Setting up a Wireless Network in Windows 544 Manually adding a computer running Windows Vista To do the work of configuration of your laptop yourself you’ll need the details of any security measures put into effect in the setup of the router. 1. Turn on the laptop and start Windows Vista. 2. Click Start ➪ Connect To. You see a display of any wireless networks detected by your laptop. (See Figure 3-5.) If you hover your onscreen pointer on or near one of the names you can learn some of the details of the network, including the strength of the signal and whether the system is protected by password security. 3. Click the network you want to use. 4. Click Connect. If the network requires validation, enter the network security key or passphrase. 5. Click OK. If you have successfully made the connection, you get a confirmation message. You can also check for yourself; click Start ➪ Network. You should see icons for the computer you just added, as well as for other computers and devices that are part of the network. Figure 3-5: The Connect to a network screen of Windows Vista shows any wireless systems within the reach of your laptop’s built-in antenna. 41 140925-bk08ch03.qxp 4/8/08 12:51 PM Page 544 Book VIII Chapter 3 Going Wireless Setting up a Wireless Network in Windows 545 Windows XP wireless wizardry The Wireless Network Setup Wizard for Windows XP arrived with Service Pack 2 of that operating system. If you’re running XP and haven’t installed Microsoft’s improved version: Stop whatever you’re doing (I guess that would be reading this book) and go forth and update. There are no good reasons not to install major updates like Service Packs for your Windows operating system except 1) if you do not have a legal license for the version you are running, or 2) you do not have enough space on the hard drive in your laptop. In the first instance . . . well, I’m not going to endorse innocent or willful piracy; bite the bullet and buy a real copy of Windows — you’ll sleep better at night and your system will run smoother and with less risk of security breaches with all updates applied. In the second situation, if your hard disk drive is that close to being full it is time to add more storage by either replacing the internal drive with a larger one or adding an external drive (and moving some data off the internal drive to make space for Windows and programs). The wizard of Windows XP SP2 provides the same two pathways to creating a wireless network that are offered in the newer Windows Vista: an auto- mated process that is based around settings transferred from machine to machine on a USB flash drive, and a manual process. Automated network setup under Windows XP To set up a new laptop to work with an existing wireless network, begin by turning on the machine and its WiFi circuitry. 1. Load Windows XP. 2. Click Start ➪ Control Panel. 3. Choose a step depending on what Control Panel view you have: • If you are using the Classic view of Control Panel, click directly on Wireless Network Setup Wizard. • If you are using the Category view of Control Panel, click first on Network and Internet Connections and then click Wireless Network Setup Wizard. 4. Follow the step-by-step instructions presented by the wizard. 5. For use with a Windows Connect Now device, insert a USB flash drive into your laptop. 6. Tell the wizard to save your wireless network configuration settings to the flash drive. 41 140925-bk08ch03.qxp 4/8/08 12:51 PM Page 545 Setting up a Wireless Network in Windows 546 7. Bring the flash drive from one machine or device to each other. 8. Installing it in a USB port to provide wireless communication settings. Manual configuration of a WiFi network under Windows XP If you have the necessary details for an existing network, it is pretty easy to do the configuration manually. (I keep notes on all details of my networks in an old-fashioned notebook I keep on the shelf in my office; I also keep the same information on an index card that I place within the box or instruction manual for any piece of networking equipment I add to my system.) Here are the basic steps; your experience may differ slightly based on the particular mix of hardware in your laptop and out amongst the components of the network. 1. Click Start ➪ Control Panel. 2. Double-click Network Connections. 3. Click the wireless network connection icon. 4. Under Network Tasks, click View Available Wireless Networks. A list of wireless networks appears. You may see only the one in your home or office or you may see others from neighbors or nearby offices. 5. Choose the wireless network you want to use. 6. Click Connect. In some situations, the list of available wireless networks may not be complete; some public networks may have multiple names or otherwise be hidden. To show all wireless networks, click Show Wireless Access Point Names. If you are attempting to work with a public wireless network or a man- aged network in a large organization, you may be asked to download additional files that will allow your computer to connect to the network. You should only allow a network to download files onto your machine if you trust its provider . . . and if your machine is properly protected; when in doubt, try to find a network that does not seek to alter your laptop in any way and merely opens itself up to visitors. Connecting to a new wireless network is just one of many tasks where the importance of having a capable — and completely updated — antivirus and firewall program is essential. That is, unless you have complete faith that no one has attempted to include anything malicious, mischievous, or merely annoying in a publicly accessible network. And if you believe that to be the case everywhere you go . . . well, let’s just say you and your laptop are cruis- ing for a bruising. 