Wireless networking under Linux

I have a small LAN that I would like to transform into a wireless one.
The problem is, I still don't have a clear idea on how to do it.

For instance, is it possible to plug some gadget into the usual NICs of
my PCs, or do I need to buy specific, wireless NICs for each PC? Do I need
to buy any specific hub, or just about any wireless hub will do? Are such
devices (i.e. wireless NICs and hubs well supported under 2.4 kernels?
Does one need drivers not already included with the kernel? Finally, how
much can this exercise cost per PC?

Any help will be much appreciated.

On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 19:38:58 GMT, Augustus SFX van Dusen wrote:
> I have a small LAN that I would like to transform into a wireless one.
> The problem is, I still don't have a clear idea on how to do it.
>
> For instance, is it possible to plug some gadget into the usual NICs of
> my PCs, or do I need to buy specific, wireless NICs for each PC? Do I need
> to buy any specific hub, or just about any wireless hub will do? Are such
> devices (i.e. wireless NICs and hubs well supported under 2.4 kernels?
> Does one need drivers not already included with the kernel? Finally, how
> much can this exercise cost per PC?

You don't tell us if you currently have a hub or switch. Let's assume
you do. You need an access point that connects via an ethernet cable
to your hub/switch. No drivers needed.

For each computer that wants to access the network wirelessly you need
a wireless adapter. The usual approach is to buy an adapter on a card
but you have to be careful to get ones that are supported under Linux.
Because the wireless drivers aren't mature, this can be tricky.

Another approach is to get this kind of device:

http://www.asus.com/products/communi...0/overview.htm

Because it plugs into an ethernet port, you don't have to worry about
drivers. And the device can also be used as an access point, so maybe
you can get a deal if you buy several of them.

Bob T.

Augustus SFX van Dusen wrote:

> I have a small LAN that I would like to transform into a wireless one.
> The problem is, I still don't have a clear idea on how to do it.
>
> For instance, is it possible to plug some gadget into the usual NICs of
> my PCs, or do I need to buy specific, wireless NICs for each PC? Do I need
> to buy any specific hub, or just about any wireless hub will do? Are such
> devices (i.e. wireless NICs and hubs well supported under 2.4 kernels?
> Does one need drivers not already included with the kernel? Finally, how
> much can this exercise cost per PC?
>
> Any help will be much appreciated.

Depending on your needs, you can use an access point or wireless router, to
connect to your network, with WiFi NICs in each computer.

Augustus SFX van Dusen <(E-Mail Removed)> writes:

] I have a small LAN that I would like to transform into a wireless one.
]The problem is, I still don't have a clear idea on how to do it.

Why? Wired will always be more stable than wireless.


] For instance, is it possible to plug some gadget into the usual NICs of
]my PCs, or do I need to buy specific, wireless NICs for each PC? Do I need

If you want wireless, you need a wireless NIC. Why you want that I do not
know. Do wired for all your desktop machines and set up only your laptops
as wireless. Buy a wireless/wired router, plug in your wired machines, and
use to connect to your wireless.

]to buy any specific hub, or just about any wireless hub will do? Are such
]devices (i.e. wireless NICs and hubs well supported under 2.4 kernels?

Somewhat. Wireless support is still a bit shakey, not least because the FCC
forces all wireless support to be closed source for at least part of it.


]Does one need drivers not already included with the kernel? Finally, how
]much can this exercise cost per PC?

About $100/PC Vs $10 /pc for wires (well $20-30 with a hub) but of course
with the pain of stringing wires.

..


] Any help will be much appreciated.

On 13 Nov 2004 20:11:35 GMT, Bob Tennent <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

<snip>

>
>Another approach is to get this kind of device:
>
>http://www.asus.com/products/communi...0/overview.htm
>
>Because it plugs into an ethernet port, you don't have to worry about
>drivers. And the device can also be used as an access point, so maybe
>you can get a deal if you buy several of them.
>
>Bob T.

Or, one of these set in client mode!

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...%2Etworking%2F

Very neat gizmo. More than just an access point. Lots of capabilities.

Rich Piotrowski
--
"Now are you talking about what it is you know
or just repeating what it was you heard".
Grace Slick
To email use rpiotro(at)wi(dot)rr(dot)com

Bill Unruh wrote:
> If you want wireless, you need a wireless NIC. Why you want that I do not
> know.

