wifi | Jason Palmer, CPA, CITP

Hurricane Tech – Make your Smartphone a WiFi Hot Spot with Tethering

January 1, 2013 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

When the Power is out, if you do not have a Generator, access to the Internet through your home or office Wired or WiFi Router will be out as well. Fortunately, Smartphones and many WiFi capable devices such as iPad’s, eReader’s, and Notebook Computers can run on Battery Power when Electrical Power is not available.

A technology called “Tethering” allows many Smartphones to share their Internet data connection capability through the embedded WiFi in the Smartphone. This enables the Smartphone to become a mobile Hot Spot, similar to a MiFi so that any other WiFi enabled device, like your WiFi only iPad, eReader, or Notebook Computer can access the Internet through your Smartphone.

(For more details on mobile data Internet connections, see my article “Mobile Communications Technology Overview”.)

In many cases the Cellular Carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint charge an extra monthly fee for the Tethering capability and a separate Data Plan for the additional usage. This is especially true if your phone has a grandfathered “Unlimited Data Plan.” Verizon requires Unlimited Data Plan users to have a separate data plan for Tethering. With the new Verizon Share Everything Plans, the Data usage and Tethering capability are included and you only pay for the Data you use across all of the devices on your Share Everything Plan. With other Carriers you may still be required to pay an extra fee for the Tethering capability of your Smartphone.

However, every rule has its’ exceptions. With certain Smartphones based on the Android mobile operating system, (that would be most phones that are NOT iPhones, Windows based, or Blackberry’s), “unofficially” no additional fee is required. At Verizon, it is official, based on the FCC Tethering consent decree in July 2012. You need only to browse the Google Play Store, searching on the word, “Tethering” to download an “App” that can turn the Tethering Feature “On” for you.

To clarify: If you have either a 3G or 4G Tiered Data (like the Verizon Share Everything Plan or AT&T Mobile Share Plan), you can download any number of 3^rd Party Apps which will enable your Android to Tether and become Mobile Hot Spot. Unlimited Data Plan Users technically still need to pay Verizon or AT&T a Tethering Fee and have a separate data plan. You should call your Cellular Carrier to verify the usage terms of your Agreement.

Be advised that right now some of the Carriers seem to be ignoring this grey area of the usage policy but that is subject to change. Keep in mind that the Carrier will absolutely know if you are sharing your Smartphone Data capability using Tethering – so you have been warned. It is possible that you could get a call or letter from your mobile phone Carrier stating that you need to pay an additional fee or purchase an additional data plan.

A Special Note for iPhone Users: If your iPhone supports Tethering, (IOS 4 or later), you may need to use either the USB Charging Cable or pair the Notebook Computer with your iPhone via Bluetooth to use the Internet capability of your phone with your Notebook Computer. If you have an iPhone5, then you can definitely Tether via WiFi as described above. IOS 6 has a built-in App for turning the iPhone5 in to a Mobile Hot Spot. (Apple prefers to call it a “Personal Hot Spot.”) If you use the native Apple IOS 6 App, you will definitely need either one of the NEW Mobile Share Plans from AT&T or the one of the NEW Share Everything Plans from Verizon or similar plan from your Carrier.

Securing the Home Network – Guest Wi-Fi® Networks

October 2, 2012 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

The newest Wi-Fi® Routers support both a Primary “Private” and a Secondary “Guest” Wi-Fi® network. This allows you to have two separate SSID’s, (the names of your Wi-Fi® networks), at the same time. Specifically, the Primary Private Wi-Fi® network would be for your exclusive use and connect all of your Wi-Fi® or Wired Home Computers, Printers; Cell Phones, Tablets, Gaming Computers and Internet enabled devices like Blu-Ray Players and Internet enable Flat Panel TV Sets to each other and the Internet.

The Secondary Guest Wi-Fi® network would connect visiting Internet enabled devices, like Tablets, Notebook Computers, Smartphones, and Gaming Computers ONLY to the Internet. After all, you have no idea where those Internet enabled devices have been nor can you be sure they have been practicing “Safe Computing” with proper Antivirus and Firewall software installed.

Guests are given a different SSID and password to access the alternate, dedicated Wi-Fi® “Internet Only Access” network in your home. You may be wondering, “If it is a Guest Wi-Fi® network, why do I need to set a password at all?” Answer: You do not want to be providing “Free” Internet access to your neighbors and more specifically, anyone who just happens to be passing by.

If you already have a Wi-Fi® Router installed and it does not support both Primary Private and Secondary Guest networks, you have two options: upgrade your Router or purchase an Access Point. The advantage of purchasing a new Wi-Fi® Router that supports both Primary and a Secondary network is that most likely it will also be Dual Band. This means that it operates at both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz spectrums. (See my article on “Understanding the Wi-Fi® 802.11 Network Standard” for more details.) The 5Ghz spectrum is less crowded and may give you better Wi-Fi® performance in your home.