41 140925-bk08ch03.qxp 4/8/08 12:51 PM Page 546 Book VIII Chapter 3 Going Wireless Setting up a Wireless Network in Windows 547 If the network you choose has one or more elements of a security system enabled, you will have to obtain and enter the proper network key. Adding a device to an existing network A very easy way to automatically configure a laptop to work with a network is to use the facilities of Windows XP to copy the necessary settings to a flash drive. Here’s how to do this under Windows XP: 1. Turn on a computer that is successfully communicating with a network. 2. Plug a flash memory drive into a USB port on the computer. 3. In the USB flash drive dialog box, click Wireless Network Setup Wizard. 4. Follow the onscreen directions to copy settings to the flash memory. 5. When the task is completed, remove the flash memory from the computer. 6. On the laptop you want to add to the wireless network, click on the Start button and then click on Control Panel. 7. Click Network and Internet. 8. In the Network and Sharing Center, click Add a Device to the Network. 9. Follow the instructions in the wizard. Adding wireless devices to a network A still-developing area of networking is the introduction and use of devices like printers and hard disk drives that can communicate wirelessly with machines on the network. The simplest solution here is to find a device that embraces Microsoft’s Windows Connect Now; these allow automatic configu- ration with the temporary installation of a flash memory card into a USB port on the device. As an example of products in this category, D-Link offers wireless routers, access points, and “central home drives” that can be placed anywhere within the cloud of WiFi signals in your home or office. Using proprietary wireless configuration tools Most of the major laptop manufacturers now offer their own suite of utilities intended to make it easy for users to connect their new machines to an exist- ing wired or wireless network. The basic concepts are the same, although specific details will vary from manufacturer. 41 140925-bk08ch03.qxp 4/8/08 12:51 PM Page 547 Setting up a Wireless Network in Windows 548 I will use as an example the Toshiba Assist program that is part of the sample Toshiba Satellite P205 laptop referenced in this book. This utility comes preinstalled as a shortcut on the desktop and is also available from within a Toshiba utilities folder. Begin by making sure that the WiFi power switch is turned on. Loading the program brings the home page, as shown in Figure 3-6. The task panel on the left side of the screen offers four options: ✦ Connect. The utilities here include the ConfigFree Connectivity Doctor, which assists in setting up or troubleshooting a wireless connection, as well as utilities for use with Bluetooth networks. When the doctor is called upon, it will analyze your network connec- tions and provide detailed information about network settings including the status of the connection, the type of protocol in use (802.11g, for example), and the communication speed currently available. See Figure 3-7. Another interesting element of the tool is the Radar report which scans in all directions from your laptop to show you a representation of the relative location and distance of any WiFi systems; see Figure 3-8. Figure 3-6: The home page of Toshiba Assist offers access to the ConfigFree utility for setting up a link to a wireless network. On this model, the utility offers utilities to enable and configure Bluetooth networks. 41 140925-bk08ch03.qxp 4/8/08 12:51 PM Page 548 Book VIII Chapter 3 Going Wireless Setting up a Wireless Network in Windows 549 barbbird Hudson WirelessLAN Figure 3-8: Toshiba’s WiFi Radar shows that my laptop is nearest the WiFi router I call Hudson, about 30 feet from my office. It also detects my neighbor’s network about 100 feet away. Figure 3-7: The Connectivity Doctor of Toshiba’s ConfigFree utility shows the status of all communi- cation networks currently available on your laptop. 