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How to identify the manufacturer of your network device using its mac address

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:16:32 +0000

What is MAC address ?

In computer networking a MAC address (also known as an Ethernet Hardware Address or physical address) is an unique identifier consisting of six groups of two hexadecimal digits. An example of a MAC address would be 00:1E:C1:4C:E6:C6. It is 48 bits long, which means that there are 281,474,976,710,656 possible MAC addresses. According to IEEE the 48-bit range of addresses will be exhausted no sooner than the year 2100, but when this happens, they will most likely be replaced by new 64-bit addresses.

MAC addresses are used by many different Layer 2 technologies, including Ethernet, Token Ring, 802.11, Bluetooth, FDDI or Fibre Channel. In IEEE 802 networks, Layer 2 is the Data Link Layer, which is composed of of two sublayers – the Media Access Control (MAC) layer and the Logical Link Control (LLC) layer. The MAC sublayer is responsible for managing the data traveling over the network. It also interfaces directly with the network medium. In today’s TCP/IP networks, a MAC address can be converted to a higher level address, such as an IP address, by ARP ( or Address Resolution Protocol ) with the only difference that IP addresses function at layer 3 in the OSI model.

A MAC address must be assigned to every network device, that connects to a network. Usually MAC addresses are programmed into hardware by the device manufacturer during the manufacturing process. For this reason, MAC addresses are always the same regardless of the software managing the device. But although intended to be permanent, it is possible to change the MAC address on most of today’s network devices, using special software or using a few Windows tricks.

The first three bytes of the above example (00:1E:C1) contain the ID number of the adapter manufacturer, in this case 3Com. These first three bytes are assigned by the IEEE and the database is available online at IEEE OUI and Company_id Assignments website, where you can easily identify the manufacturer of your network hardware. The second half of a MAC address represents the serial number of the adapter, assigned by the manufacturer.

How to enhance the security of your wireless network.

admin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:31:37 +0000

If you own a wireless home or office network, then you know that this is maybe the most easiest way to connect your computers to each other. Wireless networks allow you to share files (such as documents or multimedia files) or even Internet connection between your computers, providing access to them from anywhere in your home or office. This can be incredibly convenient because of the elimination of the wires connecting the various network devices like computers, game consoles or multimedia systems and as you know all those Ethernet cables stretching from room to room may cause some inconvenience. But wireless LANs also have some disadvantages one of which is their security. Of course this doesn’t mean that your network will be of interest to hackers, just waiting for an opportunity to steal your information. In most cases low level of security could cause unauthorized access to your network, which can reduce the speed of your Internet connection. In other words the security level of your wireless network determines who can access it. That’s why here I will post some best practices you can follow to enhance the security of your wireless network.

Note: Before taking the next steps it’s recommended to consult the user manual of your wireless device.

1. Change the default administrator name and password of your wireless router or access point.

As you probably know when you buy a new device it comes with a default administrator name and password that are the same for most manufacturers (for example: in most cases the default name is admin and the password is also admin or 1234 or just blank field). This could be used by someone to gain access to the admin panel of your router. To avoid that risk, just change the default administrator user name and password for your router.

2. Change the default name of your network (SSID).

Wireless routers come with default SSID which is usually the model of router. Since the SSID is typically shown in the list of available networks you should change this name in order to make it easier for you to find your router in places where there are many other wireless networks. Furthermore – if someone decides to connect to your network the unchanged SSID is a very good sign that nobody has changed the default router settings. Another option available in most brands of routers is the ability to hide the network SSID so when you try to connect you have to manually enter the SSID because it will not appear in the list of available networks. This option is slightly more complicated especially for inexperienced users but is a good additional protection.

3. Use WPA or WEP encryption.

Use one of the above methods of security to encode the data transmitted between your PC and your wireless router. The Wireless Protected Access (WPA) protocol and more recent WPA2 provide more security since WEP is relatively easy to crack. Use WPA with a strong encryption key (such as a combination of letters and numbers) that only you know. You have to use the same form of encryption on all devices in your network which means that you can’t mix WEP and WPA. If you are planning to buy wireless equipment, look for a router that supports both WPA + WPA2 modes, which lets you to use the stronger WPA2 encryption with adapters that support it, while still maintaining compatibility with WPA adapters.

