Chapter 4
Install a Wireless
Network
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How to…
■
Select Wireless Network Devices
■
Determine Placement of Wireless Network Devices
■
Configure Wireless Network Devices
■
Connect Your Wireless Network to the Internet
■
Share Files and Printers on Your Wireless Home Network
I
f wired Ethernet or the other wired alternatives do not work for your home
network, or you crave the mobility only wireless networking can give, you will
be found wandering the aisles of wireless network equipment at your local big-box
computer retailer. In this chapter we will discuss what you should bring home from
the store and what to do with it once you have it home. We will determine placement
of your devices and how to get them all to work together. Finally, we will connect
the whole network to the Internet.
Select the Proper Wireless Ethernet Equipment
We discussed wireless network devices in Chapter 2. In this section we will
elaborate on some of the decisions you might make and how they will affect the
layout of your network.
Choose the Device Types for Your Home Network
Many types of wireless Ethernet devices are now available for a variety of uses.
In this section we concentrate on infrastructure devices such as adapters, bridges,

Ill 4-4
Access Points vs. Gateways
If you already have an Internet-sharing device such as a wired Ethernet gateway,
you can give wireless network devices access to it by adding a wireless Ethernet
access point to your network.
Ill 4-5
If you do not already have the Internet access issues solved, there are many
excellent gateway devices that provide wireless Ethernet, wired Ethernet, even
Phoneline network access as well as security features such as firewalls.
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Ill 4-6
Choose Your Wireless Ethernet Protocol
Wireless Ethernet for consumer applications currently supports three different wireless
standards: 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. In this section we will evaluate the
differences and help you choose the one that best fits your needs.
802.11a: Less Interference
The 802.11a standard is the black sheep of the 802.11 standards. It operates on
a totally different frequency range (5 GHz versus 2.4 GHz) and is not forward or
backward compatible with any other protocol. There will be fewer devices competing
for the same airwaves with your wireless devices. On the down side, its higher
frequency penetrates less and therefore suffers from higher signal loss due to
attenuation. Distances of over 60 feet will be a challenge. Bandwidths of up to
54 megabits per second (Mbps) are possible with this standard.
802.11b: Better Compatibility
The 802.11b standard is most widely used for wireless Ethernet, and most specialty
wireless equipment uses it. Its 2.4 GHz signal penetrates better than 802.11a, but it
has more competition for the frequency range, competing with cordless phones,
wireless remote controls, and some security systems. Its speed, up to 11 Mbps, is

■ Xtreme G (108 Mbps 802.11g)
■ Super G (108 Mbps 802.11g)
■
Turbo (22 Mbps 802.11b)
The common denominator here is that there is no common denominator
between manufacturers. If you plan to use channel bonding, use devices all from
one manufacturer.
Channel bonding may cause interference with other networks close by, so
you might want to just check with the neighbors when you enable Super G
to make sure they are still online!
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How to Do Everything with Windows XP Home Networking
1
Range subject to attenuation and interference.
2
Speed subject to distance, attenuation, and interference.
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Place Your Wireless Network Devices
for Best Reception
Radio waves are affected differently by materials through which they pass. Cloth
and wood block them very little (unless these materials are wet), while concrete,
stone, and metal can absorb or even reflect the signal. Wireless Ethernet in the
2.4 GHz band, for instance, is readily absorbed by materials containing water,
effectively blocking the signal.
Sources of Radio Interference
Cordless phones, radio frequency wireless remotes, and even some security systems
can interfere with the 2.4 GHz signals used by wireless Ethernet devices using the
802.11b and g standards. Cordless phones are beginning to appear in the 5.8 GHz
bands (the upper end of 802.11a’s range) as well, so interference is beginning to
build there, too.