41 140925-bk08ch03.qxp 4/8/08 12:51 PM Page 549 Cutting the Wires Other Ways 550 A very useful feature of the tool is access to Profile Settings, which allows you to save differing details for various networks you may use on a regular basis. For example, you could have a profile for your home or office network, one for a public network, and one for the secured net- work you occasionally use at a client’s office or a friend’s home. The fol- lowing settings can be saved (or automatically captured) in a profile: • Internet settings. LAN settings, including proxy server settings, and the address of a home page that will open automatically with your Web browser. • Devices. Software-based enabling or disabling of wired and wireless network devices. On a Bluetooth system, the profile includes the power status for that network’s antennas. • TCP/IP settings. The nitty-gritty of the network configuration, includ- ing DHCP, IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, DNS server, and more; these are the details that are often automatically set but some- times require manual adjustment unless you are using a tool like Toshiba’s utility. • Personal firewall setting. Any adjustments you have made to the Windows-based firewall aimed at a particular network are saved in the profile. To create a profile, click the networked computer icon in the notifica- tion area of ConfigFree. Choose Profile ➪ Open Settings ➪ Add to Create and Save a Profile. ✦ Secure. Access to screens to set a supervisor or user password. When you set a supervisor password you can choose to allow or block users from changing the hardware configuration for the laptop. Enabling a user password makes it necessary that any user must enter a password at the time the laptop is powered on. ✦ Protect & Fix. This is the portal to a proprietary Toshiba PC Diagnostic Tool that tests most of the hardware components of the laptop along with many of its essential software tools. ✦ Optimize. In the Toshiba utility, this option allows quick access to a suite of proprietary tools including adjustments and settings for a CD/DVD acoustic silencer, a mouse setup screen, and other specialized functions. Cutting the Wires Other Ways Although the vast majority of wireless communication for laptops involves one or another form of WiFi radio, there are several other ways to get on line without running a long, long cord to your beach chair. Some systems are close cousins to WiFi (like Bluetooth), some are older and less capable 41 140925-bk08ch03.qxp 4/8/08 12:51 PM Page 550 Book VIII Chapter 3 Going Wireless Cutting the Wires Other Ways 551 special-purpose connections (like infrared), and some are adaptations of existing communications networks for other purposes (like Internet over cel- lular phone networks). Linking to the Web with a cell phone modem Most major cell phone providers have upgraded their systems to offer broadband Internet access to laptop users who are within reach of their cell towers. A few caveats: ✦ Internet service is not available everywhere, even if phone service is offered. Many companies offer very good service in large cities but very limited coverage in rural areas. ✦ The speed of connection is faster than dial-up, but much slower than DSL or cable service. A typical speed is about 200 Kbps, about four times as fast as dial-up but nowhere near the 3 to 7 Mbps offered by true Be prepared First a confession: Years ago I once cobbled together my own unofficial wireless/dial-up/ cell phone hybrid connection when I was liter- ally in the middle of nowhere and I needed to check e-mail no matter how sketchy and slow the connection. Here’s what I did: I had purchased from my cell phone manufacturer a cable that connects to a laptop through a USB port and allows for a number of functions including uploading and downloading photos from the phone’s camera, uploading snippets of music to be used as ring- tones, and . . . I discovered, a way to use the cell phone as a data modem. I was intrigued, especially since the cell phone service provider was not offering Internet access. So here we were cruising on a slow barge through one of the most remote places in the lower 48 states: a bayou in Louisiana with more alligators than people. There were no settlements for miles but every few minutes I would notice a blip on my cell phone as a signal somehow managed to make its way to the river. I configured my laptop to call an AOL dial-up number and waited for a bar or two to appear on the cell phone; I clicked Dial and watched the phone make a painfully slow connection. For about three minutes, I had one of the most obscure (and slowest) connections to the Web in the history of the Internet but it did work and I was able to check my mail before the signal faded and we were back in the technological dark ages. And, of course, you will need a cel- lular modem. It is now possible to officially do what I unofficially did in that Louisiana bayou: connect your cell phone to your laptop via a USB cable and use its circuitry and antenna to connect to the Internet. A more elegant, and usually faster, alternative is to use a specialized cellular modem that installs in a PC Card or Express Card slot in your laptop. And a few laptop manufacturers have begun to offer machines with this sort of specialized wireless receiver and transmitter built into the case. 41 140925-bk08ch03.qxp 4/8/08 12:51 PM Page 551 Cutting the Wires Other Ways 552 broadband providers. And some locations — and some cell phone providers — offer very slow speeds. ✦ You need to subscribe to the cell phone company at some level; some providers separate the Internet service from the voice service while others require you to have an agreement that covers both. ✦ Available Internet services are based on EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) for cell companies using GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technology. Typical speeds for this sort of system are about 200 Kbps in areas