4. Turn OFF the DHCP service.

Dynamic allocation of IP addresses is very convenient if you often need to include various network devices to your router. In such case it would be better to leave it on. However, if you have multiple computers connected to the router and you don’t have to change very often the configuration of your network is more convenient to assign their IP addresses manually. This means that you will need to enter IP address in the network connection settings of any of your computers, which could be quite difficult especially for inexperienced users. In addition – assignment of static IP addresses further increases the security since users wishing to connect to your network should to know the exact settings (like IP address range, subnet mask and gateway).

5. Use MAC address filtering.

You’ve probably came across wireless networks looking like open, but when you try to connect, the router doesn’t allow you to do so. That’s because the router has enabled MAC filtering. As you may know each network device has a unique MAC address that distinguishes it from the other devices connected to the network. To set up MAC address filtering, you must configure a list of clients that will be allowed to connect to the network. First, obtain the MAC addresses of each client from its network connection settings or from its documentation. Then, enter those addresses into the list, within the appropriate configuration screen of your wireless access point or router. Once enabled, the wireless router compares the MAC address of each client sending request for connection to the network with the MAC addresses in the administrator’s list. Clients on the list connect as normal and clients not in the list are not allowed to access the network.

Wireless LAN cards (Part 2)

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:37:36 +0000

1.USB wireless adapters.

USB WLAN adapters offer some of the best flexibility for desktop or laptop computers. USB offers more deployment options than PCI because you can move the USB device around the room until you find its optimal position. Most USB devices come with a 1m. USB cable, but if you are using a powered USB hub,
you can go up to a distance of 10 meters from the PC. The following picture is an example of an Linksys USB wireless adapter.The only disadvantage of the USB adapters is the limited availability of drivers (especially for Linux). Because of this problem, most USB devices only operate with Windows.

2.Compact Flash wireless cards.

Compact Flash wireless cards are wireless LAN cards that bring true mobility to your pocket or handheld PCs.These wireless cards offer all the benefits of a traditional wired Ethernet network and lets you
stay connected while you’re moving around with your PDA to work, send/view e-mail or access the Internet without the need to hook up to any network wires. Compact Flash WLAN cards require PC with Type I or Type II expansion slot. They works not only with your pocket PC but also with your laptop computer, using special PCMCIA to CF adapters. Most manufacturers also provide drivers for Windows Vista, XP, ME, 2000 and 98.

3.Secure Digital wireless Cards.

The Secure Digital Input/Output (SDIO) cards are used mostly in PDA and hand-held computers.They conveniently connects your PDA to an existing wireless network without cables or wires. Wireless SD cards were also originally used to add memory and storage capacity to portable devices. Now, the SD interface has been extended to support wireless network adapters (and is called SDIO).The advantage of these cards is that they are extremely small, lightweight, and require less power. In addition to the slim and ultra lightweight design, the Wireless SDIO Cards, also feature secure data transfer, exceptional range and data rate, and meet Wi-Fi certification standards for total interoperability with other 802.11b/g equipment.Some SDIO Wi-Fi cards also include storage space (memory) in addition to the wireless functionality.

Wireless LAN Cards (part 1)

admin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:42:28 +0000

As you know, wireless networks are all around us.Their main purpose is to remove the restrictions imposed by the cables. Due to lower prices, wireless equipment becomes more accessible to people who want to build thier own wireless networks. There are also thousands of public Wi-Fi hotspots around the world, through which you can access the internet wherever you are. However, in order to connect to any wireless network, your compuiter must be equipped with a wireless (WLAN) LAN card. That’s why in this post I will try to describe the different types of WLAN cards, to help you when choosing a wireless card for your computer.

