inside adapters, but on routers and access points there’s a visible antenna. Radio waves can be focussed like a lightbulb. And like a light, some materials reduce or stop radio waves. While light focused from several lights is brighter and makes it easier to see, several antennas in the same area cause interference — the radio signals will be muddy and confused.

Your goals in optimizing power are:

• Avoid obstacles.
• Avoid interference.
• Increase signal strength. Power affects how far an antenna radiates.
• Use the equipment in places it’s most powerful and most sensitive.

Antennas don’t radiate equally in every direction. Just as the base of a lightbulb blocks light, and just as a light can be focussed by a reflector, so an antenna signal may be blocked and focused. Since people cannot see radio waves, you’ll rely on testing and trial-and-error to get an idea of where antennas “shine” most brightly. An adapter’s antenna is important, but the most powerful and sensitive antennas are on routers, access points, and detachable external antennas.

The focus of an antenna is either omni-directional antenna or directional. “Omnis” are used in most home products, they radiate horizontally all around, but are weaker upward or downward. When visible, these antennas are usually a rod a few inches long. A directional antenna radiates strongly in a limited direction. It is a flat panel or a dish. These are used for point-to-point transmissions (where two antennas are focused directly at each another). These need a line of sight between them, and preferably a large open space around the main beam.

When you are near antennas you’ll still get a signal, even if you are out of the direction of its strongest signals. But when further away, you have to be in the direction the beam is the most powerful and unobstructed to receive it.

One final concept before you go to the above links is interference. Interference is a signal — one you don’t want — at the same frequency as the one you’re using. Interference comes from devices such as microwave ovens, cell phones, 2.4 GHz cordless phones, and copy machines. Interference is also caused when your own wireless signals are bounced off reflecting objects. Objects may partly or completely absorb signals, reflect them, bend them, or let them pass right through. Metal and water (including the water in people!) absorb or reflect signals. Air, wood, and glass tend to let signals pass with weakening. And when outdoors, plants and the weather may cause interference.

Improving Wireless Range: Choosing the Best Locations

This describes moving equipment, positioning antennas, and avoiding obstacles. When optimizing your existing equipment, consider:

• Placing antennas in a good location, at a good angle.
• Avoiding physical things that block signals.
• Reducing the interference from other things that transmit radio waves.

Before starting adjustment, make sure that antennas and cables are securely fastened!

If your network has more than a couple wireless devices, before you move things, decide which wireless devices are transmitting the heaviest load. These links are important to optimize. NETGEAR products have automatic data rate fallback, which allows increased distances without losing connectivity. It also means that devices that are further away are inherently slower. Therefore the most critical links in your network are those where the traffic is high, and the distances are great. Optimize those, first. The ones that are least important are links that have little, occasional traffic, and which have a strong signal strength.

Picking Good Locations for Antennas

• Antennas should be in line-of-sight of one another, where possible. Put your face next to one antenna, to find whether the other is visible.
• Place high, and clear of obstructions as practical.
• Keep antennas 2 feet from metal fixtures such as sprinklers, pipes, metal ceiling, reinforced concrete, metal partitions. (However, antennas on roofs do not necessarily give the best results. )
• Keep away from large amounts of water such as fish tanks and water coolers.
• Antennas transmit weakly at the base, where they connect. So don’t expect good reception from the bottom of a router or access point.

• For multi-story buildings, placing antennas at 45 degrees (diagonally) or 0 degrees (straight out parallel to the floor) may be most effective.

Reducing Interference

Avoid windows unless communicating between buildings. (Windows let in interference from the outside world.)

Place antennas away from various electromagnetic noise sources, especially those in the 2400 – 2500 MHz frequency band. Common noise-creating sources are:

• Computers and fax machines (place wireless equipment no closer than 1 foot)
• Copying machines, elevators and cell phones (no closer than 6 feet)
• Microwave ovens (no closer than 10 feet)

Improving Wireless Range: Tuning Equipment

Using the best channels has a big effect on network performance. Your goal is to choose settings that avoid interference from other networking and radio frequency equipment. (If you have 802.11a or 802.11a/g, channel selection is less important, skip to “Reducing Wireless Network Traffic”.)

f you have a simple home network, and aren’t close to neighbors with wireless equipment, you may be lucky enough just to choose between many channels that work well.

Complications arise when:

• You want much better coverage than you’re getting.
• You use multiple access points or wireless routers. (Then you’ll probably be using more than one channel.)
• You aren’t the only person nearby running a wireless network.

