LAW OFFICE COMPUTING
March 2004
Winton Woods
There is a Wireless Network in Your Future
I have become a big fan of wireless networks. To walk up to a wireless node, pull out your laptop, and log on to the Internet without plugging into anything is wonderful. The wireless network nodes are quickly becoming ubiquitous. They are coming to a home or office near you! They are already in airports, hotels and Starbucks around the world.
This is the year that wireless networking has taken off. The papers and magazines are full of advertisements and the prices are dropping rapidly. After experiencing the positive results of the wireless systems in both of the Arizona law colleges, I installed a system in my own office a few months ago. The newest update to the 802.11 standard, 802.11g, features major speed gains. 802.11g offers up to 54 Mbps, as opposed to 11 Mbps for 801.11b. The latest standard is called 802.11g (know as the G standard) and it is four to five times as fast as the older standard called 802.11b (known as the B standard). There is even a faster standard known as Extreme G but I have found the standard G format to be just fine and very fast. The new G standard routers (the devices that connect to the Internet and send the signal out wirelessly) are backward compatible with the older 802.11b standards. My router is hooked up directly to my cable modem and thus to the Internet. I can browse, do research and read newspapers anywhere in my house, even while watching a ball game. It is one way to get out of the office. A small miracle, I say!
The wireless router acts as the interface between your network and the Internet so that if you have a high-speed connection all of the computers on the network can share it. I have had some cautionary comments about installing wireless systems in the past but now, implementing decent security is relatively easy. For example, the two law college systems restrict access to specified computers through use of a unique number assigned to each wireless card. Every wireless computer interface has what is called a MAC (Media Access Control) number that is unique to that particular wireless network access device and has been factory-assigned. It cannot be easily changed. This MAC number, or address, is used by the interface to announce itself to the network and to pass information back and forth between the machine and the network. Since each card or device has a unique MAC Address, the address can be used to permit or deny users access to the wireless network, much like the way you may screen phone calls using caller ID. In order to implement MAC address based security all you need do is to tell the network that you will be accessing it from that specific MAC address. All other addresses are excluded until you list them. The network keeps a list of permitted MAC addresses and anyone not on that list will be denied entry to the network. This provides pretty solid security and works fine for a small network such as you would have at home or in the office of a small to medium size firm. While MAC numbers can be discovered through a random number generator or other kinds of “cracking” technique, it is very difficult to do so. An easier way of access the network is to steal a card our access device and use that number. I have a wireless access device that goes in the USB port of my laptop. It is about the size of your thumb and would be easy to pick up and walk away with. The thief then gets access to the network for whatever purpose may be desired. In essence, the thief will use the network under your name. It thus become critical that all of the accepted MAC addresses be contained in a secure database and that the cards and devices are controlled.
There are a number of other more complicated ways of securing your network that you may decide to implement depending upon your need for security, your assessment of the risk of having the network breached and the consequences that would follow. Hewlett Packard has put up a good summary of those choices that you might want to discuss with your tech person. See, http://tinyurl.com/3yk4m.
Actual installation of a small wireless network is very simple. The network control center is called the wireless router and it is first connected to a computer with a hard wire. Using that temporary hardwire, the computer accesses the chip in the router and sets it up. It is simplicity itself if you are willing to follow the detailed instructions. Make sure that you change the password to the router at the first setup because the usual default password (admin) is well known to hackers and crackers. Once you have set up the router you need to enable the network computers with access devices, which, as we have said, have unique MAC addresses.
When you buy your network gear, do not be tempted to save a few bucks by buying some unknown brand. Prices are so low now that you can choose Linksys, Netgear or D-Link devices. Spend the extra money to get 802.11(g) devices. You should be able to set up a basic network with three access points for under $150. Each additional access device will cost around $20. Don’t be tempted to buy the now very inexpensive, and much slower, 802.11(b) equipment.
That is it. I was astounded at how easy it was. The directions for my Linksys router were simple and clear. The necessary software was easy and intuitive. The only hitch I had was that I thought I was smart enough to skip a couple of steps. That was a mistake and I had to go back to square one and start again. The whole process took about 15 minutes and I was suddenly wirelessly connected to the Internet and to the other computers in my office and home. A small miracle indeed, but a miracle for sure! If you are still in doubt, there is a new book that tells it all. How to Install a Wireless LAN, by Les Freed is reviewed in detail at http://tinyurl.com/2y5se.
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