Last month I talked about firewalls and in the article I mentioned that many home devices such as routers have built-in firewalls. One of the devices gaining in popularity is the wireless router.
What Is It?
A wireless router allows sharing of a single Internet connection and other resources with Ethernet-wired and wireless clients. It also gives us the benefit of a built-in firewall. These devices are generally used to share your high-speed cable or DSL connections with other computers in your home.
How Does It Work?
802.11b is the IEEE standard for WLAN (wireless local area networks). It is most commonly referred to as “Wi-Fi,” or if you are on a Mac, it’s Apple’s Airport.
802.11b networks can achieve a maximum data rate of 11 Mbps at distances up to approximately 300 feet. 802.11b is the set of protocols that allows a wireless router to talk with wireless devices. With a wireless access point (or wireless router) and a computer or other device with wireless capabilities, you would be able to send data between the devices or anything connected to the network–all without the need for a network jack and cable.
Freedom
For a geek (or any geek at heart), nothing beats grabbing a laptop or other wireless-enabled device and heading out to show off how you can be connected to the world without being tangled up by wires.
When I feel the need to get outdoors but still have too much work to do (for example, writing this column which is already a day late), I grab my favorite frosty beverage and head outside to my deck where I can sit in peace and discuss the joys of wireless networking.