Tech Tattle

By Ahmed ElAmin

I am going Wi-Fi at home and that?s a major task. But at the end I will be able to roam at home.To be more technical I?m actually creating what?s called a wireless LAN (local area network), referring to internal use of the technology by businesses and home users.

When I have finished the installation I will have completed the domestic version of a telecommunications revolution that?s sweeping the world. Wireless technology will soon become the way we receive our Internet, television, telephone and data communications.

WLAN is a wireless local area network that uses radio waves as its carrier. Wireless provides the last link between users, giving an instant network connection to all in the surrounding area.

Areas may range from a single room to a university campus. The Internet connection may arrive via wires. One or more access points will connect the wirednetwork to the wireless users to the wired network. Wi-Fi refers to connections based entirely on wireless means. The Internet connection is made via a node outside a building.

Both forms of the wireless technology are now primarily based on versions of the international 802 family of protocols.

Various countries, including Bermuda, have all established Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) networks tocompete with landlines. But so far the uptake has only interested businesses and early adopters (the tech nutters).

Recent advances in the technology, such as the development of the 802 standard, video compression and increased bandwidth for traditional voice services could change how we manage our communications in a major way, according to a recent report by Deloitteand Touche.

And the decreasing cost of WLAN or Wi-Fi technology has made it an affordable alternative for home users who do not want to deal with extra cabling. For parents the use of one PC as the hub allows them to control when their children use the shared Internet connection.

Setting up a home network, even if you still receive your Internet through your regular landline, is a means of understanding the technology. It will also open up your choices of where you want to put your computer.

All you really need to do is to go into your friendly neighbourhood computer dealer and buy the equipment. You will need a router for the network and either a computer with built-in wireless networking support, or a wireless network adapter.

Do not confuse a wireless router with a wireless access point device. Make sure the router uses the 802.11g standard, which is backwards compatible with previous Wi-Fi versions.

The router plugs into your normal modem and converts the signals from the Internet connection into wireless signals. It then sends the signals out through the home, where they can be received by the wireless network adapters.

You will then have to load the software that came with your router or cards. In some cases Windows XP will do all the work for you in recognising the new hardware. Be aware that walls and other equipment can limit the reach of your wireless connection so you might spendmore time than you originally thought. But the initial headache is worth the gain.

For an excellent step-by-step guide on setting up a wireless network in your home I refer you to Tony Northrup?s article on the subject at the Microsoftsite. It is located at: www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/wirelesssetup.mspx.

@EDITRULE:

Get ready for the race for the ?.eu? domain name suffix. Finally, after seven years in preparation, the race is expected to begin this October. With that kind of delay no wonder the EU is so far behind the US in Internet activity and technological research and development you say. Right I say. I have been following the evolution of dot ?eu? for the past three years in this column mainly because I feel it is important for Bermudian companies with afoothold on the continent or who plan to have operations there.

An ?.eu? domain will save the cost of registering in all of the bloc?s 25 member countries and we can all imagine what a nightmare that can be.

The ?.eu? suffix will be available first to companies with registered national and EU trademarks, public bodies and those with rights acquired by use, according to a Times newspaper exclusive.The European Commission has appointed about 200 registrars to allocate the new domain name. EURid will operate as the ?.eu? registry.

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