Tips on Computer Technology

By: Bill Michiling

Welcome back. I hope your week is going well.

This week we are going to talk about a wireless alternative for your local network.

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This week

I will expand on a subject that I have mentioned in the past. I have received a lot of emails from loyal readers asking many questions about wireless networks.

What do you mean “wireless network”

Lets face it, more everything is going digital and wireless.
A wireless network works just the same as a local wired network. How many of you have had to string wire for a network, only to find out later you need to put your computer somewhere else, where you don’t have a wired connection? So now you need to string more wire. So you say well I pay to have someone do it for me. Great, then you pay more when you move, yes?

What does a wired network consist of

So what does a wired network consist of anyway? Ok lets start from the server.

Remember I am talking about a local network, regardless of whether you have internet connectivity or not. A local network allows you to share resources, such as files, printers, CDs, and other external devices.

Ok, so we start from the server, and go to the workstations. These could be all desktop computers. To connect them we need Ethernet cable going from the server to the hub, and from each workstation to the hub.
The hub provides a way to connect all the devices together for sharing. A hub can have as few as 5 ports and as many as 48 or more. A good hub will provide not only connectivity but will negotiate for the fastest speed possible. If your workstations can connect at 100Mbs and the server can also connect at 100Mbs, why use a hub running at only 10Mbs? These very good hubs are also called switches, because they can provide this switching automatically.

Cost of a wired network

What are the cost factors in a wired network. The hub or switch could cost as little as $50 for a 5 port fixed model up to thousands for a 48 port switch!

What about the wiring itself. If you pay someone to do it, then you would have to pay labor, materials, and decide where in advance you want the computers. If you have a large number of computers, such as a school, you can count on larger costs as well.
If you decide to move then you can count on more costs!! What if you want to relocate a computer where there is no wiring? I think you can see how the costs can add up very quickly.

What about a wireless network

The big advantages of a wireless network of course are, no wires! or very few anyway. Setting up a complete wireless network also means no hub! If there is no hub, how can all the computers share? Simple, an access point is used. This is a device that can provide connectivity for many computers for sharing resources.

Access points

A couple of examples of access points are the Airport base station from Apple. I know, some of you are saying, “I have a PC”, not to worry the Airport base station will work with PCs also. The Apple Airport base station not only allows you to share up to 10 computers at ethernet speeds, wirelessly, but can also provide phone modem, cable modem, or DSL connectivity for all of them as well. The Airport base station can also be connected to a regular hub or switch to provide a hybrid network, wired and wireless! This is great for those devices that need to be connected to a hub.

Another example of an access point is a device from Linksytems. It can provide wireless sharing, but has no built in phone modem like the Airport base station.

The above Access points cost about the same and use the standard 802.11b standard for wireless network protocol.

Summary

So if you are contemplating setting up a network, whether it be for a business, school, or even for home use. I urge you to check out a wireless solution. You will find it more flexible and a lot easier to install then stringing wires.

Just imagine you could take your laptop out to the back porch or just sit under a shade tree in your yard and surf the internet, do email, or just be creative.

In your business, you could use your laptop or move a desktop temporarily into the conference room for that special presentation.

Schools could have complete wireless computer labs that could be moved from classroom to classroom for sharing files and using the internet!

The possibilities are endless, and up to your imagination. Don’t be tethered by wires anymore, go wireless!!

If I can be or further help getting you wireless, drop an email to bill@mespn.com.

Also you can call Marianas Electronics 234-5424 for your wireless solutions.

Have a wonderful week.
See you here and on the web next week.

Bill Michling is a computer professional and welcomes any comments or questions you may have. Just send email to: bill@mespn.com or michling@usa.net.

You may also go to Marianas Electronics and ask help from the friendly staff there, or call them at: 234-5424, Just ask for Annie, Jun or Joseph.

For world access this Wednesday column is also on the Saipan Tribune website at: (http://www.saipantribune.com) or at the mespn.com site at: (http://mespn.com/forms/tech_Articles/ ), now connected to the internet via broadband high speed T1+.