What is Understanding Wireless?

You maybe argue that you don’t want to understand how wireless works to use it, however, basic understanding would helps when it comes to setup and troubleshooting. For example, people who have trouble setting up their computer, not understanding even the most basic details of how computer viruses spread has ensured not only that viruses spread like wildfire, but also that virus hoax e-mail messages spread as well. One of the overarching solutions for technology use is understanding the technology you’re using, at least to the degree that you can determine what might be going wrong.

Of course, that you don’t need to be an expert. but when it comes to anything to do with computer networking, knowing where to begin troubleshooting helps a great deal. In all my years of working with PCs, two things have always continued to astound us: the fact that PCs work at all, and the fact that you can get a group of them to work together. When you toss the concept of wireless into the bin, it goes beyond astonishment toward.

This book touches on all these topics, and gives you hands-on examples of how to do the things you need to do to make your wireless equipment work for you. Work through part of it and you’ll be able to use your devices more effectively. Work through all of it and you’ll be able to start answering other people’s questions, which, you’ll quickly discover, is something of a mixed blessing, but extremely valuable.

One other thing you’ll get from this book: a strong sense of what all those brain-mushing terms and abbreviations mean. You know the ones: 802.11b, 802.11g, Wireless-G, Wi-Fi, WEP, WPA, wireless broadband, and on and on and on. The computer world is filled with abbreviations, of course, but the wireless industry seems intent on giving us far more than we can handle. As you work through this book, you’ll encounter numerous wireless terms, but in all cases you’ll also find a comprehensible working definition for them, along with a readable explanation of what the technology behind each term actually does, not only how it works, but what it means to you.

Link: PC Magazine Wireless Solutions

Tags: 3G, Mobile Wireless, Wireless

Book Detail:

Caution! Wireless Networking
By Jack McCullogh
Published by Wiley
268 Pages

This book focuses mainly on the security issues arise with wireless networking, ranging from viruses to e-eavesdropping. Some of the threats, such as worms and hoaxes, are familiar from wired networks and are fairly easy to guard against. Others, such as drive-by downloads and sniffers, are linked to natured of wireless communications and are considerably tougher to fight.

The book offers a spectrum of defensive measures, but the main problem is that they are mainly designed for the American environment. Still, there are useful principles dicussed here, althought Asian users will have to check for system compatibility.

The haphazard development of a home networking system can be as chaotic as a poorly planned road system. It is often the result of adding on new components to your home PCs without looking at the bigger picture.

If you have more than one PC at home sharing a common printer, or other peripherals, you are already at the beginning of Phrase 3 of Home Networking, according to author, Dr Larry Long.

Phase 1 and 2 involve introducing the first, then the second (or third) PC to your home, he says. By Phase 3, you start to share files, storage, printer and Internet resources and at Phase 4, you are on your way to creating an electronic home. Here is when you integrate the digital home entertainment with the home office and a cyberworld for the gamers in the family.

The book offers a step-by-step guide to those who want an overview of home networking, or who have already embarked on the journey of creating a smart home. Without too much technical jargon, it gives advice on maintenance, troubeshooting and security issues.

Dr Long also warms readers against buying unnecessary compenents. This he does by dicussing the pros and cons of the different options and waht each does for the home network. The book is organized such that advanded users can just zoom in on the required information.