Wireless networking under XP

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jeff Malka
  • Start date Start date
J

Jeff Malka

This may be a dumb question, but I am a relative novice.

I just bought a laptop running XP Home with a built in wireless card. I
would like to network it with my desktop also running XP Home which has a
10/100 card but not a wireless card.

1. What additional equipment do I need to purchase?
2. How to I make a wireless network safe so that the rest of the world
driving by does not join in?

Thanks.
 
I just bought a laptop running XP Home with a built in wireless card. I
would like to network it with my desktop also running XP Home which has a
10/100 card but not a wireless card.

1. What additional equipment do I need to purchase?
2. How to I make a wireless network safe so that the rest of the world
driving by does not join in?

Jeff:

Buy a wireless router.
Plug the desktop into one of the router's LAN ports via RJ45 cable.
The WiFi portable will connect to the AP within the wireless router.

Security:
Set the wireless router for:
(not all WiFi routers support all of these)
128 bit WEP.
Custom SSID.
Custom mgmt s/w access user name and password.
Block all protocol access to the mgmt s/w from the WAN side.
ACL control.
Closed wireless system.

Change your WEP keys once each week.
Download NetStumbler and check for neighbors that may be using WiFi:
http://www.netstumbler.com/

BTW, I use the Orinoco BG 2000 unit, and IMO it is excellent.

Also, good NG for WiFi: alt.internet.wireless
 
I haven't used that mode much so I'm not sure about the security options
in
ADHOC mode but i assume that you can set up WEP keys for security.

Seige:

I have used WEP in adhoc mode.
 
Back
Top