Routers
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Wireless Networks = Wi-Fi = WiFi = Wifi - & Li-Fi = LiFi
- Wi-Fi - Wikipedia = Wi-Fi = WiFi = Wifi = misconception that Wi-Fi was an abbreviation of "Wireless Fidelity" - Wi-Fi is a brand name (IEEE).
- Networking ...
- Speed - Broadband - Internet Speed Tests ...
- Computer System - The Complete Computer System (by PJK) ...
- Skyroam Hotspot | WiFi Wherever You Travel
- Password
- Music Topics (HiFi) ...
- Li-Fi = LiFi
- What Is Wi-Fi 6E? | PCMag
- Wi-Fi 7: Wi-Fi’s Plaid Mode - LitePoint
- 802.11bn = WiFi 8 = Ultra-High Reliability (2028)
802.11bi: = Enhanced data privacy (2025)
802.11bh -randomized MAC address - (2024)
802.11bf = WLAN sensing (2025)
802.11ay - 60GHz 7Gbps (2021)
802.11ad - 60GHz 6.7Gbps
802.11ah = WiFi HaLow
802.11bd replaces 802.11p - vehicle-to-vehicle communication
802.11az (location position accuracy)
802.11bb = LiFi (uses light rather than radio frequencies to transmit data.)
802.11be = WiFi 7 - 2,4GHz&5GHz 6Gbps->46Gbps
WiFi 6E (6GHz)
6GHz - 9.6Gbps
802.11ax = WiFi 6 (2021) 2,4GHz&5GHz
802.11ac = WiFi 5 (2013) 1Gbps->3Gbps
802.11n = WiFi 4 (2009)
802.11b
- Norton discovers Canadians trust public wi-fi too much, releases app to help | IT Business - 2016-06-28
- 10 Common Misconceptions About Wireless Networks
- 12 Ways to Upgrade Your Wi-Fi and Make Your Internet Faster | WIRED
- Recommendations for setting up your WiFi router
- Don’t Overlook These 10 Useful Wi-Fi Router Features
- Performance
- Update the firmware of the router
- Update the driver of the network adapter
- inSSIDer
- www.freeantennas.com
- Use another router as an AP (access point)
- VPN = Virtual Private Network
- A router will give you:
- an instant network of up to 250 of your computers (by adding some hubs or switches)
- instant Internet on all of your 250 computers (using your cable modem or DSL modem connection to your ISP)
- automatic hardware firewall. - But you may also want the added security of a Software Firewall
- 802.11ac Wave 2: Enabling high speed Wi-Fi for the next generation of mobile devices | ZDNet
- Wi-Fi Range Extender vs. Mesh Network: What's the Difference? | PCMag
- MetaGeek | inSSIDer - Defeat Slow Wi-Fi - US$30/year - 14 day trial - to map your home’s signal strength
- Modem, Router, and Access Point: What's the Difference? | PCMag
- Working Without Wires: How to Extend Your Wireless Network | PCMag
- If you bought a business-class wireless router (and not a consumer-grade one), odds are the manufacturer has access points (APs) that can work with your model. These access points connect seamlessly with the original wireless router and just repeat the signal.
- Wireless extenders are generally not as robust as APs. Some wireless extenders will just repeat the same wireless SSID, and others will show up on the network as a different SSID.
- A spare wireless router (perhaps an older model) lying around, you can be repurposed as an extender. If your router is one of those models locked down so that this method doesn't work, consider installing the open source firmware dd-wrt or Tomato.
- Some wireless extenders will just repeat the same wireless SSID, and others will show up on the network as a different SSID.
- Mesh networks are powerful and you may have heard them in relation to municipal networks and other large-scale networks. They create multiple connections between devices and routers, so that if one network segment fails, other devices continue to work. They are more expensive to deploy, but Meraki (now Cisco) and Ruckus Wireless are among a handful of companies with SMB-friendly products.
- Turn your Windows PC into a Wi-Fi hotspot @ AskWoody
- Networking your Internet Connection
- Wireless Networking Simplified: The Terms You Should Know
- What Is DD-WRT And How It Can Make Your Router Into A Super-Router
- How Dual Band Routers Can Solve Your Wireless Woes
- How to See Who's On Your Wi-Fi | PCMag
- Find Out Who's Eating Your Bandwidth With These Tips
- Wireless Witch: How to Place a Wireless Extender | PCMag
- What to look for in a router:
- Well-known brand
- Tech support. (800 number)
- Works with either cable modem or DSL modem
- Has a four-port switch (not just a hub) (four 10/100 Mbps ports )
- Integrated Router/Firewall provides NAT, DHCP, and packet filtering services
- Integrated DHCP services allow up to 253 users (on your network) to get their IP address automatically
- A wireless router should allow you to broadcast to your portable computers and also allow you to use a normal Ethernet network cable (and switches) to attach to other computers.
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- Security (& Virus Info)...
- Security (for wireless routers)
- Read the manual that came with the wireless router.
- Passwords
Change the default password (in the administration tool you can use via a Web browser - e.g. 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.2.1) - You must require an authentication login by wireless users.
Change the default router username from 'admin' or 'user' to something less obvious.
- Turn off File Sharing on your computer.
- SSID = Service Set Identifiers = a sort of call sign for your network = name of your network router
- Change the SSID to something obscure. Use a name that's innocuous and doesn't refer to you or your business.
- Disable SSID broadcasting = Turn SSID OFF = tell your network to stop broadcasting its SSID
- This will prevent random snoopers from seeing or detecting your Wi-Fi network through ordinary means.
- Your router is now invisible to passers-by, but it's also invisible to your own PCs on the network.
- Control Panel > Network Connections > Wireless Network Connection > Network Tasks (left pane): View status of this connection > View Wireless Networks (button) > Related Tasks (left pane): Change the order of preferred networks > Preferred Networks: Add (button) > type your new network name
- Turn on your router's encryption (preferably 128-bit WEP encryption or better (e.g. Windows WPA is better than WEP))
- WEP = Wired Equivalent Privacy
- WPA = Wi-Fi Protected Access = more secure than WEP
- WPA2 = Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 = more secure than WPA
- Encryption, even the outmoded WEP encryption that comes with 802.11b, is certainly better than nothing. But unless you’ve changed to the much more secure WPA encryption, turned off SSID broadcasts from your access points, and required an authenticated logon for wireless users, you’re still vulnerable.
- More encryption = less range
- MAC = Media Access Control = a unique address embedded in each network device = like a serial number
- Use a low-power setting (so fewer passersby will be able to access your network)
- Put PC in stealth mode so that the PC is invisible to the LAN (and to hackers)
- Enable the firewall on your wireless router.
- Use Network Magic (by Cisco).
- One final step you can take to prevent random access to your network via wired or wireless systems is to change the workgroup name for any PCs in your small business.
See Homegroup ...
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- CIRA.ca - CIRA Canadian Shield | Free public DNS for Canadians
- References for Wireless Security
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- Hardware Router manufacturers:
- Dell.ca - Networking peripherals
- Linksys Etherfast Cable / DSL Router = Cisco
- D-Link