Simple Spacing of Channels

As explained in Improving Wireless Range: Overview, improving signal strength is not like adding more lights to get a brighter living room. Devices that transmit powerfully — such as routers, access points, and cell phone base stations — confuse one another. It’s necessary to distance them and to have them use different channels.

For 802.11b and 802.11g, there are 11 channels for wireless equipment (13 channels in Europe). In the simple situation where there’s little interference, you can choose any channel that works for you. When there is interference from wireless networks that overlap with one another, each network should use one of the non-overlapping channels: 1, 6, or 11 (1, 7, 13 in Europe). Then, 3 networks can use the same space with minimum interference. If you can’t do that, choose channels as widely spaces as possible.

What If a Channel I Want to Use Has Too Much Noise (Interference)?

If your neighbor has a wireless network, it wouldn’t be surprising that they are already using channel 1 and channel 11. Unfortunately, you can’t completely avoid interference just by using other channels. Wireless protocols 802.11b and 11g only have 3 non-overlapping channels. Therefore when 4 or more channels are used in the same area, the level of interference can increase notably. If you and your close neighbor both have a router and a wireless access point, for example — which makes a total of four powerful transmitters — both of you will have a certain amount of interference.

If there’s a severe problem, a practical and sociable thing is to talk to your neighbors using wireless networks that can be seen when you scan. Together, you can choose optimal channels for your respective networks. You’ll want your own channels at least 5 apart. So, for example, you could use channels 1 and 8, and your neighbor could use 5 and 11.

You may be able to place routers and access points further away inside your homes. After all, the kinds of physical barriers that reduce your transmission range also reduce the signal that your neighbor doesn’t want to see.

If you can use a directional antenna, or an antenna cable to shift an antenna, that can help you both. See the articles on antenna selection.

Reducing Wireless Network Traffic

When there’s noise, your network performance drops, so one approach is not to stop the noise, but to reduce the amount of network data being transmitted.

In a noisy environment, it may be useful to keep part of your network wired. If Ethernet cabling isn’t an option, consider NETGEAR’s Powerline products — using existing home wiring instead of cables.

When SSID Broadcast is turned on, it’s easiest for equipment to find the strongest signal. However this also causes network overhead. When the SSID is broadcast, your neighbor’s equipment may keep a record of it, and automatically try to connect several times a second; this can cause significant performance reduction. So where there are close networks, turn off SSID Broadcast, and change the default SSID.

Turning off WEP and WPA may increase network throughput, but exposes your network to hackers. This is not recommended, except for testing purposes.

Improving Wireless Range: Choosing the Right Equipment

This article is useful:

• To compare how various wireless devices should be used, or
• If Choosing the Best Locations and Tuning Your Equipment don’t get the performance you want, or
• You want a big improvement immediately at a reasonable cost.

The cheaper solutions are first, followed by more expensive, but very powerful ones. A network with more than a few computers may benefit from a combination of approaches.

I. A New Router
II. A Second Router as a Wireless Access Point
III. Powerline
IV. An Access Point
V. An Antenna
VI. A Site Survey

I. A New Router

Replace your existing router with a better one. This is recommended if your router is a couple years old. A new router will probably double your coverage in a single area.

Advantages

• Making the change is likely to be simple. New NETGEAR routers come with wizards that make basic installation easy, and will probably fit with your existing network with few other changes.
• The newest NETGEAR routers are excellent values.
• New routers such as the WPN824 RangeMax can deal with tricky wireless environments without any tuning at all.

Disadvantages

• May require you to also buy new adapters to get all the router benefits.
• Isn’t best for difficult environments with spotty coverage, or for covering large areas such as entire buildings.

II. A Second Router to use as a Wireless Access Point

With this solution you disable features of a wireless router, leaving the wireless transmitter working. This configuration uses an existing wired or wireless router. Here’s a sample configuration.

Advantages

• Low cost. With an inexpensive router, this is the cheapest solution.

Disadvantages

• NETGEAR provides no free support at all for this.
• NETGEAR routers are not designed for this purpose, so configuration, behavior, features, and performance may not be as expected. Problems may include no DHCP passthrough and stopping access point roaming.
• Only suitable for small, moderately loaded networks. E.g., not good for running a game server or a database server.
• Can be slightly difficult to configure.

III. Powerline

Instead of networking through the air, or through Ethernet cables, Powerline uses the existing electrical wires in your walls. See Powerline FAQ.

