How to guide - Install it

A wireless LAN-enabled client is a notebook computer, Tablet PC, printer, handheld, or any other device capable of communicating over a wireless LAN. Wireless-enabled devices come in two types: those that are built with embedded wireless networking functionality and those that can be modified to work on a wireless network. The majority of HP notebook PCs, Tablet PCs, PDAs, printers and other devices have wireless functionality built in.

Devices that aren't already wireless-enabled can quickly be made so with the simple addition of a wireless LAN card. A wireless LAN card is a PC card for a notebook computer, or PC card and a PCI adapter, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device for your desktop computer. Printers and PDAs use similar cards for their wireless communications.

Wireless access points connect your wireless LANs to your fixed LAN. These points aggregate wireless radio signals and then connect the two LANs. The access point is generally book-sized. It contains a radio transceiver, communications and encryption software, and an Ethernet port for a cable connection to a hub or switch on the wired LAN.

The radio transceiver built into the access point negotiates a connection between the end user and the wired LAN, hooking the user up to the LAN in the same way a cable would. The greater the distance from the computer to the access point, the poorer the signal and the slower the connection. Because of this limitation, large offices often deploy several access points with overlapping ranges. In an open-space environment free of obstruction, access points can be as much as 300 feet apart. Where walls and ceilings jut out, 50 feet is the recommended maximum range.

Your wish list should include wireless-enabled devices such as wireless notebooks, access points, wireless LAN adapters, and wireless cards. The quantity of equipment you buy will depend on the number of users you have.

Next, you will need to determine where to install access points. Ideally, you would want a professional to do this, since they could design a network that would give you maximum range within your building. However, it is very easy to do it yourself as well.

You probably want to install your access point in a central location because there is a limited wireless sphere around it in which wireless devices can access the LAN. You also want to make sure that the access point is installed in as open an environment as possible, so that there are few obstacles between the access point and usage points. This maximises the access point's wireless range.

To install the access point simply plug in an Ethernet cable that is connected to the wired LAN and use the software that ships with the access point to assign a network name and an encryption key.

Once you buy and configure all of your equipment, you should test your new wireless setup. A good test would not be unlike a rehearsal for a play. With several users and devices, work up a realistic scenario for an exchange of data on the wireless LAN. Using link test software provided by such vendors as Agilent Technologies, you should test for the percent of data sent correctly, the time it takes to receive a response from the destination device, and the strength of the transmitted signal.

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