Topic ID 1081
I would like to go wireless on my PC system. As this relies on radio waves I'm wondering if there are any areas of Hertford where wireless networking won't work because of localised signals. Has anyone out there been successful/unsuccessful going wireless in Hertford?
Reply ID 12224
I can pick up about 5 wireless networks in the centre of town, no problem.
Reply ID 12225
quote:The short answer to your question is "no", there aren't any areas where wireless networking won't work.
Originally posted by Jimbo
I'm wondering if there are any areas of Hertford where wireless networking won't work
Reply ID 12226
You should have no problem within your house/office. You may have connection issues if you decide to try from your local pub (unless it's next door), but even that could be surmounted with a powerful enough base station. [;)]
Reply ID 12230
Go for it, you won't regret it; I installed a network a couple of years ago and it works very well throughout the house and in the garden. They are usually easy to set up, but a few points:- 1) Remember to switch on the Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) so data is encoded and only someone with the WEP 'key' can access the network or your neighbours will be able to access the network via your broadband 2) Make the network so that only specific users (through what is called the MAC address) can 'associate' to the network 3) Try to have your main printer connected to the wireless router with a "print server" so anyone on the network can access it without a PC with orinter being switched on - little more expensive but worth it.
Reply ID 12234
You are better off using WAP not WEP to secure your network. If your computer can see other networks you may need to change the frequency your network transmits on to prevent them overlapping and causing problems with each other (bit like radio stations transmitting on near frequencies). There is a choice of 13 frequencies 1, 6 and 11 are best. Make sure your wireless router is suitable for your connection, some are designed for ADSL, some for Cable.
Reply ID 12239
Thank-you for all this advice. I shall give it a go.
Reply ID 12242
Oh, and be careful when accessing passworded sites using public WiFi systems. Anything that enables plain text authentication means others can scan your data for username/password combinations. Even some websites that claim to be using SSL are open.
Reply ID 12254
I get 3 sources of broadband in my house from neighbours - if i was dishonest i would never need pay 17 quid a month again....
Reply ID 12259
quote:You're quite correct - I only have WEP so didn't have WAP programmed into my brain...
Originally posted by SMH
You are better off using WAP not WEP to secure your network.
quote:Not so sure on this, I thought Channel 6 is a default by a few suppliers; there are quite a few Wireless Networks near to me on Channel 6. Try it and see what happens
Originally posted by SMH
There is a choice of 13 frequencies 1, 6 and 11 are best.
Reply ID 12275
quote:Yes, I think it's the default on my 3Com router. I think that best bet is to do a site survey, and pick one that's not already being used - or being used by the one(s) with the weakest signal.
Originally posted by Rabbit Rabbitquote:You're quite correct - I only have WEP so didn't have WAP programmed into my brain...
Originally posted by SMH
You are better off using WAP not WEP to secure your network.quote:Not so sure on this, I thought Channel 6 is a default by a few suppliers; there are quite a few Wireless Networks near to me on Channel 6. Try it and see what happens
Originally posted by SMH
There is a choice of 13 frequencies 1, 6 and 11 are best.
Reply ID 12306
quote:Ahhhh, sorry, sorry, sorry! Grovelling apologies, I was really having a bad day. I shall go out and beat myself with a copy of the Hertfordshire Mercury. WEP stands for "Wired Equivalent Privacy"; how did I get it wrong? - and what's more why didn't anyone point this out to me? (don't answer that....)
Originally posted by Rabbit Rabbit
Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP)
Reply ID 12876
DO make sure you have a good firewall. For single user, ZoneAlarm is free and works really well. If you are setting up a PC router, get ZoneAlarm Pro. Doesn't cost much and is easy to configure.
Reply ID 12881
Not to mention Anti-Virus software, antispyware and up-to-date definition files.
Reply ID 12882
Think i'll stick to good old fashioned cables...seems a lot more secure.
Reply ID 12895
You still need a good firewall,anti-virus & anti-spyware software no matter how your pc is connected to the internet. A good free anti-virus product is AVAST(http://www.avast.com) free to use and update for home users.
Reply ID 12902
I can thoroughly recommend Microsoft's Anti-Spyware software. As much as I hate recommending Microsoft anything, it is by far the best of the free programs - just install it on a PC running SpySweeper or Lavasoft's AdAware and see how much extra it finds that the other two miss out. If you have a PC connected via broadband, which a lot of people now do, you should make a copy of ZoneAlarm your priority, as your machine will be actively searched out & recruited to zombie spam & virus networks within a matter of days otherwise and you wont know anything about it (apart from noticing the internet may be a little slower due to all the bumf your PC is unwittingly sending out). You're pretty safe if running over a normal modem, as your connection isn't quick enough to be of use to these people, but you should still install anti-virus software as a priority to protect you from infected emails.
Reply ID 12915
Will try the avast, thanks. I spent a load on symantec firewall and anti virus and the damn things never worked properly. In the end I just deleted them and threw the discs at the neighbours cat in temper.
Reply ID 12928
I've got a firewall built into my wireless router. Is that enough?
Reply ID 12929
I would always recommend you have a software-based firewall, regardless of what your Router says on the box.
Reply ID 12930
quote:Yes is probably is, especially as the device that faces the internet is pretty dumb and does not open emails or run MS code. The supposed benefit of running a software firewall on your desktop is that it can report what the PC is sending to the internet so you may detect that an unauthorised application is trying to communicate with the internet (e.g. spyware trying to send details from your PC to the home destination of the spyware).
Originally posted by JohnSmith
I've got a firewall built into my wireless router. Is that enough?
Reply ID 12931
quote:And the other two find stuff that it (and each other) miss out. You're better off running three anti-spyware programmes. Xsoftspy (I think) has also been recommended.
I can thoroughly recommend Microsoft's Anti-Spyware software. As much as I hate recommending Microsoft anything, it is by far the best of the free programs - just install it on a PC running SpySweeper or Lavasoft's AdAware and see how much extra it finds that the other two miss out.
Reply ID 12932
Spybot Search and Destroy gets good reviews, but I would agreed with Skanky about running more than one. http://www.safer-networking.org/
Reply ID 12994
Personally, I unplugged my wireless network. More trouble than it was worth. Now I just use encripted bluetooth for my laptop to my PC, and the PC is connected to the web, pvr and plasma by good old fashioned Cat5 network cable. Much better speeds and consistancy. It makes it much easier to flip the AV on the TV to use the web on big screen and allows me to record cable on the computer.