Advantages

• Fairly low cost.
• Excellent solution in difficult RFI environments, since Powerline signals don’t go through the air.
• Good security for casual users.
• Powerline can easily be moved in a house. No reconfiguration is needed, units can be plugged in where and when you want.
• Doesn’t require continuous wireless coverage, just an available electrical plug.
• Works nicely with wireless technology to cover “blind spots”.

Disadvantages

• Powerline performance is not limited by RFI, but it is limited by noisy power. As with wireless, it’s difficult to know exactly how well Powerline will work until you try it.
• Powerline is often not suitable for businesses, dorms, and hotels. See Assessing Powerline for Business Environments.

IV. An Access Point

Dedicated access points have better performance and features than routers that are used as access points (see above).

Advantages

• Can cover an area far distant from your wireless router, without having to cover all the area in between.
• Potentially excellent LAN performance, especially with careful configuration and placement.
• Advanced security features.
• Access points are covered by NETGEAR’s free support policy.

Disadvantages

• Business access
• Using access points in repeater mode does not result in the best performance.
• Configuration is more complicated than other solutions.

V. Antennas

Antennas can provide great power. NETGEAR antennas and boosters are available in the United States that transmit for miles. Less powerful antennas may still cover an entire building.

Advantages

• Antennas give excellent throughput over large continuous areas.
• Antennas are available for outdoor, as well as indoor use.
• Antennas are often the most practical solution for networking between buildings.

Disadvantages

• Antennas must be connected to equipment specifically designed for them. This adds to cost.
• A site survey may be needed before installation. (See below.)
• Antennas may require professional installation. This adds to cost.
• In thunderstorms, connections may be slow or temporarily interrupted. Critical networking or networking in areas of frequent storms may require other network connections as a backup.
• Regulations in all countries limit how antennas can be used.

VI. A Site Survey

A site survey is a study of your environment, your network, and your computing needs. Self-help site survey software is available, but a complete evaluation requires a professional. For a network of more than a few computers, plan on using 1-2 hours of help in the range of $100-$150 / hour. For all but small networks using the cheaper approaches described above, the amount spent will be saved by avoiding buying wrong equipment, or equipment that isn’t cost-effective in your situation. These professionals are found online or in the Yellow Pages under “Radio Communication Equipment”.

Improving Wireless Range: Testing

Test as little or as thoroughly as you like. When making changes, you’ll want to test to see how you’ve improved. When you test, use your actual environment. For example, test at home while others use computers, talk on cell phones, and run the microwave.

Start with the cheapest and fastest test:

See If It Works

If the network works, and you’re satisfied with the performance, don’t do anything else. If it seems like it’s working, it is.

To Test Coverage Using the NETGEAR Utility

Each wireless device has a software utility monitoring signal strength and transmission. Most have a meter that reads green, yellow or red. (One adapter has bullets from 8 to 0, instead.) When the meter is green, then that device is getting a strong signal and good throughput. As you move further away from the router or access point, the signal strength drops to yellow. As the signal gets weaker, throughput automatically is adjusted downward, but the connection is maintained. Eventually, you move so far away that the meter turns red: at that point you will have throughput and connection problems.

You can get a idea of where signal is strong by walking around and seeing where it’s green, yellow or red. In fact, this is a technique used by NETGEAR in testing.

To Test Whether Two Transmitters are Too Close

The closer two routers or access points using the same channel are, the more they interfere with each other’s signal. Take an adapter plugged into a laptop, and establish a connection with a router or access point. Then move to within 6 feet (2 meters) of the router or access point’s antenna. Scan the network for available signals. If you can see any other router or access point that is using the same channel, then you should either:

• Move the routers or access point further apart.
• Turn off one of the routers or access points.
• Change the channel of one of the routers or access points.

To Test For Packet Loss

This test is good to run while someone else is setting the position of the antenna for you.

The throughput meter gives an accurate measure of how much traffic is on your network, but does not show how much traffic is being lost and which must therefore be retransmitted. When packets are frequently dropped — for example in a very noisy environment — it puts a burden on your network. A small amount of packet loss on an Ethernet network is acceptable (1% or 2%). However, if there is several percent loss, or there are periods of several seconds of packet loss, then you should optimize your network.

Test packet loss using ping. (For other information, including how to interpret other ping results, see Testing Connections with Ping.)

1. On a Windows computer, type Start > Run > cmd. The cmd.exe window appears.

2. At the command prompt (the flashing cursor), type ping IPAddress -t, where “IPAddress” is replaced by the LAN address of the router, access point, or adapter you transmitting to. So your command would look something like this: ping 192.168.0.2 -t.