If you purchase an Access Point to create a Secondary Guest Wi-Fi® network, most support the option to configure in “AP Isolation Mode.” This means that Wi-Fi® connected devices cannot see other Wi-Fi® connected devices on the same Wi-Fi® (SSID) network but they can see all of the devices on the Wired network. For example, with AP Isolation Mode enabled, two Wi-Fi® connected Notebook computers will not see or be able to connect to each other to share files but both would be able to see a Printer physically connected with an Ethernet (wired) cable to the Network Router. If every device in your home is connected via Wi-Fi® to your Primary Private Wi-Fi® network, then adding an Access Point is a good solution to create a Secondary Guest Wi-Fi® network.

If you have devices in your home attached to your Primary Private Wi-Fi® Network and you also have devices connected via Ethernet (wired) cables, then you need to configure the specific physical Ethernet port that your Guest Access Point is connected to on the Local Area Network side of the Router to only connect to the Internet/Wide Area Network of the Router. This completely isolates Guest Wi-Fi® connections through the Access Point exclusively to the Internet. Otherwise, your Guests will be able to see any device that is connected via an Ethernet (wired) cable to your network.

Securing the Home Network – Wi-Fi® Security

October 1, 2012 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

Most Cable and Phone Company Internet providers are installing Routers with Wi-Fi® capability. Unfortunately, not all Carriers take Wireless Security seriously. Many early Carrier Wi-Fi® Router installations did not set any network security at all. To be fair, many early Wi-Fi® enabled Computers did not properly support the newly defined security methods so it was easier to just leave the Security Features off. Modern day Internet Enabled devices no longer have these issues so you should make sure that your Wi-Fi® Router has its’ Security Features enabled.

Public Wi-Fi® HotSpots are great and extremely convenient. Your Home or Office should not be one as this could allow anyone who connects to your Wi-Fi® network to potentially access your computers and their files without your knowledge or permission.

The best and easiest way to secure your Wireless Router’s Wi-Fi® network capability is to set strong and complex password [See my article on “A Complex Password may not be a Strong Password”] and to select the highest grade of encryption supported. For most modern day Wi-Fi® Routers, that is WPA2 or WPA encryption. Older Wi-Fi® Routers may only support WEP Encryption, which is sub-optimal as any determined hacker can break the encryption fairly quickly using readily available tools found on the Internet.

An important security tip is to make sure that the SSID, (the name of your Wi-Fi® network), does not personally identify your home or small office. Try to select a name that completely not associated with your family, likes, favorite vacation spots or anything else that might identify your Wi-Fi® network to someone who might be trying to locate and access your network without authorization.

The logic is simple: If the hacker cannot see or find you, it makes it that much more difficult to compromise your network. Instead of selecting an SSID name like “Palmer-Home” select something for like “Butterfly.” Someone passing by and scanning for Wi-Fi® Routers broadcasting SSID’s would have no reason to believe that the Wi-Fi® network named, “Butterfly” is associated with me. (And neither does anyone reading this article at that is not an SSID that I use.)

An even more secure option is to turn off the broadcasting of the SSID completely. To a user “Scanning for Wi-Fi® Networks”, your network will be invisible. Anyone who wants to connect to your Wi-Fi® network will need to explicitly enter the SSID Network Name and Security Key provided by you.

Wi-Fi® Wireless Range Extenders – Expanding the Wireless Coverage Area

July 21, 2012 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

A Wi-Fi® Wireless Range Extender expands the coverage area of a wireless network by repeating the signal from another Wireless Router or Access Point.

Wi-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.

Using a Wireless Access Point with a hard wired connection is the preferred and more reliable method of adding additional Wi-Fi® coverage. If data network cabling is not available and Powerline Ethernet adapters do not work due to electrical interference, the Wireless Range Extender is the answer. (For more information on Powerline Ethernet, see my article, “Powerline Ethernet – The Infrastructure in your Walls” and for Wireless Access Points, my article, “Wi-Fi® – Wireless Router vs. Wireless Access Point.”)

Configuring a Wireless Range Extender is exceptionally easy:

Use the Ethernet Cable provided (or any available Ethernet cable) and plug one end in to your computer and the other end directly in to the Ethernet Jack on the Wireless Range Extender;
Use any web browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, FireFox, Safari, or Chrome) to visit the special web page address in the instructions;
Select the EXISTING Wireless Network Name you want to EXTEND;
Enter in the security key/password for your EXISTING wireless network;
Name the Wireless Range Extender. (This needs to be a DIFFERENT name from your existing wireless network and is the name you will see in your “available wireless networks” name list when looking to connect from your wireless device, (i.e. iPad, Smartphone, Internet enabled TV.)
Enter in either the same or a new security key/password for the NEW Wireless Range Extender Network that you just created.
After the Wireless Range Extender resets, unplug the Ethernet cable, and move the Wireless Range Extender to a distance of about half to three-quarters of the coverage area from your EXISTING Wireless Router or Access Point.

