The wireless SOHO: Freedom, flexibility and fun

If you`re a freelancer or running a small business, how often do you wish you could be in two places at once? You`re out seeing a client, chasing more work yet there`s a mound of administration to deal with, e-mails to send or spreadsheets to update. There`s little chance of delegating work while you`re travelling.

Making a living isn`t easy when the buck stops with you. And we haven`t even started to think about your work-life balance!

There is a way of making every minute count wherever you happen to be. A wireless network means you don`t have to remain a slave to your desktop PC. Cutting the wires lets you work anywhere you like in your house - or anywhere there`s a wireless hotspot. You can even take your laptop into the garden and soak up those rays!

Whatever the time of year, for a busy freelancer or small business operating primarily from home, a wireless network makes sound business sense on every level.

Here`s a quick summary of the benefits of installing a wireless (WiFi) network:

* Freedom and flexibility: You`re not tied to a single PC in one location. You can access your files anywhere in your home, or garden and get online wherever you go without carrying extra cables or adaptors.

* Availability: You can stay in touch while on the move.

* Increased efficiency: You can squeeze every drop of productivity out of the working day to profitable use.

* Economy: Compared to a wired network, wireless networks are cheaper to install, manage and maintain over the longer term.

Cutting the wires is liberating - even outside your home or office. Armed with a wireless laptop, it`s so easy to work on the go. You can go online when you visit clients or business partners - so long as they have a WLAN (wireless local area network) - and anywhere designated as a wireless hotspot.

Already, wireless hotspots are relatively easy to find, especially in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. They`re beginning to pop up at international airports, hotel groups, coffee shops and even petrol station restaurants.

Don`t make the mistake of equating newness with difficulty and expense. Wireless networks are far easier to install and manage than a traditional wired network.

Look at the evidence: research has proven that SOHO (small office, home office) users are installing wireless networks at a far faster rate than their counterparts in the big business world.

Home wireless network usage is even higher among those with `real` jobs! According to IDC`s `Mobile Usage Patterns 2003` survey, while 27% of the 2 500 people surveyed used wireless in the office, 34% made active use of a wireless network at home.

There are a number of good reasons why so many people are choosing wireless for SOHO use.

It`s a lot easier to install a wireless network at home than a wired network. Wiring a house is a time-consuming task that involves knocking holes in walls and results in a proliferation of unattractive cabling snaking through the building as well as various plugs and boxes - all of which have to be adjusted every time you add or move a device on the network.

Compare the potential nightmare that could result from a decision to wire-it-yourself with the elegant simplicity of the wireless installation process that could see you networked and ready to go in about an hour.

Most home or SOHO wireless networks can be built using two or three main product types:

Wireless network adapters, also known as wireless NICs (network interface cards) are required for each device on a wireless network. Many newer laptop computers incorporate wireless adapters as a built-in feature of the system, but may not offer the latest wireless or security standards. Wireless PC cards are typically used in laptops while wireless USB and PCI adapters are used for desktop PCs.

Secondly are wireless routers, which are essential if you`re building a new wireless network from scratch and you don`t have an existing wired network. A wireless router is the `gateway` between your network and that of your ISP (Internet service provider). Using a wireless router ensures all the devices on your wireless network can share the single, official IP address provided by your ISP.

Access points are generally used to augment an existing wired network with a WLAN. Access points work by sending and receiving network data to and from wireless clients - PCs, laptops, printers, etc - using radio waves in the 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency range. Most home or SOHO networks would only need a single access point device, which could be mounted on a wall to ensure better reception.

The key to effective wireless network security is in using a combination of appropriate mechanisms. This is very important to protect your data from hackers and accidental intrusion.

You should ensure you choose products that carry a sticker confirming they are WPA (WiFi Protected Access) compliant. WPA offers the most effective security facilities yet available.

The home office version is known as WPA-Personal - or WPA-PSK Pre-Shared Key (PSK) because the pre-shared key or password is manually configured on all devices such as router, access point and PCs.

Entering the password triggers the encryption process, which in WPA is based on Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP). With TKIP, the encryption keys between devices are automatically changed - known as the re-key interval - after a specified period of time or after a specified amount of data has been transmitted. By the time any potential intruder has worked out your key, it`ll already have changed.

Make sure you have the answers to these essential questions:

* How many wireless computers do you plan to network?
* Will all the PCs/laptops run the same operating system?
* Where in the home will they be located?
* Will you be using the WLAN for purely business purposes? How else will you be using the WLAN - gaming, sharing files, etc.
* Will your children have access to the WLAN?