Wifi question

[FN FAL]

chperplt, in your settings for your wireless adapter, you can search for available networks. I don't know why somebody would spend half the price of a wireless adapter to buy some kind of software or whatever to look for an available network.

As far as hotels having wireless available to customers, they either leave it without the firewall or give you the wep code.

In the city of MKE they have a park where the city has set up free access to the net with wifi as a public service. I think that is a cool idea. It gets computer people out of the house and enjoying the outdoors at the park.

I think you will see more civic wifi access to the net in the future and you will maybe even see it in airports and other public places as well.

The manager of the hotel I lay over at, says the chain HQ has given them a deadline to have it installed at all the hotels in the chain. So there ya go.

 

[328dude]

I only wish there was a way to be able to send email without always having to change your SMTP settings. Is there a better way?

Using Outlook

 

[norskman2]

328Dude, do you use a POP3 mail service? My account is set up through usermail.com. I am USUALLY able to send all my emails while on the road without having to change SMTP settings no how I connect to the Web.

There are a few GNX#@#@ ISPs like NetZero that require you to use their SMTP settings to set emails, but I can get by most every other time.

 

[norskman2]

NetStumbler

NetStumbler is great, but doesn't work with all Wi-Fi cards. Cirond WiNC is supposedly still available for free download at PCMagazine's Utility Library.

 

[deadstick]

I'm not wireless, but I have (had) a 2 station network at home. I bought a new Motorola cable modem (was renting at first) and hooked the ol' Linksys router to it and NOTHING worked! Both the desktop and laptop were dead to the net. After ditching the router, the desktop computer works, but now the laptop is a bookend.

Any ideas?

 

[norskman2]

Is your notebook COMPLETELY DOA, or just dead to the Net? If it's the latter, setting up the router must have messed up your IP address and other network settings.

 

[deadstick]

Just to the net...

 

[norskman2]

Yeah, then most likely your Network settings - IP Address, gateway, etc. -- got messed up. If you haven't already, try calling tech support for your ISP and tell them you can't access the Net and have them check your network settings on your laptop.

 

[b.rod]

I am currently studying for CCNA certification. I am no network guru.

Last semester, it was taught wifi throughput usually runs about half of your of your total digital bandwidth. There is ALOT of network overhead using up total available. You are fine and dandy.

 

[ShawnC]

Yes that is correct, WiFi doesn't operate at full duplex (just like on the radio), so the actual bandwidth is actually half of what the control panel says.

Now about it dropping from 11Mb to 5.5Mb, that might be because of the changing radio interference, sometimes someone might be using a 2.4 ghz phone, or a microwave.

Also I believe that the connection strength indicator is relative strength, not an absolute meter. So a very good indication at 5.5 MBps might be a not so good at 11Mbps.

Now for the average home users surfing the web, it can go to 2.1Mbps a second before they will notice a thing, but if you are transferring files between local computers, or have more than a couple of computer networked; a wired networked will offer a person much better performance and security.

Now one has to ask though, why was a law firm operating with WiFi networking at all? Very bad thing, even with WEP I can read what's transfered quite easily. Which is not a good thing for handling confidential personal information such as legal information.