Some people use wireless because they don't want to run wires all over
the house.


> ]Does one need drivers not already included with the kernel? Finally, how
> ]much can this exercise cost per PC?
>
> About $100/PC Vs $10 /pc for wires (well $20-30 with a hub)

£70 for a wireless broadband router and card is not a bad price.

Paul

Paul Black wrote:

> £70 for a wireless broadband router and card is not a bad price.

And someone very-recently talked about a very nice combined access-point
plus transciever that plugs into an ordinary network-plug. Very nice.

But remember... if you use wireless, you should not only use the encryption
built-in to that, but you should also use VPN. If you like to "take your
laptop to Starbucks," remember that your system is potentially vulnerable
to intrusion. You can easily secure against this, on any OS, but you must
know and you must have prepared.

Thanks so much everybody, for your feedback. To answer some of your
queries: I currently have a hub with several PCs connected to it. One of
the PCs acts as a router/firewall - it has two NICs, one connected to the
hub (my home LAN) and the other connected to the external world, via my
DSL modem.

Why do I want to go wireless? I just need to move one of the
PCs to a different room in the top floor of my place (never mind why,)
far from the hub. Other than this, I have no problem about leaving my
setup as it is. If I understand things correctly, I would just need a new
hub, both with standard ports for my existing cables, plus (for want of a
better name) a wireless port; and a wireless plug-in adaptor, or a
wireless NIC, for the PC to be taken upstairs.

Augustus SFX van Dusen wrote:
> Thanks so much everybody, for your feedback. To answer some of your
> queries: I currently have a hub with several PCs connected to it. One of
> the PCs acts as a router/firewall - it has two NICs, one connected to the
> hub (my home LAN) and the other connected to the external world, via my
> DSL modem.
>
> Why do I want to go wireless? I just need to move one of the
> PCs to a different room in the top floor of my place (never mind why,)
> far from the hub. Other than this, I have no problem about leaving my
> setup as it is. If I understand things correctly, I would just need a new
> hub, both with standard ports for my existing cables, plus (for want of a
> better name) a wireless port; and a wireless plug-in adaptor, or a
> wireless NIC, for the PC to be taken upstairs.

Get a box called an access point (AP). It has an Ethernet port
and WLAN station. Connect the Ethernet port to your LAN
and get a compatible WLAN card for the computer to be moved.

You may need to check that the new location of the computer
can hear the signal from the access point. The WLAN card
software packages often have programs showing the signal
strength, signal/noise ratio and link quality. I put such
a program running in my laptop and wandered round the house
to find the most suitable location for the AP.

Before going wireless, consider that your traffic will
be more or less public - despite of the WEP encryption
offered with the devices.

For useful privacy, you need to run an encrypted VPN
on top of the WLAN connection. My favourite is OpenVPN.
(Forget the thing in countries where encryption is banned).

HTH

--

Tauno Voipio
tauno voipio (at) iki fi

Tauno Voipio wrote:
> For useful privacy, you need to run an encrypted VPN
> on top of the WLAN connection. My favourite is OpenVPN.
> (Forget the thing in countries where encryption is banned).

:-/ Even in _those_ countries, reality goes on.

Nonetheless: Many computer-crimes are simply crimes of opportunity. Like a
cat-burglar, viruses and so-on prowl the network unseen, looking for open
doors and unlocked windows leading directly to programs being run by
user-IDs with administrative or root privileges. There are literally
millions of systems out there just like that. Nasty people write programs
to try to search those victims out automatically.

If you simply take the /slightest/ precautions, then just like the person
who locks his doors and windows when going to work in the morning, you'll
find that the cat-burglars pass you by in search of easier pickin's at the
house next door.

Simply _having_ encryption, at all ... _having_ a firewall, at all ... using
a non-Administrative userid ... turning off unrestricted use of Java ...
all of these things serve to "close your doors and lock your windows."
It's not hard to secure a system against a cat-burglar.

Yet people do stupid things. "How convenient" to use wireless in
Starbuck's! "How convenient" to use it at a truck-stop. "How convenient"
to wireless your office on floor-2 of the building, forgetting that a
competitor has an office on floor-4. They never spend the slightest bit of
time asking, "what if?" No wonder they get attacked. Leave your pants
down and /somebody/ is gonna come along and kick it...