Introduction to How WiFi Works

If you’ve been in an airport, cafe, library or hotel recently, chances are you’ve been at the heart of a wireless network. Many people use the wireless network, also called Wi-Fi or 802.11 networking, to connect their computers at home, and some cities are trying to use technology to deliver free or cheap Internet access to residents. In the near future, the wireless network in May was so widespread that you can access the Internet anywhere at any time, without spending a Sunday

WiFi has a lot of advantages. Wireless networks are easy to create and inexpensive. They are also unobtrusive - unless you’re looking for a place to use your laptop, you may not even notice when you are in a hotspot.

What Is WiFi ?

what is wifi

A wireless network uses radio waves, such as mobile phones, televisions and radios. In fact, communication across a wireless network is a bit like two-way radio communications. Here’s what happens:

1. A computer on the wireless adapter translates data into a radio signal and transmits through an antenna.
2. A wireless router receives the signal and decodes. The router sends information to the Internet using a physical, wired Ethernet connection.This process also works in reverse, with the router receiving information from the Internet, translating it into a radio signal and send it to your wireless adapter. Radios used for WiFi communication are very similar to those used for walkie-talkie radios, cell phones and other devices. They can send and receive radio waves, and they can convert 1s and 0s into radio waves and convert the radio waves in 1 and 0 But WiFi radios have some notable differences from other radios:

* They transmit at frequencies of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. This frequency is much higher than the frequencies used for cellular phones, walkie-talkies and televisions. Increase the frequency of the signal can carry more data.
* They use 802.11 networking standards that are in several variants:
o 802.11a transmit at 5 GHz and up to 54 megabits of data per second. He also uses orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), a more efficient coding technique that splits the radio signal into several sub-signals before they reach a receiver. This reduces interference.
o 802.11b is the slowest and least expensive standard. For a time, has seen its costs, but it is now less common for a faster cheaper. 802.11b transmit in the frequency band 2.4 GHz radio spectrum use. It can handle up to 11 megabits of data per second, and using additional code before (CCK) to improve the speed of modulation.
o 802.11g transmit at 2.4 GHz like 802.11b, but it is much faster - it can handle up to 54 megabits of data per second. 802.11g is faster because it uses the same OFDM coding as 802.11a.
o The new 802.11n standard, which is widely available. This standard significantly improves speed and range. For instance, although 802.11g theoretically moves 54 megabits of data per second, making real-world speeds of around 24 megabits of data per second because of congestion in the network. 802.11n, however, allegedly can reach speeds as high as 140 megabits per second. The standard is currently in draft - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) plans to formally ratify 802.11n by the end of 2009.
* Other 802.11 standards focus on applications of wireless networks such as wide-area network (WAN) in vehicles or technology that allows you to switch from one wireless network to another without problems.
* WiFi radios can transmit on any of three frequency bands. Or they can “frequency hop” rapidly between the different bands. Frequency hopping reduces interference and allows multiple devices to use the same wireless connection simultaneously.

WiFi Hotspots

If you want to take advantage of public WiFi hotspots or start a wireless network in your home, the first thing you need to do is make sure your computer has the correct speed. Most new laptops and many new desktop computers are built with wireless transmitters. If your laptop does not work, you can buy a wireless adapter that plugs into the PC card or USB port. Desktop computers can use USB adapters, or you can buy an adapter that plugs into the PCI slot inside the computer. Many of these cards can use more than one 802.11 standard.

Once you have installed your wireless adapter and drivers that can run, your computer must be able to automatically discover existing networks. This means that when you turn your computer into a WiFi hotspot, the computer informs you that the network exists and ask if you want to connect. If you have an older computer, you May need to use a program to detect and connect to a wireless network.

Being able to connect to the Internet in public hotspots is extremely convenient. The wireless home networking is useful too. They allow you to connect multiple computers and move them from place to place without disconnecting and reconnecting cables. In the next section we will see how to create a wireless network in your home.

Building a Wireless Network

If you have multiple computers networked in your home, you can create a wireless network with a wireless access point. If you have multiple computers that are not networked, or if you want to replace your Ethernet network, you need a wireless router. It is a single unit that contains:

1. A port to connect to your cable modem or DSL
2. A router
3. An Ethernet hub
4. A firewall
5. A wireless access point

A wireless router allows you to use wireless signals or Ethernet cables to connect your computer to another computer, printer and internet. Most routers provide coverage for approximately 100 feet (30.5 meters) in all directions, although walls and doors can block the signal. If your house is very large, you can buy inexpensive range extension or repeaters to increase the number of your router.

