Jason Palmer, CPA, CITP

Cyber Insurance Auditing

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Powerline Ethernet – The Infrastructure in your Walls

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Powerline Ethernet

Powerline Ethernet

Powerline Ethernet uses the existing electrical wiring in your home or office along with special adapters to connect your computers to the data network and Internet router.

Powerline Ethernet adapters convert and transmit the data signal by using a different frequency then the one used by the electrical current.  The concept is similar to how dozens of radio stations transmit signals at the same time in the same city and yet your FM tuner can pick them out of “thin air” so you just get the one frequency you selected.

The key advantage of Powerline Ethernet is that there is usually an electrical outlet in every room and on every floor and they are all connected through the same Electrical Circuit Panel in your home or office.  Many homes were built decades ago and were not hard wired for computer network connections.  Older construction techniques that used Plaster have mesh in the walls that acts like a shield blocking WiFi signals between rooms.  If rewiring your home or office with computer grade network cable is not an option, and the WiFi signals cannot penetrate the walls, Powerline Ethernet may just save the day.

One problem with Powerline Ethernet is the way the technology works.  In the United States, homes tend to be wired in what is called “Split Phase.”  Electricity enters at 240v and splits in to two 120v legs.  In short, the rooms you want to connect may be on different 120v legs and therefore Powerline Ethernet speeds can be a little slower than if both outlets in the two separate rooms were on the same 120v leg.  In most cases, even rooms on different 120v legs can still connect but in extreme cases, special jumpers need to be installed at the Electrical Panel to help the signals cross between the 120v legs.

Powerline Ethernet networking can achieve speeds of up to 500Mbps under perfect conditions or as low as around 50Mbps.  All of these speeds are sufficient for browsing the Internet and even streaming music or videos.  Realize the average broadband download speed is between 5Mbps and 30Mbps so even the slowest Powerline Ethernet connection is adequate.  These slower speeds may not be optimal for local area networking for data intensive business applications on an Office File Server where the minimum acceptable speed is usually 100Mbps and the current standard is 1Gbps but it is better than no connectivity at all.

I use Powerline Ethernet as connectivity of last resort in Apartments were the WiFi signals will not penetrate the walls even between two side by side rooms or the range of the WiFi signal is significantly degraded by interference.  Another issue especially in Apartment Buildings is lack of signal separation.  If the twenty nearest apartments within 1500 feet all have WiFi and there are only eleven available WiFi channels, there will be overlap.  The laws of physics state that two objects cannot occupy the same space and the same is true of WiFi channels.

Here is a real world example:  I was in a large hi-rise Apartment building in New York City and the Time Warner UBEE combination cable modem and wireless (WiFi) Router signal could not get between the bedroom and the living room.  I plugged in two Powerline Ethernet Adapters, one in each room and within five minutes I had a rock solid wired Ethernet connection using the Electrical wiring to transport the data signals.  In this case, I put a Wireless Access Point (converts a wired to a wireless data signal) in the living room but I could have just as easily put a multi-port network switch for wired connections to share the Internet connection to the TV, Blu-Ray player, and Sirius Radio.

Remember, Powerline Ethernet allows you to use the electrical copper infrastructure in your walls to build out a data network of last resort when traditional wired and WiFi network solutions are not an option.

For more information on Powerline Etherner, visit:

Home Plug Alliance
http://www.homeplug.org/tech

Here are some Powerline Ethernet Options:

Actiontec – 500Mbps Powerline Network Adapter Kit
http://www.actiontec.com/products/product.php?pid=265

Belkin Powerline Solutions
http://www.belkin.com/networking/powerline

D-Link Amplifi Powerline Products
http://amplifi.dlink.com/Amplifi_PowerLine

Netgear Powerline Products
http://www.netgear.com/home/products/powerline-and-coax

Is your Wireless Router not going the Distance?

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Linksys Wireless RouterAre you having problems with your Wireless Router and access to the Internet?  Do you find that wireless (WiFi) coverage in your home or apartment is not what it used to be?  Do file or movie downloads and general web browsing just seem to take longer?  If so, then it may be time to replace your Wireless Router with a new one.