When the Wireless Range Extender powers up in its’ new location, use any wireless enabled device to look for the NEW network name in the list of “available wireless networks.” Select the NEW network name from the list and enter in the security key/password and you should now be connected to the Internet.

Exact placement of the Wireless Range Extender is a matter of trial and error as many factors affect the quality and range of the Wi-Fi® signal from your primary Wireless Router or Access Point. If you find that the Wireless Range Extender network “appears then disappears” from your list of available wireless networks in its’ initial location, then the Wireless Range Extender must be moved closer to the primary Wireless Router or Access Point until the coverage/signal is solid and reliable. Usually the Wireless Range Extender has a series of colored lights that indicate the quality of the Wi-Fi® signal being received from the primary Wireless Router or Access Point which will help in determining the best placement location.

Wireless Range Extenders are available in single (2.4Ghz) and dual band (2.4Ghz/5Ghz) models. Purchase a Wireless Range Extender that matches the bands available on your Wireless Router or Access Point. The Wireless Range Extender can only extend the range of an existing signal. If your Wireless Router or Access Point does not provide a 5Ghz signal, then there is nothing available for the Wireless Range Extender to repeat and extend. There is no harm in purchasing a dual band Wireless Range Extender and leaving the 5Ghz repeater function turned off. The advantage of a dual band unit is that when and if you upgrade the Primary Wireless Router or Access Point to dual band (2.4Ghz/5Ghz), the Range Extender will already be in place to support the 5Ghz band. (For an explanation of 802.11 standards and the 2.4Ghz/5Ghz bands, see my article, “Understanding the WiFi 802.11 Network Standard.”

Here are links to Popular Wireless Range Extenders:

Belkin Range Extenders

D-Link Range Extenders

Linksys by Cisco Range Extenders

Netgear Range Extenders

Wi-Fi® – Wireless Router vs. Wireless Access Point

July 20, 2012 By Jason Palmer 2 Comments

Wi-Fi® Routers act as a gateway and translate one external Internet IP address to many private internal IP addresses, one for each Wi-Fi® device. Access Points act as a bridge and add wireless Wi-Fi® capability to a wired network.

When obtaining Broadband High Speed Internet access (Cable, xDSL, or FiOS) for your home or office, the Internet Service Provider (ISP) may give you the option of either a Broadband Modem or a combination Broadband Modem and Router with or without Wi-Fi® capability.

A Broadband Modem takes the broadband data signal from the Cable, xDSL, or FiOS and translates it in to Ethernet, which is the data signal format compatible with a computer. It provides a single IP address. (Internet Protocol Address – think of it as unique phone number for your computer so the Internet can call you back after you call it.) This is perfectly fine if there is only one computer device that needs Internet Access.

If the ISP give you a Broadband Modem, then to share the single IP address with multiple devices in your home or office, you need to use a Router with or without Wi-Fi® capability. With the number of devices supporting Wi-Fi® such as Internet enabled TV’s, Blu-Ray players, Smartphones, Tablet computers, notebook computers, appliances, and Smartphones throughout the home, Wi-Fi® is no longer an optional luxery, it is now a necessity.

Most ISP’s are providing a combination Broadband Modem with Router functionality and Wi-Fi® as standard issue equipment included.

This is great except the placement of the ISP provided combination Wi-Fi® Router/Modem may not be optimal for full Wi-Fi® throughout your home or office. The solution is the addition of a Wireless Access Point (WAP) to the network. A Wireless Access Point is usually connected to the Router through one of the wired ports via specialized data network cable meeting a standard known as Category 5e or Category 6. The Wireless Access Point is located in another part of the home or office away from the Wi-Fi® Router/Modem and acts as an additional transmitter of the Wi-Fi® signal.

If the home does not have any data network wiring available to provide a hard wire connection to the Wireless Access Point, then you can use Powerline Ethernet Adapters, which use the existing electrical wiring to connect the Router to the Access Point. See my related post, “Powerline Ethernet – The Infrastructure in your Walls.”

The important point to remember is to only have one Router in the network, wired or Wi-Fi® enabled, to act as the gateway between the Internet and your home/office network. If you need to add or extend wireless Wi-Fi® capability to other parts of the home or office, use a wired connection or Powerline Ethernet Adapter to one or many additional Wireless Access Points.

