Wireless Network Setup
Setting up Wi-Fi for your small business or home office is a straight forward process once you have the right tools. Here we'll be expanding the local area network [LAN] in our Small Office Network article. As such this article will assume your basic network is in place with a Linksys WRT54GS Wireless Broadband Router
Important: If you are installing a wireless adapter or setting up a new wireless router be sure to read the directions and follow carefully! More on specific items later in this article.
Wireless Protocols
A protocol involves rules by which devices communicate with each other. For wireless devices this is the 802.11 in a, b, g and n flavors. Currently, the 802.11g is the most prevalent with 802.11n coming into play. The "g" standard supported bandwidth of 54Mbps and is backwards compatible with "b" devices. The new "n" standard improves that to 100Mbps and is also backward compatible to "g" standard devices.
Be sure to check the wireless LAN card on your computer or laptop for the protocol. If purchased within the last four years it's probably "g" unless purchased very recently in which case it may be the "n" standard.
Router Settings
Log in to your router [linksys default http://192.168.1.1/] and click the "Wireless" tab for "Basic Wireless Settings".
The WRT54GS interface provides 3 boxes for your settings. The first,"Wireless Network Mode", allows you to sellect "G", "B" or "Mixed" for protocol. The "Mixed" setting allows for both 802.11b and g. The "Wireless Network Name(SSID)" box allows you to select a name. It is "Linksys" by default but you will to personalize this for security and recognition. Last is the "Wireless Channel" box. You can leave this as is. If you have an older wireless phone or other device that operates at this frequency, you may want to play with it if you experience interference. The newer "n" protocol has additional settings. Check "Enable" for "Wireless SSID Broadcast" for now. You may want to disable this once all you devices and security are setup. With this done you can connect your devices to the router. However, it is recommended you complete the security setup.
Wireless Security
Under the "Wireless" tab click on "Wireless Security" to setup encryption. Select "WEP" [Wire Equivalence Protection] from the drop list under "Security Mode."
In the next row select a "Default Transmit Key" from the 1-4 radio buttons. This will be the Key broadcast to help you setup other devices. In the next row under "WEP Encryption" you can select either 64 or 128 bit. The latter is more secure but does carry some overhead that can delay transmission.
The next row, "Passphrase", is a convenience where you can type in a word then hit the "Generate" button to crate a hex key value which you will use to with the corresponding key to gain access to the network. Looking ahead, you will see the the broadcast SSID when your laptop or wireless ethernet card is setup and you will be required to select a key [such as key 1] and it's corresponding hex value. Having the SSID broadcast will make this easier. Once you're setup you may wish to disable the broadcast as an extra security precaution as it will cease to be readily visible.
If your laptop has Wi-Fi set up, double clicking the wireless network icon in the system try will display a window similar to the above. You may see multiple wireless connections. Identify the connection you set up and click the connect button. The first time you connect you will be asked for the key and it's corresponding hex value. That's all there is to it. You will now be able to connect to the Internet through your wireless router. Remember, if you want to access shared directories and printers on your network you must use the same workgroup settings.
Installing Devices
Read The Instructions! - There are an endless variety of wireless devices available. Probably the most prevalent would be installing a wireless network adapter in an existing workstation. In most cases they will require you have at least Windows 2000 with service pack 4. If you've upgraded from a Windows 98 system your hardware will probably not suffice. Read the package or check the device online before purchase. Most devices also require you install drivers or software before the device, so again, read the instructions carefully.