3. Press Enter. Now, every second, the device you are on will ask the remote device to respond to it.

4. When a packet is lost, the words “Request Timed Out” are displayed.

5. Press Control and the C key at the same time to end the test. The test concludes with a summary of all the packets lost.

6. Close the cmd.exe window whenever you choose.

6. Use Professional Help

Professionals have specialized equipment and experience that can be used to set up very effective networks. This is especially attractive for setting up wireless networks in large buildings or large outdoor areas. A professional can:

• Draw up a “site survey” map that identifies sources of noise and obstructions.
• Test the effectiveness of an existing wireless network.
• Make recommendations about equipment purchase.
• Make recommendations about equipment location and configuration.
• Make recommendations about how to mitigate noise sources.
• Do the actual equipment installation for you.

These professionals can be found online or in the Yellow Pages under “Radio Communication Equipment”.

WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is the IEEE 802.16 standards-based wireless technology that provides MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) broadband connectivity. WiMAX is an Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems, also known as the IEEE WirelessMAN air interface. WiMAX-based systems can be used to transmit signals as far as 30 miles. So far, WiMAX can offer a solution to what is normally called the “last-mile” problem by connecting individual homes’ and business offices’ communications.

Cable/DSL Broadband Access

Currently, there are cable and DSL broadband access services in the marketplace. But, their practical limitations in features and deployment have prevented them from reaching many potential broadband Internet customers. The wired broadband connection provided by cable and DSL is an all-consuming and expensive process. A large number of areas throughout the world currently are not able to access broadband connectivity. Traditionally, DSL can only reach about 18,000 feet (three miles) from the central office switch, and this limitation means that many urban and suburban locations may not be served by DSL connectivity. The limitation of cable is that many older cable networks have not been equipped to offer a return channel, and converting and deploying these networks to support high-speed broadband can be expensive.

Wireless Standards

Drawing on hundreds of experts in the telecommunications industry, the IEEE has established a collection of wireless standards that include IEEE 802.15, also known as Bluetooth, for the Personal Area Network (PAN); IEEE 802.11, also known as WiFi, for the Local Area Network (LAN); 802.16 for the Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), and IEEE 802.20 for the Wide Area Network (WAN).

Unlike WiFi, WiMAX’s range is typically measured in miles rather than feet. The main distinction of the difference between the two standards means that WiFi is focused on a local-area networking (LAN) technology and that WiMAX is a MAN technology.

The 802.16d standard of extending 802.16 supports three physical layers (PHYs). The mandatory PHY mode is 256-point FFT Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). The other two PHY modes are Single Carrier (SC) and 2048 Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) modes. By the way, the corresponding European standard—the ETSI HiperMAN standard—defines a single PHY mode identical to the 256 OFDM modes in the 802.16d standard.

Why WiMAX?

WiMAX covers a couple of different frequency ranges. Basically, the IEEE 802.16 standard addresses frequencies from 10GHz to 66GHz. The 802.16a specification, which is an extension of IEEE802.16, covers bands in the 2GHz-to-11GHz range. WiMAX has a range of up to 30 miles with a typical cell radius of 4–6 miles.

WiMAX’s channel sizes range from 1.5 to 20MHz as well, and offer a WiMAX-based network the flexibility to support a variety of data transmitting rates such as T1 (1.5Mbps) and higher data transmitting rates of up to 70Mbps on a single channel that can support thousands of users. This flexibility allows WiMAX to adapt to the available spectrum and channel widths in different countries or licensed to different service providers.

WiMAX supports ATM, IPv4, IPv6, Ethernet, and VLAN services. So, it can provide a rich choice of service possibilities to voice and data network service providers. In addition, WiMAX provides an ideal wireless backhaul technology to connect 802.11 wireless LANs and commercial hotspots with the Internet.

The WiMAX-based solution is set up and deployed like cellular systems using base stations that service a radius of several miles/kilometers. The most typical WiMAX-based architecture includes a base station mounted on a building and is responsible for communicating on a point to multi-point basis with subscriber stations located in business offices and homes. The customer premise equipment (CPE) will connect the base station to a customer as well; the signal of voice and data is then routed through standard Ethernet cable either directly to a single computer, or to an 802.11 hot spot or a wired Ethernet LAN.

WiMAX-based solutions include many other advantages, such as robust security features, good QoS (Quality of Service), and mesh and smart antenna technology that will allow better utilization of the spectrum resources. Also, the WiMAX-based voice service can work on either traditional Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) voice or IP-based Voice, also known as Voice over IP (VoIP).

