Wireless home networking has become a common place occurrence, and wireless routers provide the glue that holds all of the components together. The technology involved in wireless networks offers high-speed transfer rates, improved security, and extended range. Yet, wireless routers have changed dramatically since their initial introduction. This guide will you through the different technologies so you can choose the wireless equipment that best matches your needs.

How Wireless Routers Work
Wireless routers act as traffic controllers for your network. Using a variety of radio frequencies, a wireless router communicates with a wireless network card in your notebook or desktop computer. Both the router and the network card utilize the same radio frequency, transmitting data back and forth as needed.

How is a router different from a WAP (wireless access point)? A WAP merely connects your computer to a network. It doesn’t need to know how or where to send your data. A router is a WAP on steroids, able to determine where your data should be sent. For example, if you want to download a
song from the Internet, your router knows to route the request for this song through your ISP’s (Internet service provider) connection. Or, when you want to access a file stored on a computer in your basement, your router knows how to route the data between the two computers.

Instead of using physical cables, wireless networks use radio signals to transmit data to and from your computer. The transfer rate and range of these signals depend on the particular implementation chosen by a vendor. Most vendors are using a standard ratified by the IEEE under the 802.11 moniker.

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If your PC or laptop has a wireless network adapter installed, you probably have some wireless management software that can detect nearby wireless networks. For example, Linksys wireless adapters typically come with an applet called Wireless Network Monitor. Remember, though, that you cannot see wireless networks unless they are broadcasting an SSID (Service Set Identifier), and you cannot connect to wireless networks that are using security features unless you have the corresponding WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) or WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) key.

Most wireless network adapters include tools that can locate and help you connect to other wireless networks at your location. Check your software help guide or manual.

DO YOU have or plan to install a wireless network in your home? If so, do you know that someone can use your Internet connection without your knowledge or approval?

Anyone can drive through a residential neighbourhood with a wireless-enabled laptop. If your wireless router is not configured for secure communications, the intruder’s laptop can detect the signal and access the Internet using your Internet connection.

The intruder can read your chats, know what sites you visit, steal your identity, copy something to your computer in the form of viruses, worms, spam or pornographic material, use your Internet bandwidth (and inflate your Internet access bill) and even access sensitive information on your computer. Scary, right?

If you have a wireless router, you can protect yourself using these tips:

1 Router placement
Try to place the router in the centre of your home. This lets you connect from anywhere in your home and ensures that you are broadcasting fewer signals outside your home boundary.

2 Router password
When you buy a wireless router, it comes with a factory-enabled password, which is known to everyone else who buys a router. Change the password and do not enter common passwords such as names of children or partners.

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HAVE you wondered what other uses a home or office network could offer apart from connecting you to the Internet?

According to Mr George Wong, D-Link’s marketing director for South-east Asia, there is an increasing demand for networked storage devices and IP (Internet protocol) cameras that connect wirelessly to a network. And the Taiwan-based networking company, known for its wireless routers, plans to capitalise on this market opportunity by diversifying into products that build on the IP network.

D-Link is focusing on its IP camera range this year and is launching a series of campaigns to educate consumers about what they can do with IP cameras. Elaborating on the use of IP cameras, Mr Wong said: “Consumers can keep an eye on their kids and the elderly at home. And they can view the footage from the office or from a mobile phone. The cameras also come with features like motion detection.”

D-Link has 12 IP cameras on the market that sport such features. It plans to launch five more high-end models that are equipped with up to 22x optical zoom and come in a more rugged and shock-proof exterior.

Mr Wong added that there is an increase in the number of networked storage devices for the home because people want to back up data on multiple computers and centralise their storage.

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TRENDnet’s USB 2.0 TS-I300W Wireless Network Storage Enclosure is perfect for adding storage to your network. This 802.11b/g storage server includes a Web-based utility for simple configuration and management. The storage server supports advanced wireless security options, providing a secure wireless network storage solution.

The TS-I300W features:

• Wi-Fi compliant with the IEEE 802.11b/g standard
• Built-in Fast Ethernet LAN port
• Embedded 3.5-inch IDE hard drive bay (drive not included)
• Two built-in USB 2.0 ports for additional storage devices
• Provides FTP server for remote access
• Supports 64/128-bit WEP and WPA-PSK encryption
• Supports USB storage devices such as flash memory and CD-ROM
• Schedule downloads with FTP or HTTP without turning on the PC
• Provides email notification service when drive is full or an error occurs
• Supports real-time clock (RTC) and UPnP for Windows XP
• Compliant with Windows 98(SE)/ Me/NT/2000/XP and Linux

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Tired of all your multimedia languishing on your PC? The recently announced BluOnyx from LSI could help release that content to other platforms, and you won’t need advanced degrees to pull off the feat.

About the size of a credit card, the BluOnyx server lets mobile users share and stream music, video, and files to or from cell phones, PCs, digital cameras, game consoles, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) routers, and other devices. This P2P (peer-to-peer) device doesn’t require a PC to function, but PC owners will likely appreciate the ability to use content stored on their computers, thanks to the wireless connectivity of the BluOnyx.

In fact, any compatible device can connect to the BluOnyx using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, or, if the device isn’t capable of wireless connectivity, via a USB cable or an SD (Secure Digital) card. The device appears on a home or corporate network as a hard drive, with its own drive letter, so users can easily transfer files between the server and devices. The BluOnyx doesn’t have its own screen but is instead controlled using a cell phone, PC, or television, giving users the ability to peruse its contents using the displays of any of those devices.

The device is expected to cost from $99 to $250, depending on storage capacity, which will range from 1 to 44GB.

I f you use a wireless router, your network isn’t necessarily safe from intruders simply because you’ve enabled the router’s encryption features. After all, anyone with physical access to your computer can potentially obtain the encryption key you’ve selected for wireless devices to gain access to the network.

Tony Bradley, author of “Essential Computer Security” (2006, Syngress Publishing), notes in his book that it’s wise to periodically review the logs on your wireless router to ensure that no rogue devices have been connecting to it. For example, a typical log will show the date and time that
various wireless devices connected to the router, along with the MAC (Media Access Code) address that’s tied to each device.

The MAC address is a unique identifier supplied with network adapters, so each device that connects to your network should have its own MAC address. Accordingly, you can identify rogue connections by identifying the MAC addresses of your own devices and comparing them against
the codes that appear in your router’s logs.

Bradley notes that you can restrict access by filtering the MAC addresses used to access your network. By doing so, you’ll limit the devices that can connect to your network only to those you know and plan to allow. MAC address filtering can be accomplished by using your router’s configuration interface (for example, some DLink routers allow MAC address tweaking in the Filters section under the Advanced tab).