With the reduction in cost comes a general reduction in quality and longevity.  Wireless and Wired Routers tend to get placed in dusty closets, under desks, or on shelves.  The combination of lack of ventilation and heat bakes the internal components and weakens them to the point where they start to degrade and eventually fail.

There is a reason the manufacturers only provide a one or two year warranty as that is the expected lifespan.  Even if your Internet connection and Wireless connectivity continue to work, once you start to see performance issues, you should think about replacing or upgrading your Wireless or Wired Router.

Another telltale sign of heat taking its’ toll is to look at the case of the Router and see if the color of the plastic has started to change to yellow or brown. Using your nose, do you smell a burnt smell near the vent holes?  If so, you are seeing and smelling the effects of the heat baking your Router.

If your Wireless Router uses 802.11b or 802.11g, which is usually marked right on the case, you are using an older wireless communication standard with both slower speeds and a shorter range.  The current standard is 802.11n and many manufacturers have incorporated a series of enhancements in the antenna technology to improve the range and performance beyond the standard.

If your Wireless Router is more than two years old and not using the 802.11n standard, it may not be going the distance and it is time to replace it with current generation technology.

Mobile Communications Technology Overview

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Wi-Fi(r) LogoWi-Fi® – Is a certification mark developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to indicate that wireless local area network (WLAN) products are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) 802.11 standards. Wi-Fi® has become somewhat misappropriated to refer to all wireless local area network technologies in the same way as Kleenex® is used to erroneously refer to all facial tissue or Xerox® is used to refer to the process of copying documents. Unless specifically referring to a device bearing some form of the Wi-Fi® mark, the correct generic term is “Wireless LAN” (WLAN) or “Wireless Connectivity.” For those of you that are old enough, “The Wireless” was the newfangled term for the Radio or any form of Radio Transmission Broadcast and Receiver.

In the same manner, in order to connect a wireless local area network enabled device (i.e. notebook computer with WLAN card) to a wired local area network, there needs to be a Wireless Access Point (WAP).  A Wireless Access Point simply adds a wireless antenna to a wired local area network and electronically transforms the connection from wired to wireless while maintaining all other characteristics of the network configuration.

Conversely, if no wired local area network exists, a Wireless Router can connect directly to an Internet Modem (i.e. Cable Modem or xDSL Modem) and translate as well as “route” (think play traffic cop) between the single connection provided by the Internet Service Provider (i.e. Verizon xDSL, FiOS, Time Warner Cable, Cox Cable, Cablevision, Etc.) and the multiple Wireless Enabled Devices in your office or home. (i.e. Again any WLAN card enabled computer, digital video recorder like Tivo®, Blu- Ray DVD player, XBox® gaming device or Wi-Fi® enabled Cell phone.) Note: A “Wired Router” does exactly the same thing as a wireless enabled router except that it uses RJ-45 Ethernet cables to make the connections between all devices instead of relying on Wireless technology. Some Routers offer both “Wired” and “Wireless” connectivity options.

McDonalds-Free-WiFiMany commercial establishments and public spaces offer free Wi-Fi® a.k.a. HotSpot Wireless LAN connectivity as a courtesy. These include transportation centers, parks, restaurants, rest stops, hotels, and shopping malls. In the past many establishments charged for WLAN access but now provide it free of charge as an incentive to visit their locations. Virtually all of these public HotSpots require the user to accept a “terms of use” agreement which in short generally states that the WLAN Service is offered as a convenience on a where-is, as-is basis with zero liability to the provider and a pledge by the user to only use the service for lawful purposes. These are what are known as “click-through” agreements that usually require one to enter their name, possibly email address, and click, “I accept.” The provider may capture the IP Address and/or Media Access Control (MAC) address of the device being used to access their network. The MAC address is like a social security number for any network enabled device – no two units should have the same one.

