Your Guide To Wireless

Wireless Product Gravitate To Mesh

Cisco and a group of other vendors are releasing mesh network products based on the 802.11 wireless LAN standard. The products are aimed mainly at creating outdoor wireless networks, such as for municipalities, or as extensions to enterprise WLANs. In a mesh, wireless devices connect to a nearby node, which passes the packets to one or more companion nodes. Cisco is expected to announce its two-radio Aironet 1500 Outdoor Mesh Access Point. Users will connect via 802.11g/b to the 1500,which will then use a separate 802.11a radio to connect with neighboring nodes.The product is based on work done by Airespace, a company Cisco acquired earlier this year. But Cisco is late to the market. Nortel introduced mesh products in 2004, the same year Motorola acquired an early mesh vendor. BelAir, Strix and Tropos began selling products even earlier. The 1500 is priced at $4,000. Cisco’s Alan Cohen says rivals have single-radio nodes that are less expensive. But Cisco’s two radio product pricing is comparable to similar products,he says. Last week, D-Link announced plans to deliver early in 2006 its own brand of outdoor WLAN mesh products, initially with one radio that can support 802.11g and 802.11a traffic via a dual mode radio chipset from Atheros. The target price is $4,000. Tropos this week is unveiling software and hardware for managing and optimizing its radios. Tropos Insight is a server-based application that pulls data from Tropos MetroMesh nodes, analyzes it and displays the results in about 40 graphical reports. The reports show active and inactive links, two-way throughput over each link and packet loss. It also calculates the likelihood of a packet successfully traveling a link the first time. A second new tool is Tropos Drive,an appliance used to test a Tropos network from the viewpoint of end users.

DNS Service Promises Safer & Faster Browsing

OpenDNS says its free address lookup service makes Web sites load faster and blocks malicious, data-thieving phishing schemes and other threats. The service also corrects obvious typos in URLs, sending people to the site they intended to visit. Domain Name System (DNS) service functions as the "phonebook" of the Internet, mapping text-based domain names such as www.google.com to the numerical IP addresses used by computers. Internet users typically use the DNS service run by their service provider. OpenDNS offers an alternative phonebook, with extras. “We are adding an element of choice, which does not exist for DNS today,” said David Ulevitch, chief executive of OpenDNS. “People don’t know that there are different DNS servers available. The benefit is a faster, safer, and smarter DNS.” OpenDNS says its service outpaces rivals because of its speedy Web connections and intelligent caching. It claims to be safer because it blocks access to known phishing sites and known channels that hackers use to control compromised computers. The smarts come from correcting typos, turning craigslist.og into craigslist.org, for example. [tags]OpenDNS[/tags]

What’s Ahead for 802.11n

Given the relatively mediocre performance and the interoperability problems found with many draft-n products, it’s worth asking why vendors have rushed them to market. Two wireless companies that have chosen to stay out of the draft-n fray (at least for now) is Wi-Fi chip maker Airgo Networks and network equipment vendor USRobotics, say they don’t want to ship products that may not be upgradable to the final standard, a guarantee none of the current crop can make. Instead, Airgo says it will have chips ready for 802.11n compliance testing as soon as the specification is ratified. The rest of the wireless universe, however, doesn’t seem to be waiting and customers aren’t either. “Our Wireless-N family offers customers technology they can immediately take advantage of to get the most out of their networks,” Linksys said in a statement, noting that in June its Wireless-N router came in third on the best-seller list for all home networking products. Draft-N Timeable : Products in 2007 Meanwhile, the standards process is moving, albeit slowly. Voting is set for January on Draft 2.0 of 802.11n, which could possibly be ratified as final but most observers expect a third draft to appear later in 2007, followed by ratification and certified products by the end of the year or early 2008. While 802.11n will include a host of enhancements to the current 802.11g standard, the most notable are theoretical data speeds that will range from 270 to 600 mbps, depending on the device (PDAs, for example, are likely to stick to lower rates to conserve power consumption). The zippy data rates, like those of the non-draft-n routers, are made possible by MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) antenna technology that Airgo Networks pioneered a couple of years ago. That’s why you typically see three antennas poking up from these routers. High speed Wi-Fi also uses channel bonding, which combines two side-by-side 20-MHz Wi-Fi channels into one wide 40-MHz pipe. Channel bonding, however, can blast out neighboring 802.11b or g networks since it takes over virtually the entire 2.4-GHz spectrum that these products use. Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) technology to protect nearby networks is included in the first 802.11n draft, but it’s not clear whether CCA will be mandatory. A fix for spectrum overcrowding is available, thanks to 802.11n’s support for both the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz frequencies. Most experts expect the broader 5-GHz band (currently used by 802.11a) to emerge as the unimpeded fast lane for high-bandwidth applications. And by next year most vendors will likely introduce dual-band routers, although some of them may not simultaneously support 5-GHz and 2.4-GHz devices. Networks based on 802.11n will also slow down if one or more clients use older WEP or WPA security. Only WPA2 encryption (which began appearing in the last year or so) supports certain performance-enhancing techniques specifi ed in the standard. Netgear says to expect about a 5 percent performance drop with WPA and an even bigger hit with WEP, a issues that will persist until you retire all legacy devices lacking WPA2 support. Expect to see several draft-n gigabit ethernet routers for customers who also want faster wired networks. Netgear already sells the RangeMax Next Gigabit Edition, and Linksys should ship a gigabit draft-n router by now.