As with wireless adapters, many routers can use more than one 802.11 standard. 802.11b routers are slightly cheaper, but because the standard is older, they are slower than 802.11a, 802.11g and 802.11n routers. Most people choose the option of standard 802.11g for its speed and reliability.

When you connect your router, it should start working to its default settings. Most routers allow you to use a web interface to change your settings. You can choose:

* Name of the network, known as its Service Set Identifier (SSID) - default setting is usually the manufacturer’s name.
* The channel that the router uses - Most routers use channel 6 by default. If you live in an apartment and your neighbors are also using channel 6, May you interference. Switching to another channel should eliminate the problem.
* Your router’s security settings - Many routers use a standard, publicly available on the sign, so it’s a good idea to put your own username and password.

Security is an important part of a wireless network at home, as well as public WiFi hotspots. If you have configured your router to create a hotspot, anyone who has a wireless card will be able to use your signal. Most people prefer to keep foreigners from their networks, though. This requires taking a few precautions.

It is also important to ensure that your security measures are up to date. Wired equivalency evaluations Privacy (WEP) security was once the standard for WAN security. The idea behind WEP was to provide a platform for wireless security that would allow any secure wireless network as a traditional wired network. But hackers have discovered vulnerabilities in WEP approach, and today it’s easy to find programs that can compromise a WEP security operation WAN.

To keep your network private, you can use one of the following ways:

* Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a step up from WEP and is now part of the 802.11i wireless network security protocol. It uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) encryption. As with WEP, WPA security for signature with a password. Most public hotspots are open or use WPA or WEP 128-bit technology, although some still use the approach more vulnerable WEP.
* MAC (Media Access Control) address filtering is a little different from WEP or WPA. It is not a password to authenticate users - it uses a physical computer hardware. Each computer has its own unique MAC address. MAC address filtering allows only machines with MAC addresses for network access. You must specify which addresses are allowed when you set up your router. This method is very safe, but if you buy a new computer or if your visitors will use your home network, you must add the new machines’ MAC addresses to the list of addresses. The system is not infallible. A skilled attacker can spoof a MAC address - ie copy the MAC address is known to trick the computer network that he uses on the network belongs.

Wireless networks are easy and inexpensive to implement, and most routers’ Web interfaces are virtually self-explanatory

How Municipal WiFi Works

Imagine you are a journalist writing about a tense hostage, and you’re on a tight deadline. You do not have time to return to the desktop, and if you leave, you miss on the development of history. Fortunately, you have wireless Internet access - you can write your story and files without leaving the stage.

Part of your article describes how the police can access real-time flow of wifi security cameras. Their patrol cars, officers monitor the situation and map of the building, including entrances, exits and hiding places. They use this information to plan what to do. They also have a secure network that connects them to a hostage negotiator.

When the situation is over, everyone believes that municipal wireless networks and the information it conveys, contributed to a peaceful solution. In this article you will discover amazing that these networks can do - also potentially provide free or cheap Internet access. You can also read more about the technology behind them and why municipal WiFi may be wrong.

Wireless Basics
The first days of the Internet at home using a modem connected to a computer to dial a number and maintain a connection. It was heavy and slow. The modem is now faster, more people have realized how painfully slow data transmission was in the days of 300 baud. Finally, users who can afford a price increase could have broadband access through Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL), cable and satellite.

Broadband is faster than dial-up, but until recently, plug your computer into an outlet or a piece of equipment. Wireless networks or Wi-Fi has changed all that. Wireless networks using 802.11 standard networks for communication devices. In a wireless network, data travels from place to place via radio waves. You still have to physically connect a wireless router to a modem, but you can move your computer from one location to another.

802.11 networks using unlicensed radio spectrum to send and receive data. Many other parts of the spectrum, as well as groups who bear the signals of radio and television, requires a license. The unlicensed spectrum is available to anyone who has the right equipment. In case of wireless network is a wireless router and wireless technology in the device you are using.

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