WiMAX Connectivity and Solutions

WiMAX allows equipment vendors to create many different types of IEEE802.16-based products, including various configurations of base stations and customer premise equipment (CPE). WiMAX also allows the services provider to deliver many types of wireless access services. The WiMAX can be used on a variety of wireless broadband connections and solutions:

• “Last Mile” Broadband Access Solution—Metropolitan-Area Networks (MAN) connections to home and business office, especially in those areas that were not served by cable or DSL or in areas where the local telephone company may need a long time to deploy broadband service. The WiMAX-based wireless solution makes it possible for the service provider to scale-up or scale-down service levels in short times with the client request.
• Backhaul networks for cellular base stations, bypassing the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN); the cellular service providers can look to wireless backhaul as a more cost-effective alternative. The robust WiMAX technology makes it a nice choice for backhaul for enterprises such as hotspots as well as point-to-point backhaul solutions.
• Backhaul enterprise connections to the Internet for WiFi hotspots. It will allow users to connect to a wireless Internet service provider even when they roam outside their home or business office.
• A variety of new business services by wireless Internet service provider.

Who Are Working on WiMAX?

The WiMax Forum is a non-profit organization formed in 2001 by Nokia Corp. and Ensemble Communications Inc., etc. Right now, the WiMAX Forum has more than 110 members of equipment, semiconductor suppliers, and services providers such as Alcatel, AT&T, Fujitsu, Intel, Nortel, Motorola, SBC and Siemens, and so forth. The WiMax Forum aims to support wireless metropolitan-area networking products based on IEEE 802.16, like the Wi-Fi Alliance has done for wireless LANs and IEEE 802.11. The WiMAX Forum has most recently been working to promote the adoption of IEEE 802.16-compliant equipment, certification, and interoperability testing. In 2003, Intel Corp. became a major supporter of the WiMax Forum.

In order to bring interoperability into MAN, the WiMAX Forum is focusing its efforts on establishing a baseline protocol that allows equipment and devices from multiple vendors to interoperate and that also provides a choice to buy equipment and devices from different suppliers.

Currently, there are no WiMax-certified products yet available in the market, but the race is already on. At the Intel Developer Forum in September 2004, Intel showed off its first samples of a WiMAX chipset that has been named Rosedale. Intel is planning to offer WiMax transmitters by 2005, and expects to ship WiMax devices for the home and office to take off by 2006. Also, Intel hopes that notebooks will begin to incorporate WiMAX technology during 2006, and by 2007, handsets for mobility will be available. Intel has already signed up Proxim and Alcatel to develop WiMAX base-station and CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) kits. Fujitsu Microelectronics America Inc. in early 2005 expects to introduce a new WiMAX-based single-chip solution for deployment in base stations and subscriber stations as well; the product integrates both PHY and MAC functionality. Siemens Information and Communication Mobile also plans to build complete WiMAX-based solutions for establishing fixed, broadband speed metropolitan area wireless radio networks.

 

WiMax (802.16e) is a newer standard of wireless networking designed to provide the last mile of high speed internet access to the end user. Some people would call Wimax WiFi on steroids but this would be to broad of an assessment. Wifi was and still will be used in LAN environments for the foreseeable future. WiMax was designed to provide (MAN) Metropolitan Area Access, to homes and businesses.

WiMax base stations will have the ability to provide approximately 60 businesses with T1 access and hundreds of homes with DSL/Cable speed access…in theory. Engineers are stating that WiMax has the capability of reaching 30 Miles but real world testing has shown 4-8 mile working radius.

WiMax (MAN) deployments are similar to a WiFi network. First the ISP would have their T3 or higher access. The ISP would then use line of sight antennas (Bridges) to connect to towers that would distribute the non line of sight signal to (MAN) residential/business clients.

WiMax line of sight antennas operate at a higher Frequency up to 66mhz. Distribution antennas do not have to be in the line of sight with their clients. Non – line of sight towers operate on a range similar to WiFi . WiMax can operate right next to cell phone towers with no interference.

WiMax networks are similar to Wifi in deployment. The Wimax Base station/Tower will beam a signal to a WiMax Receiver. Similar to a WiFi access point sending a signal to a laptop. As far as I can tell laptops will be shipping with Wimax receivers in 2006.

QOS (Quality of Service) is an major issue with WiMax because of the number of people accessing a tower at once. Some would think that a tower could be easily overloaded with a lot of people accessing it at once. Built into the WiMax standard is an algorithm that when the tower/base station is nearing capacity then it automatically will transfer the user to another WiMax tower or cell. Unlike a Wifi clients who have to kind of fight to stay associated with a given access point; WiMax will only have to perform this hand shake at the MAC level the first time they access the network.