omnidirectional antennas that boost signals coming from all directions, and
unidirectional antennas that boost signals from a single direction only. In general,
unidirectional antennas offer the greatest improvement, as they also serve to limit
interference by pointing directly at a single source.
Some folks have built their own “cantenna” for wireless Ethernet. Starting
with a cashew can and a potato chip can, you can build a unidirectional
antenna. Instructions are found on the Internet by searching for cantenna.
Will it be better than “store-bought”? Probably not. But it is a fun experiment
in radio, and if done right it can inexpensively extend the range of your
network.
Use Repeaters to Extend Your Coverage
Another way to increase your network’s footprint is by adding repeaters. A repeater
is a device that listens for signals from a wireless access point or client and then
amplifies and retransmits them. Adding repeaters can allow you to extend your
network into areas with poorer signals, increasing the signal strength and speed
of communications in those areas.
Configure Your Wireless Network Devices
The specifics of configuring wireless Ethernet devices vary by device type and
manufacturer. In this section we will cover some of the configuration options you
should keep an eye out for so that you know if you are missing anything. Some of
this information will be presented again in much more depth in Chapter 6. We present
it here to get your network up and running, but do not rest until you have taken care
of the security. An unprotected wireless network is like going to bed with your
garage door open. You never know what you will find in there in the morning.
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CHAPTER 4: Install a Wireless Network
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Ill 4-8
Disabling SSID broadcast in your access points and gateways can make
earlier versions of Windows XP wireless auto-configuration malfunction.
If you experience this, obtain and install the latest Windows XP service pack.
Enabling Encryption
Wireless Ethernet devices now available support encrypted communications.
Encrypting your data makes it harder for crackers to penetrate your defenses. In
this section we will discuss Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected
Access (WPA).
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CHAPTER 4: Install a Wireless Network
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Wired Equivalent Protection (WEP)
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is the most widely used encryption standard now
available for wireless networks. It is accomplished by configuring each device with
an encryption key. These keys are available in 40-bit, 128-bit, and even 256-bit key
lengths. The numbers of bits just indicate the relative length (complexity) and
therefore strength of the key. The device uses that key to encrypt data it sends on
the network and decrypt data received from the network. WEP has had some high-
profile deficiencies exposed recently, but it remains the only choice for many until
its apparent successor, WPA, is available on all devices.
To enable WEP, use the configuration tools provided with your wireless devices
to create a key. Enter the key in the configuration of each device on the network to
enable encrypted communications.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is an extension to WEP that adds the ability to
authenticate the initial connection and assign the initial key automatically. After

the manufacturer’s instructions to determine how to enable this.
Configure Clients for Dynamic IP Address Allocation
You might have to configure your Windows XP computers to receive dynamically
allocated IP addresses. To configure Windows XP to receive an IP address automatically,
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How to Do Everything with Windows XP Home Networking
FIGURE 4-1
Configuring a Linksys Internet gateway
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CHAPTER 4: Install a Wireless Network
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1.
Open the network adapter’s Properties dialog box by right-clicking the
appropriate network connection icon in Network Connections and selecting
Properties.
Ill 4-9
2.
Find and select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties.
Ill 4-10
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How to Do Everything with Windows XP Home Networking
3.
Select both the Obtain An IP Address Automatically and Obtain DNS
Server Address Automatically options and click OK.
Ill 4-11
Going Online Without a Gateway
Just as with a wired Ethernet Network, you can use the Internet Connection
Sharing capabilities built into Windows XP to share your Internet connection.

This section is discussed in detail in Chapter 3, but we will reprise it here with
a wireless angle.
Manage TCP/IP Addressing
If you are using an Internet gateway or have enabled Internet Connection Sharing,
you will not need to manually assign IP addresses to your devices. If you do not
want to use dynamic address assignment, you will have to configure your devices’
addresses manually.
Select Your Network’s Address Range
To communicate effectively, each device on a network requires a unique address.
This allows other devices to direct data to it without fear that the data will arrive at
the wrong location. On the global Internet, each connected device has an address—
called an Internet Protocol (or IP) address—that belongs to no other device in the
world. Obviously, it takes some level of management to ensure that no two devices
use the same address. This task is shouldered by the Internet Assigned Numbers
Authority (IANA) and your Internet service provider (ISP). When you connect
a computer or network to the Internet, you are assigned an address by your ISP
from a block given them by the IANA.
Connecting multiple devices to the Internet would require you to be assigned
an address for each device. Your ISP would want to charge you for each individual
connection, and you would use a large number of global IP addresses for your
devices. If each household did this, we would run out of addresses very quickly.
For this reason, we can choose to have a “private” range of addresses that we can
use inside our home that nobody on the Internet will care about. These address
ranges are already set aside by the IANA for private use and will never be routed
over the global Internet.
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CHAPTER 4: Install a Wireless Network
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While there are three ranges set aside for different-sized organizations, we will

screen. You will see your Local Area Connection icon.
Ill 4-16
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CHAPTER 4: Install a Wireless Network
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4.
Right-click Local Area Connection and select Properties.
Ill 4-17
5.
Select the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties. You will be
presented with the following dialog box:
Ill 4-18
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6.
Select the Use The Following IP Address option and configure the IP
address you have chosen.
Ill 4-19
7.
Use the default Subnet mask.
8.
Click OK to save this configuration.
You have addressed your computer to be able to communicate on your network.
As you configure more devices, and when you configure your computer or network
to communicate on the Internet, you will want to modify these settings. We will
discuss any necessary modifications later, when you connect to the Internet.
Use Dynamic Addresses
If your Internet gateway dynamically assigns addresses, you should be able to
connect to it by following the manufacturer’s instructions; if that is true, you do
not have to configure anything else in Windows XP to enable networking. If you