1. PCMCIA cards

PCMCIA cards (or “PC cards” as they are sometimes called) are mainly used in laptops. They require a notebook equipped with an Type II card slot.The card contains both the 802.11 radio and antenna mounted together in one device.These cards are more expensive than their USB and PCI counterparts, but due to their wide proliferation, they can often be picked up for as low as $10 to $20.
There are only few variations of these cards, as they are fairly standard in design among the various vendors.The only real difference may be the chipset used for the 802.11 radio.The major manufacturers of wireless chipsets are Atheros, Broadcom, and TI (Texas Instruments).Most Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) only provide software and drivers for Windows and Mac operating systems in the packaging. However, if you search the Web, you can often find additional drivers for Linux, BSD, and UNIX.
As you can see in picture, the antenna (the black part at the top of the card) extends out about an inch from the card.This design offers better reception than if the antenna were buried inside the card.The problem here is that the antenna is now vertically polarized so that the best received signals are those with vertical polarization.To compensate this design flaw, some card manufacturers allow connection of an external antenna in order to increase the performance.

2. Mini-PCI Cards.

Mini-PCI cards are very similar to PCMCIA cards in design except the lack of integrated antenna and protective outer shell. These cards are designed for newer laptops that often have the antenna wiring built into the notebook behind the LCD screen. Because the antenna is behind the LCD screen, your cards will have a better horizontal orientation and often have better reception than their PCMCIA counterparts have. In order to install such type of card your laptop must have a free Mini-PCI slot. Most mini-PCI slots are located on the bottom of the laptop under an accessible plastic or metal cover similar to one that covers the memory or the hard disk. However, sometimes due to design constraints, we have seen manufacturers place mini-PCI slots under the keyboard, which requires a little more skills and to access. Mini-PCI cards are more fragile than PCMCIA cards and are not designed to be removed and installed often. However, they are also very versatile, as you can upgrade your notebook’s wireless card down the road and not have to worry about taking up a PCMCIA slot or accidentally damaging the built-in antennas of those protruding cards.

3. Mini PCI Express cards.

Mini PCI Express is a replacement for the Mini PCI standard used in many portable computers. Most laptops built after 2005 are based on PCI Express and can have several Mini PCI Express Card slots. The PCI Express Mini Card is half the size of the Mini PCI card. The physical dimensions of Mini PCI Express cards are 30?50.95 mm.There is also a 52 pin edge connector ( compared with Mini- PCI which has 124 pin connector ).

4. PCI cards.

PCI cards for desktop computers have come a long way in the past couple of years. Originally, they were implemented as a PCI-to-PCMCIA adapters that allowed you to insert a PCMCIA card into the back of your computer.The problem here is that the antenna was again forced into a location that suffered from poor reception. Most people tend to have their computers under a desk or behind a cabinet door, which is not a good place to locate the wireless antenna. In other words in this situation you’re placing the computer case or large amounts of wood which could be the desk between the radio and the AP.The signal will penetrate, but may lose some of its strength.That’s why some manufacturers started to make PCMCIA cards with removable antennas to help alleviate some of this problem.Today, most PCI cards actually have the 802.11 radio built into the card instead of using a separate PCMCIA package.

As you can see in picture, modern cards tend to have more powerful detachable antennas that can increase your reception. Some companies such as D-Link and Linksys sell slightly more powerful omnidirectional and unidirectional antennas to increase performance and allow more flexibility in antenna placement.

How to change MAC address in Windows Xp

admin — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:09:27 +0000

As you probably know every ethernet card has a unique MAC address, programmed by the manufacturer, which helps ISP to identify any card connected to the network. But sometimes we need to change that address, especially when working with a laptop and we often have to connect to different networks. There are also internet service providers who bind their service to a specific MAC address and when a user change its network card or install a router, the service may become unavailable. Changing the MAC address of the new card will solve the problem. There are programs specifically designed for this purpose, but what happens if we don’t have such programs and can not establish an Internet connection to download them?

In this short guide I will try to explain how to change your ethernet card’s MAC address without need of any additional programs.

Some manufacturers of ethernet cards provide drivers with built-in option allowing you to change the Mac address. To use this option do the following:

1. Go to Start > Control panel > Network and Internet connections , then right click on the that network connection whose network card’s MAC address you want to change and click Properties.

2. In the General tab, click on the Configure button.

3. Then click on the Advanced tab.

4.In the Property section, you have to see an option saying Network Address or Locally Administered Address. Select it and change the radio button to Value ( Not present means that your network card will use the default MAC address programmed by the manufacturer ).

