Building Networks

MIS, remote desktop setup, wireless encryption & intruder detection. For the techie-depraved individual, these words would probably sound complicated, nonsense even. But for a player in the industry that offers business IT services, these words bring profit. (Yes, profit.) If one is running a computer café providing Internet services, then you should know the topic at hand. For simple networking---wireless or otherwise, you need not have to hire professional computer services to link your PCs to other PCs or to the Internet.
Going wireless isn’t solely for aesthetics, it is for convenience. All you have to know are the basics. With that said, let’s start building our own computer networks---without wires. First stop, home connection defined. Said connection is produced when two or more PCs and a telephone line are properly linked together. This setup will allow you to share files, peripherals and a single Internet connection between and among your PCs.
These are the things that you’ll need: an Internet connection (preferably DSL or Cable), wireless router and wireless network cards. If your laptop already has built-in wireless capabilities, you need not purchase the third one. Now to elaborate each item. Internet Connection. This may be either DSL or cable. However, one may use dial-up modem but this is very slow (believe me, it’s s-l-o-w). The first two provide high-speed Internet access. With these in the market, the dial-up modem will prove to be ancient, anciently sluggish. Second would be the wireless router. Purchase a router that fits your preferred wireless signal. This device works in the same manner as that of the (hardwired) router, which determines the next network point to which a packet or data should be forwarded toward its destination. The cards are needed for the computer to pick up the signal. Though, as I’ve mentioned earlier, buying would depend on the requirement of the PC itself. If your laptop or PC has a wireless card built-in, you need not do the purchase.
With your wireless components, what you need to do is connect the router to the Ethernet cable and configure it together with the PCs and peripherals. The router should automatically transmit the signal from the wireless. If the modem is working, the Internet should too. When properly installed, one can create a network where all PCs and laptops can access a single broadband connection.
Now, let’s go to the serious part, securing your wireless network. I don’t like intruders, and I think that majority of the techie people feel the same way. First advice, don’t use the word password as your password. Immediately change your default passwords, to secure your wireless router. Another is to turn on the WEP encryption, or better yet, WPA. The former stands for Wired Equivalency Privacy while the latter Wi-Fi Protected Access. Between the two, I would opt for the WPA. WEP can be easily cracked. Though I’m not saying that WPA offers perfect encryption (there is always the possibility that an intruder will break your security)---it has some flaws but it sure beats WEP. Don’t forget to read the documents included in your hardware purchase regarding the configurations and settings.
These pieces of advice are ideal for a residential setting. For a business, I think that professional help is required. One cannot leave important files and documents in the open. A respected establishment will not be settling for mediocre security among the dozens of network management services. There are a lot of companies offering computer management services, you just need to know what you’re looking for.