What Is Wi-Fi, How To Connect Wi-Fi And Set Up Wi-Fi Networks

The big marketing push for Wi-Fi and all forms of wireless internet was that it was going to free us from the constraints of wires and make our lives easier.

While that is true for open networks (the types you see at Starbucks and at libraries) the same can’t be said for trying to deal with more secure networks, especially in crowded locations.

Glossary

 

• Router: a networking electronic device that sends internet signals from a modem to different Wi-Fi capable gadgets (laptops, phones, MID etc)
• Port: AKA Wireless Access Point. A numbered point which is the only point you can connect to. This is used in home networks to stop peole from using your internet connection without your permission.
• MAC: Media Access Control, a form of encryption which gives each device a unique MAC address.
• MAC Address: A special address used by every Wi-Fi capable device, A MAC adress has 12 digits broken into two numbers by colons. E.G: 12:34:56:78:9A:BC
• MAC ID: Another name for MAC address.
• ISP: Internet Service Provider. Just a fancy name for the people you pay for the access to the internet.
• SSID: Service Set IDentifier, this is a sequence of up to 32 letters or numbers that is the ID, or name, of a wireless local area network
• WEP Key: Wired Equivalent Privacy, this is the most common method of securing Wi-Fi connections in homes and businesses. There are two types of WEP encryption
  • * 64bit WEP Key encryption – A 5 character password
  • * 128bit WEP Key encryption – a 13 character password

 

• IEEE 802.1x This is the standard of wireless internet currently supported by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the most commonly used home networking method used. It utilizes a port number to allow devices to connect to it.
• WPA/WPA2: Wi-Fi Protected Access, a system that generates new encryption keys each time a mobile device establishes itself with an access point.
• WPA/WPA2 PSK: This is a special type of WPA especially designed for small businesses or hotels where the Wi-Fi user needs to put in a shared secret PSK (pre-shared key) before they can access the Wi-Fi network.

 

And, with the many phones, modems and computers that are now connecting to a Wi-Fi network (both open and encrypted) and setting up a Wi-Fi network are becoming more important than ever.

So this is a quick guide to doing everything you need to do to live in the world of wireless internet:

Connecting to an open WiFi network

 

This is perhaps the easiest thing that you could do.

If you’re using a wifi capable phone like one of the ones below then all you need to do is to hit your internet browser when you’re at a wifi hotspot and you’re browsing with the power of Wi-Fi.

If you’re using an internet device like a MID or a netbook and your wireless network card is properly set up then you can just start browsing.

Connecting To An Encrypted Network

 

In many cases connecting to an encrypted network is not much harder than connecting to an open Wi-Fi network (although matters can get very difficult if it is a highly encrypted network with a lot of traffic) all you need to know is:

1. What type of encryption or security the network is using
2. What password to put in

As you can see from the glossary above there are several different types of security, for wireless browsing ‘on the go’ these usually are:

• 64bit WEP Key encryption A 5 character password
• 32bit WEP Key encryption a 13 character password
• Open Network no password whatsoever
• MAC ID Open network, but only registered MAC ID devices can connect to the signal

If you are using the wireless internet at somebody’s home they might have a IEEE 802.1x type-system installed. In which case you will need to get the port from the owner of the wireless connection.

Your MAC ID/address is likely to be on your device somewhere and can usually be found either in the paperwork that comes with the device or on the device itself ( For a guide on how to find these numbers visit www-dcn.fnal.gov/DCG-Docs/mac/ ) The MAC address will look a little like this: 12:34:56:78:9A:BC

Setting Up A Router

 

In order to use your Wi-Fi router, you must connect your computer, modem and router using Ethernet cables. Normally this is done for you when you first setup your Internet connection at home by your (ISP) internet service provider.

If you only have a normal internet connection and not a router, the you can get a WiFi router from almost any electronic outlet today.

You must also configure the router’s settings. This is as simple as ABC… all router come with simple user manuals.

When you first register with your local internet provider, you are given and account. Log on to the Wi-Fi router’s URL.

Open a web browser on your computer and type the Wi-Fi router’s URL in the browser’s address bar.

The address can be found in the documentation that came with your Wi-Fi router or on the manufacturer’s website. After typing in the URL, press “Enter.”

This will take you to the Wi-Fi router’s settings page.

After entering the router’s URL, a dialog box will appear requiring you to enter a user name and password for the router.

Enter the user name and password for the Wi-Fi router. (This also will be provided by your ISP)

For most Wi-Fi routers, the default user name is “admin” and the default password is “password” or there is no password. Remember that the text boxes will remember if you used a capital letter or not.

Configure the Wi-Fi router’s settings and wireless settings.

On the main page of the router’s setup menu, you will find links to change several settings.

You can change the default SSID (wireless network name to a custom name e.g. GUAVA), and you can select the type of encryption you want to secure your wireless network.

While setting the configuration you must take into consideration security and connectivity options.

Choosing The Encryption Type

 

MAC ID

This is a form of encryption setup where no password is needed to connect to a WiFi router. This is most commonly used if a number of different wifi devices are going to be used in your network and you want there to be some form of security but you don’t want to work too heavily at monitoring it.

In order to setup this form of encryption method, you need to register your Device MAC ID (Physical address ID) in to your routers URL account.

WEP Key Setup
This is the most used method of securing Wi-Fi connections in homes and businesses. The two forms of WEP Key based security, as we mentioned before, are 64bit WEP Key encryption and 128bit WEP Key encryption.

These are initially set in the configuration section of your routers URL address, the user (YOU) can either select a 64bit or 128bit encryption.

After you select your desired encryption method then you can generate your routers password to either 5 or 13 alpha-numeric keys.

The password you select must be registered first on the router via the routers URL address that is provide by your ISP (internet service provider)

 

Devices like the Media Tank CVJI-E49 usually use the WEP Key encryption.WPA/WPA2 & WPA/WPA2 (PSK)

This stands for (Wi-Fi Protected Access) which is a security protocol for wireless 802.11 networks. This is a very secure form of encryption and the system generates new encryption keys each time a mobile device establishes itself with an access point.

For home and small business users who do not have an authentication server, WPA can be used in pre-shared keys (PSK) mode, which requires that a shared secret key be manually entered into the access points and each user’s computer.

So what are you waiting for? Check out our wide range of wholesale WiFi gadgets and start getting involved in the wireless internet revolution.