5. Now type in a new MAC address and click OK.

6. Restart the computer.

7. To make sure that the change is successful go to command prompt ( Start > Run, type in cmd and click OK ) then type in ipconfig /all.

As you can see the above method is very convenient but not all network cards offer such an option. For example, Broadcom 440x 10/100 ( used in Dell Inspiron 1501 laptops ) does not allow to change its MAC address through the Properties window. In such cases the following method will solve the problem.

1. Go to Start > Run and type regedt32 in the box to start the registry editor.

2. Go to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} and double click on it to expand the tree.

3. Now you can see the subkeys starting with 0000, then 0001, 0002, 0003, 0004 and so on. Each of them represents particular network adapter.

4. Go through each subkey and look for DriverDesc keyword, that matches the network card you want to change the MAC address.

5. Look for a string value named “NetworkAddress”, right click on it and select Modify. Then enter a new MAC address in its value data box. If the value “NetworkAddress” does not exist, then create one with right click on the subkey ( for example 0008 ), then select New > String Value, name the new value as NetworkAddress and repeat the above step.

6. You must restart your computer for the change to take effect.

Installing a wireless network adapter

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:24:47 +0000

Installing a wireless network adapter card is similar to installing an Ethernet card. The NIC (network interface card) comes in various sizes and types for your computer, be it a desktop with a PCI slot or a USB or CardBus PC Card slot for a notebook.

Many new computers—especially laptops, like those that use Intel’s Centrino or Sonoma mobile technology, have the wireless adapter built right in, because that’s part of the Centrino deal. The Centrino systems all include a wireless card, energy-efficient processors, and long-life batteries right out of the box.

If your laptop or desktop didn’t come with wireless support, you can buy a wireless card for it. Like wired Ethernet adapters, wireless network adapters come in a three basic varieties: PCI cards for desktop computers, USB adapters for any computer with a USB port, and PC Cards that fit in laptop card slots.

PCI card – Card that fits into the PCI expansion slot inside a Windows desktop computer. To install this type of card, you have to open your computer’s case, find an empty PCI slot and insert the card into the slot.

PC card – Card that fits in the PCMCIA slot that is present on most laptops. Also called PCMCIA cards. The PC Card is a device approximately with the size of a credit card. It contains a very small built-in Wi-Fi broadcasting radio antenna. Some models also feature built-in LED lights that display the device status.These cards are very easy to install. The only requirement is to have a free PC card (PCMCIA) slot on your laptop.

USB – USB adapters are probably the easiest to install. Adding a USB wireless network adapter is almost as easy as plugging in a set of headphones. You don’t even need to stop Windows when installing such device. The only thing you need is a free USB port on your PC.

Installation.

1. Turn the computer off (only for PCI cards).
2. If you’re installing to a desktop computer, remove screws on the back of your computer, open the computer case and locate an empty PCI slot for the network card. Remove the small metal panel covering the opening of the slot and insert the card. You may need to remove the antenna from the network adapter during the installation. Make sure that the card is properly seated. Replace the screws, the cover and the antenna. Then turn the computer on.

If you’re installing the card to a notebook or similar computer with a PC (PCMCIA) slot, insert the card, making sure it is properly placed and that you hear the click to verify the card is all the way in.

If you’re using a USB network adapter, just connect your USB adapter to one of the unused USB ports of your PC.

3. When the operating system finds the card, it will ask to install the drivers. Use the CD or the diskette that came with the card . Follow the instructions on the disk. If you have trouble locating or installing the drivers, consult with the manual for your device or try to repeat the installation.

4. If your wireless card is installed properly, you have to see a new network connection icon in Start > Control Panel > Network and Internet Connections > Network Connections, as well as icon in the lower right corner, indicating that your wireless card is working. Then you will be notified if there are any wireless networks in range.

Now you are ready to set up your home wireless network. The next step is to establish connection between your computer and your wireless router .

Ethernet cables and standards

admin — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:29:48 +0000

The cabling is a fundamental part of networking. It provides the physical connection between computers. The cable you choose must be suited for the distance between your computers. You also choose the type of cabling to match the network cards and other networking hardware. For example,
if you choose the Ethernet protocol with a spanning tree, or star, topology, you also must use Ethernet network interface cards, Ethernet cabling, and Ethernet hubs. But what cables to use for your network?

