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Choosing The Equipment

 

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Securing Your WAP
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Equipment

I recommend the Linksys brand of wireless networking gear.  I have used Linksys exclusively in the wireless networks I have built.  My experience with other brands has been acceptable, but I have found the Linksys to be easier to configure and secure.  Other brands with high ratings include Netgear and D-Link.  I would avoid other brands even in the face of significant price differences.

You will need a Wireless Access Point and a wireless network card for each computer that is not going to be directly wired to the WAP.  The Linksys WRT54G or WRT54GS with SpeedBooster are good choices, and are about $50-$60 on sale.  These WAPs have four wired Ethernet ports on the back that allow for traditional wired Ethernet connections.

Either of these devices provides the following features:

  • 4 port wired Ethernet switch.

  • Secure encryption using 64 or 128 bit WEP, WPA, WPA2.

  • MAC Address Filtering.

  • Stateful Packet inspection (SPI) Firewall

  • Network Address Translation (NAT)

  • Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server.

  • VPN Passthrough for IPSec, PPTP, and L2TP.  If you work from home, your company may require a connection over a VPN or virtual private network, for security reasons.

  • Parental Control Services (WRT54GS only)

    • Time of Day Access Restrictions

    • Maturity Settings per User

    • E-Mail Restrictions per User

    • Web Site Blocking per User

    • Instant Messaging Restrictions per User

    • Passwords

    • Activity Reports

Each computer will need a wireless network card.  The cards cost anywhere from $25 to $40 per computer.  There are 3 types of network cards:

  • Internal PCI card for desktop computers requires the computer be opened to install the card in an expansion slot.

  • USB network card attaches to an available USB port.  These work in either a desktop or laptop computer.

  • PCMCIA card for laptop computers.  Most laptop computers built in the last 2-3 years may have a wireless network card built in.

 

Windows XP has support for wireless networks built in, so you may not need to install the wireless networking software that comes with your wireless network card.  Windows 2000 and earlier versions will require the installation software.

 

 

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