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BOOT CAMP 459 (16/01/07)
Wireless Networking, part 5
The final step in setting up a home or small
office wireless network is to enable the encryption systems on the router and
the client PCs; we will also be looking at some simple troubleshooting tips.
There are two Wi-Fi encryption systems (see
part 3) WPA is the most secure but being relatively new it is possible that
some older Wi-Fi network devices and components may not support it. The older
WEP system used can be fairly easily hacked, it’s just about okay for basic
home networks but if any of your PCs contain sensitive, private or valuable
data then you should make every effort to use WPA encryption.
Either way the place to start is the router’s
configuration menu. However, before you do anything make sure that all of the
PCs, other than the one used to configure the router, are switched off. The
exact procedure varies but on most models after logging on to the router (see
part 4) you select the Wireless Security menu and there should be a button,
switch or drop-down menu for enabling encryption and selecting WEP or WPA mode.
If you opt for WEP there’s usually a choice of
64 or 128-bit encryption (sometimes referred to as 40 and 104-bit). These use
‘keys’ made up of 10 or 26 ASCII or hexadecimal characters and needless to say
128-bit is more secure. Once the selection is made you will see a box, or
series of boxes for entering the key(s). You can create them yourself, or
generate them automatically by entering a ‘passphrase’. This is simply a word
or two that the router uses to conjour up a set of keys. If you use this method
make a note of both the keys and the passphrase, click Save or OK and exit the
setup menu.
WPA encryption is even easier to configure. Usually
all you have to do is make sure the encryption mode is set to WPA ‘Personal’ or
‘PSK’ (Pre Shared Key) and TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) then enter
your passphrase in the box. Note it down and keep it somewhere safe. Once again
when you have finished click Save or OK and exit the router setup.
Reboot the router and PC and make sure that
your Internet connection is still live. Switch on the first of your wireless
‘client’ PCs. Double-click the Wi-Fi configuration manager icon in the System
Tray, this should show that you have a good signal but you may get an error
message saying it is unable to connect or that you need to enter a key or
passphrase.
On some setup utilities you may have to switch
tabs to display an encryption mode drop-down menu and key or passphrase entry
box. Either way the object of the exercise is to enter your key passphrase,
click Save or OK and within a few seconds the connection should be made. If not
reboot the PC, open your browser and all being well this time you should have a
live Internet connection. To set up wireless printer sharing see this week’s
Top Tip.
In theory that’s all there is to it but
inevitably some users experience problems, so here’s a quick and simple guide
to avoiding problems and fixing basic wireless networking problems.
After setting up a Wi-Fi network or following
any configuration changes always reboot the router by removing its power cable,
count to ten then reconnect. It is important that all other PCs in the network,
including any connected to the router by cable should be shut down at the same
time. Wait for the router’s status lights to stop winking (or allow at least a
couple of minutes) before switching any PCs back on. You would be surprised how
often this fixes weird problems.
Set up your system with the router and client
PC in close proximity to one another to eliminate problems with range and
signal strength.
Wi-Fi hardware is generally very reliable and
most problems centre on the client PC’s adaptor setup. If you have trouble making
a connection make sure you are using the correct or most recent driver for your
adaptor by visiting the adaptor or device manufacturer’s web site.
If everything seems to be working -- signal
strength is okay and encryption correctly set or disabled -- but you still
can’t make a connection try switching it off or temporarily disabling your
Firewall.
If the adaptor stopped working after you
enabled encryption then you’ve either entered the wrong key or passphrase or
mixed up WEP/WPA modes on your router or adaptor.
Make sure that you are not trying to connect to
someone else’s wireless network; check the name or SSID is correct in your PC’s
connection manager utility.
The Windows XP Network Trouble-shooter is worth
a shot. You’ll find it in Help & Support on the Start menu. Click
Networking and the Web > Fixing Networking or Web Problems and follow
through the Q&As. There’s a helpful article on fixing wireless network
problems in the Microsoft Knowledgebase,
and don’t forget the Help and Support section of your wireless adaptor
manufacturer’s website.
Next Week -- Multimedia Formats
JARGON FILTER
ASCII
American
Standard Code for Information Interchange -- a universal data code for text and
alphanumeric characters, understood by virtually all computers
HEXADECIMAL
Numbering
system used by computers, with a base of 16, represented by the numbers 0 to 9
and the letters A to F
ENCRYPTION KEY
A string of alphanumeric characters used by computer software
scramble data. This can then be securely sent or transported to another
computer, which uses the same software and the same key to unscramble the data
TOP TIP
One of the benefits of a wireless network is the facility to share
files and resources, like a printer. This has to be set up separately on each
PC. To share the printer connected to your desktop PC, for example, go to
Printers and Faxes on the Start menu, right-click on the printer icon, select
Sharing and check the item ‘Share this printer’ and click OK. Sharing the files in folder is equally
straightforward -- assuming that you are logged in as Administrator. Open My
Computer or Windows Explorer, right click on the folder you want to share and
select Sharing and Security. Check the item ‘Share this folder on the network’,
read the warnings and follow the prompts.
---end---
© R. Maybury 2006, 1001
Part 1 2 3 4
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