Because of the wide variety of cable types, your decision depends on the speed you want for your network. You also must consider how difficult or easy the cable is to install, how expensive the cabling solution is, the distance between computers, and security issues. Depending on the type of cabling you use, you need to buy appropriate connectors. Cable connectors are necessary for attaching the cable to certain pieces of computer hardware, such as the network card, hubs, switches, and so on. The many terms that identify cabling types and cabling hardware can be confusing. The following is an explanation of each cabling type in detail.

Each cabling type uses specific pieces of hardware to terminate the ends or connect two pieces of cabling together. These connectors make it possible for the network cables to transmit data efficiently throughout the network. All LAN cable can be divided into three basic types: twisted pair, coax, and fiber optic. Below is short description for each of them.

Coaxial cable.

Coaxial cable looks like the cable that runs between your VCR and television set. Coax cable consists of a plastic jacket surrounding a braided copper shield, plastic insulation, and a solid inner conductor. The cabling is secure and generally free from external interference. This type of cabling uses BNC and T-connectors. A T-connector attaches two coaxial, or thin Ethernet cables and provides a third connection for the network interface card. A BNC connector is an end piece that connects two or three cables together. Coaxial cabling is also called ThinNet, or Thin Ethernet cabling and it’s used with 10Base-2 and 10Base-5 standards, which are implementation of an Ethernet standard for coaxial cabling. The data transfer rate, or network speed, for 10Base-2/5 is 10 Mbps.

Twisted-pair.

Twisted-pair wiring is the most common type of LAN wiring cable in use today. It is versatile, easy to install, inexpensive, and has favorable performance characteristics. Twisted-pair cable is available with or without shielding. It consists of one or more pairs of insulated wires that are twisted together and joined in a common sheath. The main characteristics of twisted-pair cable are wire gauge, stranding, twist pitch, insulation type, characteristic impedance, and sheath material. Each of these items may affect the suitability of a cable for a particular application. LAN twisted-pair cable, usually comes as 4-pair cable. Most LAN topologies actually use only two of the four pairs, however, so some installations place two LAN connections on each 4-pair cable. Telephone connections often use two pairs and may sometimes be wired in the same cable with a 2-pair LAN connection. You should be cautious in using pairs from the LAN cable, because some of the 100 Mbps and higher LAN schemes may use all four pairs of the cable . As we mentioned earlier the twisted pair cables came in two variations : UTP (unshielded twisted pair) and STP (shielded twisted pair). These cables use a RJ45 connector. RJ-45 connectors consist of an eight-wire connection jack that is used to join the four pairs of networking cable in twisted-pair cable.

Fiber optic .

Functionally, fiber optic systems are similar to the copper wire systems they are rapidly replacing. The principle difference is that fiber optics use light pulses (photons) to transmit data down fiber lines, instead of electronic pulses to transmit data down copper lines.

Fiber-optic cables are used mostly for higher-speed networks or for transmission of signals at very long distances. Fiber-optic cable has a construction similar to some multi-conductor wire. It functions as a light guide, guiding the light introduced at one end of the cable through to the other end. The light source can either be a light-emitting diode (LED) or a laser. The light source is pulsed on and off, and a light-sensitive receiver on the other end of the cable converts the pulses back into the digital ones and zeros of the original signal.

A typical fiber-optic cable consist of several components.

core
cladding
coating
strength member/material
jacket

There are three types of fiber optic cable: single mode, multimode, and plastic optical fiber (POF). Single-mode cable is a single stand of glass fiber with a diameter of 8.3 to 10 microns. Multimode cable is made of multiple strands of glass fibers, with a combined diameter in the 50-to-100 micron range. Each fiber in a multimode cable is capable of carrying a different signal independent from those on the other fibers in the cable bundle. POF is a newer plastic-based cable that promises performance similar to single-mode cable, but at a lower cost. While fiber optic cable itself is cheaper than an equivalent length of copper cable, fiber optic cable connectors and the equipment needed to install them remain, at least for now, more expensive than their copper counterparts. The main disadvantage of fiber optics is that the cables are expensive to install and difficult to splice.

