TECH WATCH
Cut the cables
Are You Using Wi-Fi?
Wireless networking is getting easier and more affordable for all.
BY MIKE ANTONIAK
Are you a good candidate for Wi-Fi?
Definitely. As a real estate professional, you spend a great deal of time away from the office. And with the proliferation of Wi-Fi “hot spots,” or wireless access points, you don’t have to sacrifice your productivity just because you happen to be away from your computer cables. Using a Wi-Fi-equipped notebook computer or personal digital assistant (PDA), you can e-mail clients, check the online MLS for the latest listings, or update your Web site from any Wi-Fi hot spot.
Wi-Fi offers advantages for your home office, too: You can easily move around your house as you work and share computer resources—like printing and an Internet connection—among all your technology devices that have an installed Wi-Fi network. At your company office, you can enjoy the same benefits in a network that’s no longer wired in place.
What to Know About Wi-Fi
The term Wi-Fi is short for Wireless Fidelity, which identifies equipment and networks compatible with an international standard known as IEEE 802.11. The standard defines how equipment on a Wi-Fi network sends and receives data over radio waves. Today, all Wi-Fi equipment complies with this standard yet may operate at any or all of three different transmission rates and frequencies: 802.11a, 802.11b, and the newest, 802.11g.
Most Wi-Fi networks already in place were built with 802.11b components. If you buy Wi-Fi equipment today, however, look for solutions approved for the newer “g” standard (also referred to as “802.11g,” “Wireless-G,” or “Wi-Fi-G”). This equipment is fully compatible with the 802.11b networks, but the Wi-Fi-G equipment also can send and receive data at rates of up to 54 megabits per second (Mbps), five times faster than 802.11b. That’s a capability you’ll want when existing Wi-Fi networks and hot spots are eventually upgraded to take advantage of the faster throughput, or transmission rates, of 802.11g.
As a first step, decide what you require in Wi-Fi equipment. Every device on a Wi-Fi network must be equipped with its own Wi-Fi radio transmitter/receiver and antenna to communicate with other devices on the network. Many hardware makers now build Wi-Fi capability into their equipment or offer an easy upgrade option. Check with the manufacturer.
Options for Upgrading
If your notebook computer or PDA isn’t equipped for Wi-Fi and you’re not yet ready to trade them in, you can add Wi-Fi capability with a wireless networking interface card or an external Wi-Fi adapter. These adapters are available for desktop and laptop computers, PDAs, and some printers and peripherals. Some solutions to consider include the Viewsonic WPCI-100 with built-in radio and antenna, which slips into a PC or Flash media card slot, or the Netgear Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter, which plugs into your hardware’s USB port.
Once the adapter is installed and activated, you can connect to a Wi-Fi network or communicate directly to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices. To create your own network, you’ll also need a wireless gateway, or access point with router, such as the High-Speed Mode Wireless G Router from Belkin. An access point serves as the hub of the wireless network and also can be used to add Wi-Fi capabilities to a wired network. Plug your broadband modem into the router, and you can share a single Internet connection among several pieces of Wi-Fi-enabled equipment.
Setting Up Your Network
A wireless network should operate within a range of between 150 and 300 feet, but physical barriers such as walls and electrical wiring can impede network performance. In that case, you can place an additional base or relay station, such as the AirPlus G RangeExtender from D-Link Systems, elsewhere in your home or office to optimize the wireless performance or extend the network’s reach.
Since Wi-Fi operates on radio waves, when you send or receive files or e-mail, you’re broadcasting your data. Unless you restrict access to the network and encrypt your files, your activity could be monitored or the wireless network accessed by anyone with Wi-Fi-enabled equipment in the area.
All vendors build security features into their equipment, some of it proprietary. For this reason, try to buy all your Wi-Fi equipment from one vendor so compatibility is never an issue. To protect your files and privacy, you must activate these security features. In the past, setting the security features and restricting access only to pre-approved devices was such a tedious chore that many Wi-Fi users never enabled them, which left wireless networks unprotected from potential hackers or viruses.
That’s why an announcement for SecureEasySetup from Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, and Linksys, mentioned in the last Tech Watch column , is such a welcome development. SecureEasySetup reduces the steps involved in configuring a secure Wi-Fi network, adding devices, and setting security features to the touch of a single button. The three companies believe SecureEasySetup will encourage more users to enable Wi-Fi security features since the process will be less time consuming.
After all, the price incentive is already there: For around $200 you can put together a basic Wi-Fi network and start to enjoy the distinct advantages of wireless networking. So if you don’t already use Wi-Fi, there shouldn’t be anything stopping you.
To learn more about what’s currently available in Wi-Fi-certified hardware and adapters, visit the Wi-Fi Alliance. Also check out the Field Guide to Internet Basics for REALTORS®" /> at REALTOR.org.
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Do you have technology you’d like to learn more about or a new user twist that you’d like to share with your peers? Let me know about it by e-mailing antoniak@dtccom.net, and I’ll do my best to give it the coverage it deserves.
