Posts Tagged ‘networking’
Question Asked: Is Securing My Wireless Network Important?
Now that we know the difference between wireless B, G and N, the next step should be network security.
The variety of routers these days offer a wide number of different types of security settings, from secure, all the way up to Fort Knox type security.
It all depends on what level of security you’re comfortable with, and what type your devices support. Some wireless devices (Wii, Xbox, Tivo, etc) don’t support certain types of security, and require you to use WEP security, which is fine for more situations.
I’m straying from the question, I apologize. The question is “Is securing my wireless network important”, and the answer is “Yes, absolutely.” Reasons are a plenty, from the simple “identity theft protection”, to the “stealing internet”, there’s a lot of reasons.
Something completely outlandish, but possible: someone logs onto your insecure wireless network, and commts a crime online (credit card fraud, for example.) They sign off, and go about their merry way, all the while, leading the trail back to you, and your wireless connection. Who’s going to get in trouble? You are.
Securing your network should be the first thing you do, after you get your network up and running. The majority of routers nowadays come with software that installs drivers, sets up your network, then forces you to secure your network. Linksys, which I installed one of yesterday, does just this. It doesn’t make it seem like not securing it is an option, which is good for those that don’t know any better.
If you’re not sure how to secure a wireless network, the majority of electronics retailers in the US offer services to come out to your home and set up your network, secured, for you, for a pretty reasonable price, as well. It may seem like an unncessary cost up front, but if someone steals your identity, you’ll wish you had spend the money.
Question Asked: What’s The Difference Between Wireless B, G, and N?
As with anything technological, over time, it gets better, stronger and faster. That’s the case here, with wireless routers, as well.
Wireless B was the first commonly used type of wireless network connectivity, with speeds topping out at 11 megabytes per second. Wired ports on a wireless b router typically are 10/100, which means their top speed is 100 megabytes per second.
Wireless G came along next, and is still the most commonly used network connection for wireless devices, mainly because it’s been around long enough that the price has dropped to a point where people don’t consider it too expensive. Connection speeds for wireless G typically top out at 54 megabytes per second. Most G routers’ wired ports are “gigabit”, which means they top out at 1,000 megabytes per second (or, a gigabit.) Wireless G routers are fairly priced now, such as the D-Link DIR-615
Wireless G also has a “big brother,” so to speak. There are 108 megabyte per second versions of some wireless G routers. In most cases these aren’t that much more expensive, but require specific wireless connection cards that are able to accept the faster speeds.
Wireless N is a relatively new, and not commonly used, technology. The speeds on a wireless N network can get up to 320 megabytes per second (in my personal experience, anyway), on a 5 gigahert network. Some wireless N routers, such as the Linksys WRT600
The downside to this, is that the hardware is costly. If you factor in the cost of the router, and wireless cards for your PCs/Laptops, you’re looking at roughly $500. If having speeds nearly 6 times faster than your average wireless G connection is worth it, I’d go for it. I did, not long ago, and am glad.
It should be noted that most gaming systems, and other wireless devices (iPhones, iPods, Tivos, etc) can only utilize wireless G at 54 megabytes per second. So, in that aspect, the wireless N is overkill. For me, it works out best as we’ve got all our wireless devices and gaming systems (two Tivos, PlayStation 3, XBox 360, and Wii) connected to the 2.4 Ghz network, and our PCs connected to the 5.0 Ghz network. This way, if I’m downloading something on one of the computers, it doesn’t interfere with online game play by hogging all the bandwidth.
Ultimately, technology will continue to mature, and speeds will get faster and faster. While there’s no plans for a wireless T or wireless X to come out any time soon, it still may be worth starting out small. Pick up a wireless G router to start with, make sure that you like how it works before going and dropping a week’s pay on something more expensive.
Also, if this is your first wireless network, I strongly urge you to follow the instructions that come with your router, and secure the network. If you don’t, someone can get into your computers, monitor everything you’re doing, and ultimately steal your identity, if they want to.