Cut the cord
Why you might want to set up your own Wi-Fi network—and how to do it.

Read more about Wi-Fi security.

by Ward Lowe Wires are so 20th century. Advances in technology have made wireless fidelity (a.k.a. Wi-Fi) an affordable, convenient, and easy-to-install way to access the Internet.

Set up a Wi-Fi “hotspot” (transmission point) in your home or office to share an Internet connection among computers—both desktops and laptops. Or you can use Wi-Fi simply for the convenience of moving your laptop from room to room without losing an Internet connection. Even if you don’t construct your own hotspot, you can outfit your laptop to take advantage of Wi-Fi at public hotspots throughout your community.

The good and the bad
The good
Why should you abandon your current hard-wired, high-speed Internet setup? To create your own Wi-Fi hotspot, you still need a wire connecting your home or office to the Internet via a cable modem, DSL, or T1 line. Wi-Fi simply enables you to broadcast and share that signal wirelessly once it enters your home or office. Like your high-speed Internet connection, Wi-Fi is always on, and each computer communicates independently with your Wi-Fi base.

For a multi-computer household, put a hotspot in your home office. You can download forms on the PC in the office while your spouse surfs the Web in the kitchen. Or you can take advantage of good weather and work online from your patio.

Want to add an assistant or agent to your workplace? Add a desk, remove a desk, reconfigure your space—it doesn’t matter with Wi-Fi because there aren’t any wires or connections to move. Whether you’re using multiple laptops, desktops, or a combination of the two, Wi-Fi works.

The bad
Of course, going wireless isn’t all sunshine and lollipops. Data transmits a little slower through the air than it does over a wire, so your high-speed connection may not be quite as speedy. The actual speed depends on the particulars of your setup and location.

The antenna for a Wi-Fi base broadcasts the signal above, below, and beside the unit in a sphere of access, usually in a radius up to 300 feet. Structural elements in a building—drywall, metal, wood—and sharing the same hotspot with many computers can dampen a Wi-Fi signal. Very large offices or homes may require an inexpensive signal booster to blanket the intended area.

Wi-Fi connects your PC only to the Internet. Unless you’ve configured your network to include your peripherals (e.g., printer, scanner)—something that’s beyond the scope of this article—you’ll still have to plug a wire into the back of your laptop to print a document.

Set it up
Have some standards
Launching your own Wi-Fi hotspot doesn’t take much more than purchasing a wireless access-point router, which acts as a gateway for your Internet connection. This device contains a port to connect to your high-speed Internet connection, antennas to broadcast the signal, and a firewall to protect computers connected to your hotspot. Many companies manufacture routers; some of the most popular come from Netgear and Linksys and typically run less than $100.

The term Wi-Fi encompasses three standards:

• 802.11b. This is the original version of Wi-Fi and remains the cheapest and slowest, transmitting up to 11 megabits per second—although 7 megabits per
second is more typical.

• 802.11a. This more expensive standard was the second to hit the market and boasts speeds of up to 54 megabits per second, with 30 megabits per second more typical.

• 802.11g. This option represents a hybrid between the other two, with speeds approaching 802.11a and costs similar to 802.11b.

What do those speeds mean to you? Even the slowest standard is pretty darn fast.

Say, for example, you download the eight-page residential-listing form from TexasRealtors.com. That form is a 130-kilobyte file that should download in less than one second using any of the above standards. You’ll start to see a difference with larger data transfers, such as downloading the Texas Association of REALTORS® April 2004 ZipForm forms update (4.4 megabytes). Standards 802.11b and 802.11g will take four to six seconds to make that transfer, while Standard 802.11a will download that in less than two.

Decide how fast is fast enough and select a standard that meets your needs. Keep in mind that every day many airports, hotels, coffee shops, restaurants, and bars set up hotspots of their own, most on the 802.11b standard, which is compatible with 802.11g (802.11a and 802.11b are not yet compatible). If you plan to use a Wi-Fi enabled laptop at public hotspots like these, factor that into your decision.

For your home or office hotspot, you can invest in dual-band equipment, which supports 802.11a and 802.11g (and, by extension, 802.11b). However, dual-band equipment—wireless access-point routers and cards and adapters for the PCs—each cost more than their single-band counterparts.

Get carded
Hooking up an access point represents only half the
Wi-Fi equation. You still need a card or adapter matching the standard of your access point to pick up the hotspot’s signal on each computer you want to access the Internet. Most new laptops come with wireless-networking adapters built in, or you can install one as an option when you purchase the computer.

If your laptop doesn’t already have such capability, buy a wireless-network PC card, which fits into a card slot on the side of your laptop. Card costs vary widely, from about $40-$150. Desktops will probably require an adapter that fits into an available USB port. (Note that USB adapters aren’t available for 802.11a.) The adapters range from $20-$100. Older desktops may require a PCI card that installs inside the machine.
Install the card or adapter and accompanying drivers or software on each computer you want to use the Wi-Fi network.

Surf’s up
With your wireless access point running and your PC configured with a card or adapter, you should be ready to roll. Most access points start broadcasting with default values that your PC can easily pick up and connect to. See the “Safety without wires” sidebar for advice on altering these values to secure your Wi-Fi.

Hotspots—they’re everywhere
You don’t need to host a hotspot to enjoy the benefits of wireless networking. As was noted in earlier sections, most new laptops come equipped for Wi-Fi, and even if yours isn’t, a small investment in a PC card will bring it up to speed.

With your laptop’s card enabled, if you need
to check your e-mail or want to download the latest MLS data between appointments but don’t have time to drive all the way back to your office, find a hotspot. Coffee shops, delis, public libraries, bars, hotels—all kinds of places now provide Wi-Fi access; some charge a fee, others don’t.

Web sites like JIWIRE.com enable you to search for hotspots in your corner of Texas and tell you the price (if any), provider, and address of the business that hosts the Wi-Fi. In some cases, the search result contains links to maps or more-detailed connection instructions.

Print out the locations in your city or town and keep the list with your laptop, so you’ll always know where you can access the Internet. If you’re looking for a hotspot without your list, check out chain hotels or Starbucks for fee-based Wi-Fi. If you’re in Amarillo, Arlington, Austin, Bastrop, College Station, Houston, or Huntsville, you’re in luck, because Schlotzsky’s Deli locations in those areas provide free Wi-Fi. Check out www.cooldeli.com/wireless.html for deli addresses and instructions on connecting to their hotspots.

Photo © Stockbyte.

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