Cabling standards:

10Base-2 - 10 Mbps Ethernet over coaxial cable limited to maximum distance of 185 meters. Also known as Thin Ethernet or Thinnet or Thinwire.

10Base-5 – 10 Mbps Ethernet over coaxial cable limited to maximum distance of 500 meters. Also known as Thick Ethernet or Thicknet or Thickwire.

10Base-36 – 10 Mbps Ethernet over multi-channel coaxial cable limited to maximum distance of 3,600 meters.

10Base-F – 10 Mbps Ethernet over optical fiber.

10Base-FB – 10 Mbps Ethernet over two multi-mode optical fibers using a synchronous active hub.

10Base-FL – 10 Mbps Ethernet over two optical fibers and can include an optional asynchronous hub.

10Base-FP – 10 Mbps Ethernet over two optical fibers using a passive hub to connect communication devices.

10Base-T – 10 Mbps Ethernet over twisted pair cables with a maximum length of 100 meters. Requires only two pairs.

10Broad-36 – 10 Mbps Ethernet over coaxial cable with a maximum cable length of 3,600 meters.

100Base-FX – 100 Mbps Ethernet over two optical fibers. Maximum length is 400 meters (1,310 ft) for half-duplex connections or 2 kilometers (6,600 ft) for full-duplex over multimode optical fiber.

100Base-T – 100 Mbps Ethernet over twisted pair cable limited to 100 meters (328 ft).

100Base-T2 – 100 Mbps Ethernet over two pairs of Category 3 or higher twisted pair cable.

100Base-T4 – 100 Mbps Ethernet over four pairs of Category 3 or higher twisted pair cable.

100Base-TX – 100 Mbps Ethernet over two pairs of CAT5 or above twisted pair cable with a maximum length of 100 meters (328 ft).

100Base-X - specifications for Fast Ethernet local-area network (LAN) cabling and related equipment.

1000Base-CX - 1000 Mbps Ethernet over two pairs with maximum distances of 25 meters using balanced shielded twisted pair.

1000Base-LX – 1000 Mbps Ethernet over two multimode or single-mode optical fibers using long wavelength laser.

1000Base-SX – 1000 Mbps Ethernet over two multimode optical fibers using shortwave laser optics.

1000Base-T – 1000 Mbps Ethernet over four pairs of Category 5 or better twisted pair cable (CAT-5, CAT-5e, CAT-6, or CAT-7).

1000Base-X – A generic name for gigabit Ethernet transmission over fiber.

10Gigabit Ethernet – Ethernet at 10 Gigabits per second over optical fiber. Multimode fiber supports distances up to 300 meters and single mode fiber supports distances up to 40 kilometers (10GBASE-ER).

What are Hotspots

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:32:52 +0000

Hotspots are all the rage now in many cities and towns. A hotspot is any commercial business place like cafes, hotels, restaurants, bars, airports, and so on, that has a high-speed Internet connection. Many of these places have wired access, but even more have wireless. They provide you with a hookup to check your mail or surf the Internet while you eat, drink, or otherwise patronize the business. The standard 802.11b/g is currently the most popular standard for wireless networks at hotspots, because of the wide variety of devices supporting that standard. Public hotspots might be free or pay-for-use. Commercial hotspots require users to authenticate themselves with a password by purchasing it via credit card or other payment systems such as PayPal. These hotspots are generally located in airports, restaurants and hotels. Private hotspots also exist, located in a workplace or even a home where a private group of people create and use the hotspot. There are also community hotspots, often free and open to the public. Some community hotspots are offered by public organizations , other hotspots are affiliated with nonprofit organizations. You can use a hotspot to access the Internet with a PDA or a notebook computer with a wireless adapter. You can find hotspots in your area by checking colleges, hotels, restaurants, and so on. Most hotspots are identifiable through the following sign.

How to make a wireless home network

admin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:46:26 +0000

It is very convenient when you have a home wireless network used to surf the Internet when you are sitting comfortably in the armchair, lie in the bed or even when you are in the yard of your house. The creation of such a network is easier than you think.
There are few basic steps to create a wireless network:

1. Choose your wireless equipment

The first thing you have to do before you build your wireless network is to make sure you have the necessary equipment. Looking at the shops in search of the right devices you will notice that you can find devices that support multiple network technologies. These are the 802.11, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n. 802.11n is becoming increasingly popular but on the other hand the 802.11b / g is the most commonly used and is compatible with almost every wireless device.

