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The world of wireless is making our
communication options amazingly vast. We can now have
computers networked and on the internet in almost any room of our
offices and homes without stringing wires everywhere. We can
now have PDA's that are connected to the internet wherever we
walk. And, hotspots are showing up at coffee shops,
bookstores, and other places all over the country. It's
becoming an integrated communication universe!
This month's Tech Tip is about
Wireless Routers for your home or office. The technology is
becoming more and more efficient on a daily basis, and reaching
farther and farther distances freeing up the need for wires.
There are lots of options you can buy on the market from different
companies to different versions. Some of the more well known
companies are: Linksys®,
D-Link®,
and NetGear®.
Each of these we have found provide a decent product and are fairly
comparable to each other.
As to versions, the choices vary
based on the distance and strength of the signal you wish to
have. Usually distance is the prevailing factor that will
guide your choice. There are two major formats: WiFi
802.11 and BlueTooth. In general, most of the routers on the
market are WiFi so we are going to use this format to outline the
options. WiFi is more prevalent in home and office routers,
while the more powerful BlueTooth is more commonly used in PDA's and
outdoor citywide situations.
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In terms of setup, normally you need to
hook up the new router, configure your computer to communicate with
it, and then your external devices (like laptops...) need to have a
wireless card that receives and transmits the signal back and forth
with the router. Most of the routers come with detailed
instructions on how to set it up, but we highly recommend you have a
computer repair
company install it for you so that you are setting it up
correctly. If you don't secure your wireless network, then
someone driving by your home or office could actually break into
your computer system. So, having the proper security is an
essential thing to have someone do for you.
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