WiMax is designed for building a network infrastructure when the environment or distance is not favorable to a wired network. Also, WiMax is a cheaper and quicker alternative than having to lay wire. Third world countries will greatly benefit from deploying WiMax networks. WiMax can handle virtually all the same protocols Wifi can including VOIP. African countries are now going to start deploying WiMax networks instead of cell phone networks. Disaster zones can also utilize WiMax giving them the ability to distribute crisis information quickly and cheaply.

Militaries are already using wireless technology to connect remote sites. Logistics will be simplified with the ease of tracking with RF technologies. WiMax can also handle Webcams and streaming video which would give commanders eyes on target capability. Just imagine if planes were able to drop preconfigured self deploying WiMax antennas in strategic areas giving troops real time battlefield intel. Armed with wireless cameras, drones and a GPS one soldier would truly be an Army of One.

As WiMax is deployed in more areas theory and real life capabilities of WiMax will come to light. The differences between WiMax and Wifi are simple. Think of a WiMax network as an ISP with out wires, with the signal providing your internet access to your business/ home. Wifi will be used within in your LAN for the near future.

Netgear Wireless Router Setup and Security

The use of wireless routers and access points have become more frequent. If you do plan on setting up a wireless router it is your responsibility to properly configure and secure your wireless router for both your own personal privacy and overall network stability. On this page you will find instructions on how to properly setup your wireless router.

Netgear WGR614 54Mbps Wireless Router

1. Begin setup of your Netgear Wireless Router by first reading the instructions in the included manual, and following their guidelines for plugging in and initializing the access point. The first few steps in this guide should coincide with the information found in the manual, however we will follow up with important information on how to secure your wireless access point.

2. After powering up the router, use an ethernet cable to connect your computer to one of the ports on it marked 1 through 4. Next open a web browser window on the connected computer and type http://192.168.1.1 into the address bar and press enter. This will take you to the Netgear Smart Wizard welcome page, click OK to begin the configuration. The router will attempt to detect the type of connection you have and the next message you receive should be Dynamic IP (DHCP) Detected, click Next once you see this.

3. Next you will enable the wireless capability of your router. In the dropdown box for the region where you are located select United States from the list. On this screen you should also change the Wireless Network Name (SSID) from its default value to something unique so that your Base Station will not be confused with another. Click Next.

4. You should now see a message confirming that your connection is working and wireless is enabled. However, your are not secured yet. Read the notes and click Done. Then direct your browser to http://www.routerlogin.net to continue the configuration. A window will pop up prompting you for your login and password, enter admin for the username and password for the password, then click OK.

1. Once you have logged in you will see the main configuration page (shown above). Now click on the Wireless Settings at the left of the page. In order to password protect your wireless network select the WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) option under the Security Options and then under the Security Encryption (WEP) section that appears, select 128 bit next to Encryption Strength. Choose a password between 6 and 8 characters and type it into the Passphrase box under the Security Encryption (WEP) Key heading. Then click Generate. Finally click Apply. You may also select WPA encryption, however not all network cards support this, so check your documentation first.

2. Next look for the Advanced section heading on the left side of the page and click on this Wireless Settings section. Disable the SSID broadcast option by unchecking the second box in this section and then click on the Setup Access List button.

3. On this page (seen below) check the box to Turn Access Control On and click on the Apply button to save this setting.

4. Now click on the Add button, this will display a Wireless Card Entry heading. This is where you will choose a name and enter a MAC Address, also known as Physical Address, for each computer that you will be using to connect to your wireless network. If you don’t know how to get this information follow the steps here. Once you have finished, click the Apply button.

1. Finally click on the Set Password link on the left of the page under the Maintenance heading. Change the default password for accessing your wireless router setup pages by first typing the old one, password, into the appropriate field and then entering a new one into the New Password field and confirming it. This should be a different password than the one you setup for WEP encryption, but should also be at least 6 to 8 characters in length. Click the Apply button.

2. Your Netgear Wireless Router is now secure.

 

The single most important thing you can do to extend the range of your 802.11 system is to install an external antenna with some good gain and directional or omni-directional qualities. WiFi is simply a radio, which is used for computer. You can think of your antenna as the “speaker system” of your WiFi card. Get a bigger antenna; your WiFi will go a lot further. However, don’t install a speaker on your wifi system or your range will be horrible!

Directional Antennas
Directional antennas are used for Point-to-Point or sometimes for Multi-Point systems depending on the setup. If you are trying to go from one location (say for instance your router), to another location, this is the type of antenna we recommend. Directional antennas are Backfires, Yagi, Panel and dish type antennas.