More info about the different standards can be found here.

The basic things you need for your wireless network are: Internet connection ,Wireless router and of course a Computer equipped with wireless network adapter.

What is wireless router?

This is a device that converts your Internet connection, which comes on cable and into a wireless signal. It is commonly used to allow access to the Internet or a computer network without the need for a cabled connection. When buying a router make sure that you buy a wireless router, not wireless Access Point because these devices have different functionality.

What is Wireless network adapter?

The function of these devices is to connect your computer to your wireless router using microwave radio signals. A Wireless adapter in a desktop computer is usually connected through the PCI bus while most laptops are equipped with PCMCIA , Mini PCI , Mini PCI express or Express Card slots accepting wireless adapters intended to be compatible with these standards. Also note that most of the newer laptops come with built-in wireless adapters so if your computer is new it is more likely to have a built-in adapter for maintaining a wireless connection.

Check your PC user manual to be sure whether you have such device. If so and it is already installed on your computer, you have no need of a new network adapter. But if you are unsure of the existence of such adapter or if you don’t know what slots your computer has it’s recommended to buy an USB wireless device because every computer has an USB port and it’s also the easiest to install.

2. Connect your Wireless router.

Find your modem and turn it off but leave the internet cable connected. Then attach your wireless router to the modem as you follow the istructions below.

If your computer is connected directly to the modem, disconnect the network cable from your computer and attach it to the port , which says Internet or WAN on the back of your router.

If your computer is connected to cable router disconnect the cable (maybe this cable is coming from the modem) that is connected to the Internet or WAN port on your cable router and attach that end to the Internet or WAN port on your wireless router. Then disconnect all network cables and attach them to the free ports on your wireless router. In other words your old router will be replaced by the wireless one.

Then turn on your modem. Wait for a few minutes to allow it to be connected to the Internet and then turn on your wireless router. After several minutes the light that says Internet, WAN will start blinking, which will indicate the successful connection of your modem.

3. Configure your wireless router

Connect your computer to one of the free ports on your wireless router,using the cable that comes with it (this cable is only required for initial setup of the router and later if you do not intend to use the wire connection you won’t needed it anymore). These ports are usually marked with numbers 1 to 4.

Now when everything is connected open the Internet Explorer and enter the IP address of the router to configure it. You may be asked for a password. The default IP address and password may be different depending on what router you have, so make sure to read the instructions that come with your particular model. If you have problems with the connection read this post.

If connection is successful Internet Explorer will display the admin page of your router. Most of the settings should be fine by default and there is no need to change them, but there are several things that you need to pay attention to.

1. The name of your wireless network that is currently SSID. With this name your network currently distinguish itself from the other wireless networks. It is recommended to select some name not used by any neighboring network.

2. Enable the Wireless Security. It is strongly recommended that you enable the wireless security function to encrypt your wireless connection. It helps you to protect your wireless network from unauthorized access.This can be done by entering a protective passphrase or shared key. The procedure of entering depends on the model of the used router.

Do not worry, because you will not have to remember the passphrase. It could be always seen through the admin panel.

3. Another way to limit the unauthorized access is the use of MAC filtering. Аlmost every router has this option. The Wireless MAC Address Filtering feature allows you to control the access of the wireless stations to the router, which depends on the station’s MAC addresses.

Each network device has a unique Mac address that distinguishes it from the other devices in the network. You can use these addresses to create a list of the devices (e.g. desktop computers or laptops) that can access your network. When new computer is trying to connect, the router checks whether its MAC address is specified in the list. If not, the access is denied.

4.Change your administrator password.

Just like any other password, it should be a phrase that is not easy to guess. It is recommended to select a combination of letters and numbers. Be sure to remember this password because you will need it later when you want change the settings of your router.

Note: These configuration steps may be different depending on the brand of router, which you have.

Now when your wireless router is connected and working it is time to remove the cable and setup the wireless connection.

