I just read an article in USAToday about Wi-Fi. It is something I am interested in but would like to hear from people that have first-hand experience with it. Does anybody here use Wi-Fi? Is it faster than Broadband? How does it work?

 

WiFi = wireless.

it wont replace your internet connect/broadband connection, but yes, it is much much faster than a a cable modem/DSL.

What you do, is you have your cable/dsl modem. Then you attach a wireless router to it, and essentially all your computers can then talk wireless to the router, which will then route you to the internet if that's where you want to go.

Wireless routers are cheap.

There are 2 main standards out there now. 802.11b and 802.11g

b is cheaper, but maxes out at 11mbits/sec

g is not much more expensive, and goes up to 54 or so mbits/sec

SO, if all you are doing is surfing the net, and on the internet, and you only have one computer, you wont get much use out of G, cuz the internet connection will be a bottle neck (256k - 2mbit). the faster wireless speeds come into play when you have more than one wireless workstation, and you want to transfer files back and forth and what not.

Its handy when you dont want to run wires

just change default settings on the router, so your neighbors can't see your wireless network

Things you need to change are, enable encryption, change SSID, and turn off broadcast of wireless SSID. Its actually amazing how many networks you can attach to, because people dont change these things.... I have at least 2 other SSid's that my wireless router picks up from my neighbors

go for it. Especially handy if you have a notebook computer, and want to sit anywhere around or inside your house and surf or whatever.

 

Some of us here on the board run a cable/dsl into a wireless router and then run a wireless to ethernet bridge to get all of our video game consoles online through wireless. Works real well for me.

 

if you have a cordless phone in the 2.4Gh range, they can interfere with each other.

I get drop-out on my phone whenever I walk into my office, where the wireless access point is.

Going to get a 5.6Gh phone soon. It's starting to really piss me off.

Love being on the couch with my laptop watching live timing and the f1 race at the same time. and not a cord or wire in sight.

 

I'm doing my Master's thesis on WiFi security, or rather the complete lack of it.

In my area, only 30% of WiFi users bother to turn on encryption, and 56% of them leave their gear in factory default configuration.

So be smart hooking it up!