Omni-Directional
This is the common “Base” antenna used for Point-to-Multi-Point or can be an omni-directional antenna for your car. An Omni-Directional antenna would serve as your main antenna to distribute the signal to other computers or devices (such as wireless printers, PDAs, etc) in your workgroup. You can use 2 Omni-Directional antennas for a point to point system, but this is usually not recommended because there is no real point to distributing your signal all over the place when you only want to going from point A to point B. Please refer to Directional antennas above. Typical Omni-Directional WiFi antennas consist of Vertical Omnis, Ceiling Domes, Rubber ducks, Small Desktops and Mobile vertical antennas.

Point-to-Point
Point-to-Point systems usually involve 2 different wireless points, or building to building wireless connections. But there are exceptions to every rule. If the access point is across a long valley and the owner of the system wishes to share the connection with multiple users on the other side of the valley. This would be a point to Multi-Point system but using directional antennas.

Point to Multi-Point
Point to Multi-Point systems is usually for sharing a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) or a high-speed internet connection inside of your home or with neighbors (oops, we didn’t say that). They can also be for WAP (Wireless Access Points) such as you find at local coffee shops, truck stops, airports, RV parks and the ever expanding list of WAPs becoming available. Traveling with a notebook computer is extremely fun and can be a great business tool for the frequent traveler.

Range
The range of the signal will depend on several factors, including power output of your wireless card or router, receive strength of the wireless card or cards you are transmitting to, obstructions buildings or trees which may be in the way of your transmitting path, walls, etc. Since there are so many factors which can determine the overall range of your wireless system, it is impossible to cover it in this simple article. A rule of thumb however is to always choose an antenna which you think may be overkill. Why? Because the power output is extremely small it is necessary to have as much gain as possible. Most wireless cards have a power output of 32 milliwatts (+15dBm), which is roughly the same amount of power it takes to light a high power LED (Light Emitting Diode). LEDs are bright, but imaging trying to see one at a large distance or through a building or trees. This is why the antenna is critical for amplifying that signal so it is as strong as possible. Why is the power output so small? Because 802.11 works at the same frequency as a microwave oven (2.4 GHz) and if it put out a large amount of power…. well, enough said. Microwave popcorn! If you are somewhat technical, please visit our online wifi range calculator to learn more.

There are many uses for wireless applications, either in a home, office or rural situations. Let’s examine each of these applications.

Home
Home antennas are always the easiest types of antennas to purchase and take the least amount of effort in choosing and installing. In most circumstances, only one antenna is needed on the remote computer. We recommend putting any external antenna on the remote computer, simply because if you install it on your router and don’t plan on setting up security, it will provide less signal strength outside of your home and your system will be less prone to hackers. If you have a multi-story home or a very large house, you may have to install antennas on every computer to get the range or bandwidth required. Every wall that you have to penetrate will decrease the signal strength of your system. For the best signal strength and signal, we recommend installing a 5dB ceiling dome antenna and either wireless desktop antennas or RL-1000 antennas on all remote computers. It is best to start with 1 antenna on a remote computer and test the signal strength and range.

Office
Office antennas are pretty straight forward. If you want to run a network system inside of your office building and don’t want to run cables all over the place, first, purchase a good wireless card, install a Ceiling Dome, Desktop or Wibberduck antenna to extend and maximize the signal to your office router. It’s that simple. However, this can get a little complex if the office is split between 2 different points or if the office is really large or on multiple stories of a building.

Mobile WiFi antennas
Why would anyone want WiFi in their car? Well, there are a lot of truck-stops and RV parks around the country now that offer wireless access. In fact, many public high speed wireless networks can be accessed directly from your car, truck, or RV. There is also something called WarDriving which is where bad people drive around neighborhoods and get their high-speed access for free. We don’t condone this, but if you want to read more about it, please go to www.wardriving.com. It’s fun and entertaining reading.

Yagi Antennas
Yagi antennas were the design of two Japanese people, Hidetsugu Yagi and Shintaro Uda, and are sometimes referred to as Yagi-Uda antennas. They were originally designed for radio, but are now also used for 802.11 systems. These antennas are typically very directional and are used for point to point, or to extend the range of a point to multi-point system. We highly recommend using the RadioLabs 14 or 16 element weatherproof Yagi antenna if you want to install your system outside. They have excellent signal strength and in the right circumstances can communicate for miles!