Configuration Note: It is best to give the Wi-Fi® enabled Router and each Wi-Fi® Wireless Access Point its’ own “network name.” I suggest that you name each wireless network based on the location in the home. Use names like “Second Floor”, “Main Floor”, and “Basement”, as applicable. If you try to name all of the wireless networks with the same name, the signals will overlap and collide as well as confuse the devices trying to attach. It is also important to select different Wi-Fi® channels (1 to 11) or select the “auto channel selection” option during configuration and the Wi-Fi® Router and WAP’s will select different channels that do not overlap.

Security Note: NEVER use any personally identifiable information as the name of your Wi-Fi® Wireless network name. Since these names are usually broadcast so that the wireless device can see the network name in the “list of available wireless networks”, this would be advertising to anyone passing within range of the signal that it is your network. Telling him or her that this is “Jason’s Network,” is the same as telling the criminal where you live.

Finally, it is critical that each wireless network be encrypted with a reasonably strong password which is used and stored with your Wi-Fi® enabled device for access to the network. This helps keep your data private and secure.

Here are links to popular Wireless Access Points:

Netgear Wireless Access Points, click here.

Linksys Wireless Access Points (Bridges), click here.

Dlink Access Points, click here.

Understanding the Wi-Fi® 802.11 Network Standard

July 19, 2012 By Jason Palmer 1 Comment

But the Wi-Fi® 802.11 network standard comes in many flavors – 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 801.11n. The key difference is the maximum speed at which data can be transmitted under optimal conditions as well as the frequency of the radio waves, 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz.

Most Wi-Fi® Routers (acts as a gateway and translates one external Internet IP address to many private internal IP addresses for each Wi-Fi® device) and Access Points (acts as a bridge and adds wireless Wi-Fi® capability to a wired network) are 100% backward compatible. They support the highest speed of 802.11n which operates at up to 150Mbit/s, to 802.11g (54Mbits/s) down to the slowest speed 802.11b (11Mbits/s) and operate at 2.4Ghz. Almost every modern Wi-Fi® certified device, such a Smartphones, Blu-Ray players, Internet Enabled TV’s, Tablet Computers, and Internet Radio’s support at least 802.11g with the newest devices supporting the current standard of 802.11n.

When shopping for a Wi-Fi® Router or Access point, look for the 802.11n standard. When reviewing the number of products available, you may see those that claim greater than the standard indoor range of up to 230 feet. The manufacturers are able to accomplish this by using a technology called MIMO (pronounced my-moh) which stands for “multiple input and multiple output.” In simple terms, the manufacturers add more antennas to transmit and receive the wireless data signal. This improves the efficiency and reliability of the Wi-Fi® data signal between the Router/Access Point and the Wi-Fi® enabled device.

Within reason, the claims of greater distance and better coverage are accurate. A Router/Access Point that has three antennas is better than one with two antennas. More antennas mean better coverage and range.

802.11a supports up to 54Mbit/s like 802.11g but offers the advantage of operating in the 5Ghz frequency range which is significantly less crowded than the 2.4Ghz range. The 2.4Ghz frequency is used by a number of devices including microwave ovens, baby monitors, cordless phones, remote controls, TV’s, Blu-Ray Players, Notebooks Computers, and is the most popular hence the crowding.

Although less crowded, the one disadvantage of 802.11a is that the higher frequency 5Ghz signal uses a shorter wavelength which is more easily absorbed by walls and other solid objects. 802.11a works best in wide open areas with line of sight between the Router/Access Point and the device you want to connect.

Some manufacturers offer the best of both worlds: Wi-Fi® Routers and Access Points that support both 802.11a and 802.11n/g/b operating simultaneously on both the 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz frequencies. The Router/Access Point creates two separate Wi-Fi® networks: one at each frequency. The particular device you are trying to connect will figure out which frequency/ Wi-Fi® network it supports and use the best signal available to the Router or Access Point.

Note: It seems contradictory but in some cases Wi-Fi® operating at the 802.11b standard of 11Mbits/s with the ability to drop down to 5Mbits/s or even 1Mbits/s may have a greater effective range than the longer range 802.11g at 54Mbits/s. This is because the slower speeds are subject to less interference.

Less expensive Routers and Access Points may only support the 802.11b/g standards but provide a value priced alternative. They also offer the greatest level of compatibility for both old and new Wi-Fi® devices. If you have devices that support 802.11n, then make sure to purchase a Router or Access Point that supports 802.11n to get the maximum benefit of the newer standard.

In short, the more expensive the Router or Access Point, the better the feature set and the more configuration options available for the best possible Wi-Fi® experience.

Is your Wireless Router not going the Distance?

July 17, 2012 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

Are 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.