Attach the wireless adapter to your computer. Windows XP, will detect it automatically, and you may be asked to insert the CD, which goes with it in order to install the drivers. When the CD is started just follow the wizard which will guide you through the installation process. When it’s completed Windows XP will show an icon in the lower right corner of the monitor to indicate that a new wireless network is found.

If your drivers are properly installed Windows will place an icon for a new connection in the Network connections folder. You can see it in Start > Control panel > Network and Internet connections > Network connections. Missing of these icons means that your adapter isn’t working properly. If so,then try to repeat the installation process or consult with the instructions of your network adapter.

Note: In order to work properly, some wireless adapters require not only drivers to be installed, but also wireless networking software, provided by the device’s manufacturer. Unfortunately both the manufacturer’s software and the Windows wireless network manager don’t work together and you can use only one of them at a time. On the picture below you can see the icon of the Intel PRO/Wireless manager. My laptop’s wireless card doesn’t work without this utility installed.

Follow the steps below to connect your computer to your wireless network:

Note: You can manage your wireless network connection using the Windows wireless network manager or the wireless networking software that comes with your particular wireless adapter. Here I will use the Windows manager,because of the wide variety of devices, each having its own software. That makes their description almost impossible in a single post.

1. Click with the right button on the icon for the wireless network located in the lower right corner of your monitor. Then select View Available Wireless Networks.

Note: If you see window with a message that Windows cannot configure this wireless connection, then your wireless adapter is managed by another networking software. If so, just perform the following steps:

The solution is simple. As you can see on the window above, there is an option Change advanced settings. Click on it.

In the following window click on the “Wireless Networks” tab.
Click the checkbox next to “Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings”.
Click OK.

The above steps may not work if if the message says, that you have to start the Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) service. In such case read this post.

2. Windows XP will open a window (Wireless Network Connection) and you will be able to see your network name, which you have chosen earlyer. If it hasn’t yet appeared, click on Refresh network list, which is located in the upper left corner of the open window. If it still doesn’t appears in the list, then make sure that you have enabled the wireless radio of your router.

3. In case you have activated a security password for you wireless network,Windows XP will ask you to enter it. This will be the password that you’ve previously entered in the wireless security section of your router’s admin panel.Enter the password and confirm it, then click Connect.

4. The next window you will see will be a window that shows the process of connecting to your network.

Note: In case you are unable to connect and the network manager is still saying “Acquiring Network Address”, then most likely you have entered wrong “key”. If so, then go back and fill all the fields correctly.

Once the connection process is completed and you are connected,you can see the status of the connection.

That’s all. Now your network is functioning properly.

How to start Wireless Zero Configuration

admin — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:17:17 +0000

Wireless zero configuration is the feature in Windows, that allows your wireless network card to detect the available wireless networks and automatically connect to the preferred wireless network according to your preference or the default settings of the card. This function makes configuring and connecting to wireless networks easy even for people, not so familiar with the computer networks.

Why do you need to turn on the Wireless Zero Configuration service?

Most of the hardware manufacturers provide their own wireless network management software. Unfortunately both the manufacturer’s software and the Windows wireless network manager can not work together. Sometimes the Wireless Zero Configuration service that is provided in Windows is turned off and you must use the software that is provided by the manufacturer to configure your wireless network. But what happens if that software stops working accidentally and you are not able to run your wireless network or if you just want to use the Windows wireless network manager? Well, let’s see.

Click with the right button on the icon of your wireless network. Then select View Available Wireless Networks.

This message means that if you want your wireless connection to be managed by Windows, you need to turn on XP’s wireless zero configuration. In order to do this, just perform the following steps:

1. Click START > Run

2. Type in services.msc in the “Open” field. Click the OK button.

3. In the new window that appears, scroll down the list of services, find Wireless zero configuration and select it.

4. Right click on it and select Start.

The next window will tell you that another wireless LAN utility is communicating with your wireless card and it will be temporarily disabled.

5. Click OK.

In order to enable your wireless adapter to automatically detect and connect to any preferred network,you need to change the Startup type from Manual to Automatic.

6. From the services list choose again Wireless zero configuration, right click on it and select Properties

7. From the Startup type drop down menu select Automatic an click OK

That’s all. Your wireless network connection is now managed by Windows.