with full coverage. ✦ A more advanced service is EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) for use with phones and cell services using CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology. Today these systems are capable of download speeds of twice to three times the speed of EDGE. Some companies offer multiprotocol plans. For example, T-Mobile’s cellular Internet plans (in 2008) allow users to switch over to conventional WiFi and use their laptops to connect at higher speeds at any of the company’s Hot Spots in coffee shops and other locations at no extra charge. Contact cell phone providers and ask the following: ✦ What technology do you use for laptop to cellular Internet services? ✦ What speed can I expect in locations where you will travel? ✦ What is the cost for use of the service? • Are charges based on minutes of connection or megabytes of data? • Am I committed to a monthly contract or can I purchase connectivity when I need it? • Am I required to sign up for a one- or two-year contract, which is the model for voice service on cell phones? ✦ How long is the trial period for the service. It might be worthwhile to give cellular Internet service a test before you commit to a long-term contract. Bluetooth wireless communication Believe it or not, not every technological advancement in computing and communications is Made in America. They’re not even all Made in China or Japan. As just one example, consider the Bluetooth wireless standard which was put forth as an alternative to 802.11 protocols by Ericsson in Sweden, where researchers were working on new cell phone technologies including ways for devices to communicate with each other locally. An Intel technician and 41 140925-bk08ch03.qxp 4/8/08 12:51 PM Page 552 Book VIII Chapter 3 Going Wireless Cutting the Wires Other Ways 553 amateur historian dubbed the standard in honor of Harald Bluetooth, a Scandinavian king who brought together the two warring communities of Denmark and Norway in the tenth century. Bluetooth operates in the same 2.4 GHz band used by 802.11b and 802.11g but requires considerably less power than its WiFi equivalents. In the mar- ketplace, Bluetooth lost out to 802.11 standards for computer communica- tion, but it has been adopted by a number of pocket-sized electronic devices including cell phones, personal data assistants, cordless headsets, and other equipment. One of the advantages of Bluetooth technology is that the hardware does all the work; when any two compatible devices find each other they negotiate between them the technical details of communication: elements like exchang- ing electronic addresses and selecting the best protocol for data. As part of the conversation, the devices determine if one device needs something from the other, or if one unit needs to control the other. Once they’ve negotiated all they need — techies call this a handshake — the devices set up a temporary, highly local personal-area network, also called a piconet. One way Bluetooth devices avoid interference from and with other radio fre- quency devices is by working at a very low power level. Transmissions are made at 1 milliwatt, which is one thousandth of a watt; by comparison, a typ- ical cell phone uses 1 to 3 watts (one thousand to three thousand as much power) to communicate with the nearest tower. The devices in a piconet make use of spread-spectrum frequency hopping to help avoid interference. The devices continually change the exact frequency they are using to any of 79 tiny slices of the radio pie, hopping randomly 1,600 times per second. This makes extremely unlikely that there will be any sustained amongst a room full of Bluetooth devices. Even if two units end up on the same frequency for a fraction of a second they will bounce to a differ- ent randomly selected setting almost immediately. Bluetooth will reject or ask for a re-send of the data any time it senses corruption in one of the tiny packets of data it receives. For a period of time, a number of laptop makers offered both Bluetooth and WiFi adapters in their machines, but today’s models have mostly dispensed with old Harald’s method. However, it is easy to add Bluetooth to a laptop through use of a PC Card or ExpressCard adapter or a USB device. Older tech: Infrared systems One technology that has come . . . and may have gone . . . is the infrared device. We all use these systems every time we change the channel on our television with a remote control; at one time it was envisioned that infrared (IR) would be used to transmit data between a computer and a printer or other peripheral across the room. 41 140925-bk08ch03.qxp 4/8/08 12:51 PM Page 553 . differing details for various networks you may use on a regular basis. For example, you could have a profile for your home or office network, one for a public network, and one for the secured net- work. are based on EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) for cell companies using GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technology. Typical speeds for this sort of system are about 200. get a confirmation message. You can also check for yourself; click Start ➪ Network. You should see icons for the computer you just added, as well as for other computers and devices that are part