Netgear RangeMax Next Wireless Router (WNR834B)

Among the draft-n routers, only the RangeMax Next, based on Broadcom’s Intensifi draft-n technology (as opposed to the newer but identically named WNR834M model based on Marvell’s TopDog chip), came close to the Asus and Netgear RangeMax 240 models in short and midrange performance. However, it faltered in long-range tests, indicating a smaller coverage area than that of its top-rated RangeMax 240 sibling. In other respects the RangeMax Next is much like the RangeMax 240, offering the same straightforward setup and advanced client-card connection utility, although its cost is a little higher. Only a few settings differ significantly, mostly those having to do with draft-n. For example, the RangeMax Next is the only draft-n router in this group that does not support WEP encryption when in high-speed 40-MHz channel-bonding mode, since that would result in poor performance for draft-n adapters. The most visible difference between the RangeMax Next and RangeMax 240 is in case design. The RangeMax Next is a slim upright box with internal antennas, as opposed to the typical external design. While attractive, it has no wall-mount option, and hard to use in the upright position since the cables kept pulling the lightweight box over. You can place the unit flat, but then the internal antennas will likely not be oriented optimally since, unlike external antennas, they cannot be flipped to accommodate the box orientation. If you want to purchase a draft-n router now and bet on the product’s being upgradable to the final standard, Netgear’s RangeMax Next is one of the good choice, with the only major disadvantage being its long-range performance. [tags]Netgear RangeMax Next, Wireless Router[/tags]

Netgear RangeMax 240 Wireless Router (WPNT834)

Netgear’ s airgo-based RangeMax 240 topped in medium-range performance tests and came a close second in the long-range shootout. The RangeMax 240 also sports excellent router features and has the best Web-based configuration tool of the bunch, thanks in no small part to the ever-present and very thorough context-sensitive help. Installation using the included CD and the Web-based SmartWizard was straightforward and without incident. The process leads you through the cable connections that vendors generally recommend for setup, basic configuration, and then security. We had an equally good experience with the adapter card, as the setup wizard off ered to help configure the first connection after installing the drivers and Wireless Assistant connection utility. While the utility could confuse a first time user, it provides lots of practical information about your connection, such as traffic graphs and statistics. Designwise, many users really like the unit’s mod white plastic case with glowing iconic indicator lights that let you check the router status from afar. The Range encryption Max 240 also has a label on the bottom detailing the functions of all the ports and lights, as well as the default IP address and log-in information you need for browser-based configuration after a router reset. The one design flaw is the model’s lack of wall-mount holes, although you can orient the router horizontally or vertically on a desk or other fl at surface. One concern the product’s lack of QoS support (Netgear says it will come soon in a firmware update) and the failure of the router firmware’s “check for updates” feature to find a firmware update that was available on Netgear’s Web site. Overall, however, the RangeMax 240 has the best combination of performance, features, design, and usability here. Its only major drawback is that it will never be upgradable to the 802.11n standard. [tags]Netgear, RangMax 240, Wireless Router[/tags]

Linksys Wireless-N Broadband Router (WRT300N)

The linksys wireless-n is a very good all-rounder in design and features; like the Belkin N1, it seriously stumbles only in performance, although not as badly. It has QoS, WPA/WPA2 Enterprise encryption, Radius server support, and truly comprehensive routing capabilities, making it our features champ. The installation experience was very good. A CD setup utility led us through the physical connections and then took us to the router’s Web-based Smart Wizard for Internet setup. The 90-page PDF manual was nearly as good as Belkin’s, but the context-sensitive help within the Web configuration tool was not. It offered no information on the 802.11n features of the router and looked like it was simply copied from another Linksys model. Even a firmware update did not address this shortcoming in the router setup software. The Linksys has a flat antenna situated in between two pole antennas, a departure from the usual three-pole design. It has no wall-mount bracket, but you can stand the router horizontally or vertically. The case sticks to Linksys’s trademark purple and black color scheme, which the company shoukd ditch in favor of more decor-friendly choices like the white, black, and silver of the other routers. On top of the device is a big button that doesn’t do anything, but is “reserved” for future use. Maybe one-touch encryption setup? Linksys isn’t saying. What about speed and range? The overall performance of the Linksys Wireless-N line is a Fair rating due to its poor throughput at long range (60 feet through house walls) and multiple failures to complete file transfers, a symptom of its lesser range. Even at close and midrange distances, the two tested non-draft-n routers did better. [tags]Linksys, Wireless-N[/tags]

Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti Wireless-N Router and Access Point (WZR-G300N)

The buffalo airstation Nfiniti has some unique features, such as an external switch that toggles between router and access-point modes; Buffalo’s AOSS one-touch encryption setup for easy Buffalo client-card connections; and an upright-oriented antenna cluster. But it also lacks important specs in a high-end router, such as WPA2 encryption support (though Buffalo said it planned to make this available via a firmware update that to be release soon). In addition, the AirStation is the only router of the group that is missing Dynamic DNS support, which allows cable and DSL customers who don’t have fixed IP addresses to host Web sites or mail servers. Also absent are WPA Enterprise or Radius support, putting the AirStation at the bottom of the features heap in this group. Designwise, the antenna cluster means you can use the Nfiniti only in an upright position, and you get no wall-mount option. This model had the same problem as with the Netgear RangeMax Next, as many ethernet cables toppled the router (although this happened less frequently with the Buffalo product since it weighs more than the Netgear). In performance, the Buffalo was in the closely bunched bottom group of draft-n models, which all suffered on long range tests. But the biggest issue with this Buffalo was with its Web configuration tool, which was decidedly subpar. Explanations in the pop-up help on each page weren’t very helpful, and the poor graphics and confusing division of functions into Basic and Advanced pages just made things difficult to find, even when most of the experiece users knew what they are looking for. Another annoyance is the wireless-card utility, which cannot distinguish between encryption types, so you have to know what type of encryption the network is using and select it from the menu before entering your key (unless you use the AOSS system, of course). [tags]Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti, Wireless-N Wouter[/tags]