Backfire antennas – The backfire is a small directional antenna with excellent gain. They look similar to a parabolic dish, but the gain isn’t as high. We highly recommend Backfire antennas for point to point or point to multipoint systems because of the excellent gain and the good noise figures. We offer a backfire antenna with 15 dBi of Gain!! This is excellent considering the antenna is only 10 inches diameter. Almost invisible!!

Parabolic or dish antennas
This is where the real power is! Parabolic dish antennas put out tremendous gain but are a little hard to point and make a connection with. As the gain of an antenna increases, the antenna’s radiation pattern decreases until you have a very little window to point or aim your dish correctly. Dish antennas are almost always used for a point to point system for long haul systems. The Parabolic Dish antennas work by focusing the power to a central point and beaming the radio’s signal to a specific area, kind of like the adjustable reflector on a flashlight. These antennas are highly focused and are the perfect tool if you want to send your signal a very long distance. To calculate the distance of your WiFi

Gain Considerations
The gain you will require for each individual WiFi antenna system will dependant on any direct objects in your path, the distance you must cover and the individual wifi cards. These all must be taken into consideration before choosing the proper antenna system. If our calculator is too difficult to use, please feel free to contact us for information.

Interference
As with all radio systems, interference is always a problem. If you are listening to an AM radio and you hear static, this is interference. The same thing applies to WiFi systems, however not to such a large degree. Things that cause interference with WiFi systems are Microwave ovens, certain lighting systems, other 802.11 access points or systems, microwave transmitters, even high speed processors for computers can cause interference for 802.11 systems. All these problems must be isolated before you can expect any significant range out of your system. If you need help, please don’t be afraid to ask us. Afterall, WiFi is our business.

 

4 steps to set up your home wireless network

You can use a wireless network to share Internet access, files, printers, and more. Or you can use it to surf the Web while you’re sitting on your couch or in your yard. Plus, it’s easier to install than you think.

There are 4 steps to creating a wireless network:

For Windows XP users, Windows XP Service Pack 2 is not required for wireless networking, but it does make things much easier. Service Pack 2 also helps protect you against hackers, worms, and other Internet intruders.

1.Choose your wireless equipment

The first step is to make sure that you have the equipment you need. As you’re looking for products in stores or on the Internet, you might notice that you can choose equipment that supports three different wireless networking technologies: 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. We recommend 802.11g, because it offers excellent performance and is compatible with almost everything.

A wireless router

The router converts the signals coming across your Internet connection into a wireless broadcast, sort of like a cordless phone base station. Be sure to get a wireless router, and not a wireless access point.

A wireless network adapter

Network adapters wirelessly connect your computer to your wireless router. If you have a newer computer you may already have wireless capabilities built in. If this is the case, then you will not need a wireless network adapter. If you need to purchase an adapter for a desktop computer, buy a USB wireless network adapter. If you have a laptop, buy a PC card-based network adapter. Make sure that you have one adapter for every computer on your network.

Note: To make setup easy, choose a network adapter made by the same vendor that made your wireless router. For example, if you find a good price on a Linksys router, choose a Linksys network adapter to go with it. To make shopping even easier, buy a bundle, such as those available from D-Link, Netgear, Linksys, Microsoft, and Buffalo. If you have a desktop computer, make sure that you have an available USB port to plug the wireless network adapter into. If you don’t have any open USB ports, buy a hub to add additional ports.

2.Connect your wireless router

Since you’ll be temporarily disconnected from the Internet, print these instructions before you go any further.

First, locate your cable modem or DSL modem and unplug it to turn it off.

Next, connect your wireless router to your modem. Your modem should stay connected directly to the Internet. Later, after you’ve hooked everything up, your computer will wirelessly connect to your router, and the router will send communications through your modem to the Internet.

Next, connect your router to your modem:

Note: The instructions below apply to a Linksys wireless router. The ports on your router may be labeled differently, and the images may look different on your router. Check the documentation that came with your equipment for additional assistance.

If you currently have your computer connected directly to your modem: Unplug the network cable from the back of your computer, and plug it into the port labeled Internet, WAN, or WLAN on the back of your router.

If you do not currently have a computer connected to the Internet: Plug one end of a network cable (included with your router) into your modem, and plug the other end of the network cable into the Internet, WAN, or WLAN port on your wireless router.

If you currently have your computer connected to a router: Unplug the network cable connected to the Internet, WAN, or WLAN port from your current router, and plug this end of the cable into the Internet, WAN, or WLAN port on your wireless router. Then, unplug any other network cables, and plug them into the available ports on your wireless router. You no longer need your original router, because your new wireless router replaces it.