New to wireless networking

I was just wondering if someone could give me some clarification as to how 802.11x works. I currently have an 802.11b wireless router set up at my desktop machine in the basement and can connectr to it using the 802.11g wireless in my laptop upstairs. My real question, I guess, is how is allthis accomplished? I know it can't be infrared like a TV remote, because that requires line of sight to work. My guess is that weak radio signals are sent between the two?? Or maybe they communicate like a cordless phone would with its' base? How does it work[?][?][?]

 

yub, that's exactly how it works. it's using the same radio frequency as your cordless phone. except for the 900mhz phone thing. it's using 2.4GHz freq for both 802.11b and 802.11g, and 802.11a is using 5GHz freq.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Fujitsu S6210, 1GB DDR333, 80GB 5400RPM, DVD+/-RW
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=- http://www.jotographer.com -=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Yep, your phone analogy is right on target. The Access Point is the base station and it communicates with one or more clients. One of the things that sometimes confuses people is that 802.11b was the first standard and it has become the most common. 802.11a was developed AFTER 802.11b and it was faster and used a different frequency. People wanted the higher speeds but they demanded compatibility with all the "hot spots" that were beginning to emerge in airports, coffee houses, college campuses, etc. So then G was developed and intended to be the best of all words. G runs on the same 2.4GHz frequency as B and is completely backward compatible, however if you have G equipment on both sides then you can run at speeds far greater than B can handle. In practice it isn't that big of a deal because most people connect out to the Internet and B and G are both faster than a cable modem or DSL connection so the majority of people would see no difference between the two in their typical usage.

So, the bottom line is your B router at home is faster than your connection so everything works well. Your laptop works with the G standard so it is compatible with the B router and all the existing hot spots. And, your laptop can also handle the higher speed G networks so while they do not exist in any significant numbers today, you will be able to take advantage of them if and when they do.

Hopefully that helps a bit but if you have any additional questions, please let us know.

 

actually it was the other way around, 802.11a is out b4 802.11b, but never took off, and still don't. This is mainly because of the cost.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Fujitsu S6210, 1GB DDR333, 80GB 5400RPM, DVD+/-RW
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=- http://www.jotographer.com -=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Well, technically 802.11A and 802.11B were ratified at the same time in 1999. However, 802.11A was initially intended as a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) solution and no products were developed prior to 2001. So I suppose it is technically more accurate to say that products for 802.11A were developed after those for 802.11B but I'm not sure such hair splitting really adds anything to the discussion.

 

No, it doesn't. I'm not even sure if most people here would understand when we discuss the technical part. I believe that if you don't understand it, leave it alone. most people will have their wireless network works fine in the factory default mode. even it's insanely insecure, but the attempt to make security implementation have lock themself out of network.
<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by jchastain

 

So true. The security alarm bells have likely been overplayed recently. While I don't want to say security isn't important, I think that the risk to most home users is exceptionally low.

 

Not to mention the truth, which is if you don't have hundred of dollars to spend on cisco/3com wifi stuff, your AP alone ain't going to be secure, no matter how you set it up your $99 do-it-all router.
Mac filtering, sniff it, fakeit, there are software in windows to do that, and you don't need extra software to do that on linux.
RC4 for WEP, what a joke. not to mention some maker even have RC4 broadcast along with their SSID.
sorry, to say, but if you haven't read about wall of shame on the defcon review, you should. and if you real anal about security, the setup a VPN server on top of it.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Fujitsu S6210, 1GB DDR333, 80GB 5400RPM, DVD+/-RW
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=- http://www.jotographer.com -=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Thanks for info all. I was worried about whether or not I should have shelled out the extra money for the g over the b but since b is faster than my cable connection, I'm glad I didn't. I also wondered, since a lot of other wireless hardware is in the 2.4 ghz bandwith, is interference a problem? Will my neighbors cordless phone or wireless router interfere with mine? What about security? What should I do to keep someone from tapping into my connection?

 

Security measures that you should take:

http://www.notebookreview.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3019&SearchTerms=security

*******************************************************
Fujitsu S6210: 1.6Ghz PM ~ 768MB RAM ~ 60GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
*******************************************************

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by animekenji

 

I recommend waiting for 802.11n if you can, it should fix most of the problem, 802.11b/g have and 540mbps is a big plus. or setup a VPN if you are very 4n4l about security. And use 802.11a if you have major interference problems, like every house around you use both wifi and cordless phones.
<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by jchastain

 

I have had tons of problems setting up security on this thing. One minute my laptop can log on then it can't, change some settings, reboot router, laptop works again but desktop doesn't. AAAARRGGGGHHHH!!! One option on my router not mentioned in the security thread, is to lower the antenna strength. Will this prevent my wireless signal from travelling far away so that others can't tap into it?