It is important to understand that these are PUBLIC, insecure networks that place your computer, smart- phone, or tablet computer directly on the Internet with no front door security or Firewall of any kind. For any kind of notebook or desktop computer that will be connected via a PUBLIC HotSpot (or directly connected to a cable or xDSL modem without a Router in place), it is imperative that the Firewall feature of the respective operating system be “turned on and active.” Both Windows and Apple computers include basic Firewall capabilities as part of their operating system software.

As most Tablet computers and Smart-Phones do not contain any significant amount of stored sensitive data, but are viewed primarily as “consumption only” devices, they are less of a target by hackers – people that want to illegally obtain data from these devices. This is slowly changing and Firewall applications are being developed for these platforms to protect them.

Verizon V740 Express CardCellular Data Cards and devices that have Embedded Cellular Data Card technology also provide “Wireless” Internet connectivity except they use a different technology based on predominantly CDMA EV-DO (Code Division Multiple Access – Evolution Data Optimized) or EDGE-GSM (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM – Global System for Mobile Communications) which are generally referred to as “3G” (Third Generation) technologies or LTE (Long Term Evolution) and HSPA+ (Evolved High-Speed Packet Access) which are generally referred to as “4G.” (4th Generation). These devices connect directly to the major US Cellular Carrier data networks as available from Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T, TMobile, MetroPCS, and Virgin Mobile. In terms of functionality, they are exactly like a cell phone that carries voice communications, except they carry packets of data instead – with all of the same benefits and pitfalls. A strong signal, i.e. more “bars” will provide better throughput of data. No “bars” means no signal, and therefore, no cellular data service. These devices usually provide access for the one specific device to which they are attached or embedded. In some cases, a computer which has an attached Cellular Data Card can be transformed in to a Wireless Cellular Data Router so that other Wireless LAN (WLAN) enabled devices can “share” the Cellular Data Internet Connection provided by the host device.

Verizon MiFi 4620LA MiFi® refers specifically to a line of wireless routers manufactured by Novatel Wireless, rebranded by the major Cellular Carriers (Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T) that contain embedded cellular data card technology and allow for multiple, usually up to five maximum, WiFi® (Wireless LAN enabled) devices to connect to the Internet. The more generic term is “Cellular Data HotSpot.” Similar cellular enabled wireless routers have started to appear from other manufacturers. These devices can be 3G or 4G and speeds vary with the specific cellular data coverage available in a given area by the Cellular Carrier.

Smart-Phones have embedded cellular data card technology separate and apart from their ability to be used as regular cellular phones. In most cases, the data plan to enable Internet access for the Smart- Phone is an additional charge above and beyond the voice minutes plan. Some Smart-Phones have the capability to act as a “Cellular Data Hotspot” in a manner exactly as described above with the same five Wireless LAN (WLAN) enabled device connection limit. The other significant limitation is that the Carrier does NOT provide any additional data allowance for the additional fee. Any WLAN devices just deplete the monthly data allowance more quickly.

References for more information:
Wi-Fi® Standard – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi® Alliance – http://www.wi-fi.org
MiFi® Standard – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mifi
Novatel MiFi®  – http://www.nvtl.com/
Cellular Data Standards:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wireless_data_standards

Cellular Data Card Carrier Sites:
Verizon Wireless – http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/explore/?page=mobile-hotspots
Sprint – http://ria.sprint.com/ria/pages/index.jsp?ms=4G&INTNA V=A TG:HE:4G#!/devices/mifi
AT&T – http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/netbooks.jsp
Virgin Mobile – http://www.virginmobileusa.com/mobile-broadband/mifi-2200.html

World IPv6 Launch – Are you Ready?

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IPv6 Ready Logo - Phase 2The Internet Society, World IPv6 Launch, set today, June 6th, 2012 as the official start date that  Internet service providers (ISPs), equipment manufacturers, and web site managers need  prepare and enable Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) on their products and services as Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) address space runs out.

To test if your Internet Connection is IPv6 Ready and for more information, visit this site:  Test-IPv6.com