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In Step 1 we looked at the equipment you require, in Step 2 we are looking at Security, this is something I often find people don’t bother with! Not Good! If you don’t secure your network you are risking the following:

• People logging onto your broadband connection and using up all your bandwidth,
• Accessing inappropriate sites over your connection.
• Hackers looking at all you are doing…like buying that nice new DVD from Amazon…ooo Credit Card Details being stolen.
• Ok, you get the picture!

To set this up it generally requires logging into the Wireless Router / Access Point with an address that probably is in the form 192.168.x.x through Internet Explorer, Firefox or your chosen web browser.

Encryption

Then you will have the option of Wireless Security, the two most common forms of Wireless Encryption on home routers are WEP and WPA-PSK.

WPA-PSK is more secure than the WEP encryption, but WEP is better than nothing! The way these encryption keys work is like this:

1. The router has a security key
2. You tell the machine wanting to access the wireless network this security key. This is requested when you try to access a secure network.
3. Then the two devices can talk to each other

(that is the simple explanation anyway )

Basically what this is doing is encrypting the data sent between your laptop and the router so anyone trying to read the data you are sent would need to ‘guess’ the key. If you didn’t have this setup you would be sending the data as plain text! Not good!

Three things to remember when creating your security key:

• If it is easy to remember it is probably easy to guess!
• Don’t use a key or pass-phrase that is associated to you
• The longer the key the hard it is to guess or the longer it will take a computer to crack!

If you need help creating the key check out a former Quick Tip on Security Key Generating.

Mac Address Filtering

Another layer of added security is MAC address filtering. Each network device wired or wireless has a unique ‘address’, usually in the form something like: 00-00-00-00-00. On a router you can implement filtering so you can tell it which MAC addresses you want to access the router and therefore the network and internet. To find the MAC code:

In windows

1. Open up command prompt (Start > Run > cmd > Enter)
2. Type the following: ipconfig /all
3. It will be shown as Physical Address

Specifically how to set these security features up is difficult because each router is different so you should have instructions on how to do this either in a paper manual or on the CD which came with the router / access point.

So there we go, no excuses, you now know to secure your network! The third and final part of this series next week is Extending your network!

Last week I installed Sky Broadband for a client and I thought at the time it would be useful for people to know how easy the install process is, the features the modem offers and a general experience. So starting today I will be reviewing the broadband installs that I do, one from each supplier as we do the install and more than one if we come across different modems!

The Modem

So let’s go, Sky Broadband. A while ago I installed Sky Broadband for another user and they were sent a Netgear modem, this client however had a Sagem Wireless Modem Router, looks good, stylish, dark grey device, quite small.

The router has 4 Ethernet ports, however Sky states that the two yellow coded ports are for computers and the other two ports (red and blue I believe) are for features currently in development.

The Install

Being me I ignored the fact I was meant to start with the disc and just plugged the kit in as I knew was right and tried to access the web interface of the router. However none of the default usernames and passwords that work with other routers worked with this one. That was rather disappointing and Sky don’t provide you access to this router. Which for techies I would expect to be a pain.

So that aside I threw in the CD and followed the process through, it was nice and simple, animated and somehow less mundane thn the usual Broadband installation discs I get to see. So for techies and novices alike that process was nice and easy. Possibly the easiest I have come across. It does however brand your Internet Explorer “provided by sky” and add a couple of links to your desktop, which is why i try to avoid the disc’s for things like this in the first place!

At the end of the process you are connected! Nice and easy.

Wireless

If you want to connect a machine wirelessly you do this after the process. The code is on the bottom of the router, which seems the norm these days. The signal strength put out by the router seems to be fairly decent for the average household.

So there we go, my review of installing Sky Broadband with the Sagem router, and to summarise:

1. Use the disc! Don’t try to be clever
2. Setup is nice and easy, just do as the disc tells you and you will be online in minutes.
3. To connect wirelessly after you have completed the setup, the key is on the router!

I hope this helped, Let us know if you have any experiences of your own.

We are going to do a couple of series for the quick tip posts, starting with a Wireless Planning Series For Beginners. So here we go!

First thing to think about is Equipment, the two pieces to consider are

• A router of some sort
• A wireless adaptor, either internal (PCI) or external (USB). If your machine doesn’t already have wireless capabilities.

Things to remember/consider when choosing your router:

• If you don’t already have a modem to connect you to the internet remember to get a Wireless Modem Router either for ADSL (BT) or DSL (Cable Suppliers)
• If you do already have a modem that has a spare ethernet port (most likely a router) then you can buy a Wireless Access Point or WAP. These are often cheaper.
• There are different types of wireless connection, B, G, and N. Different connections have different speeds and different ranges, This is important to consider when purchasing your router. Your supplier will be able to advise you. In short this is roughly where to use them:
• B – In the same room or adjacent rooms, I wouldn’t expect it to stretch much further unless you have thin walls (not really used anymore)
• G – Generally a small house will cope with a router like this, or if you require something faster than B!
• N – Fairly new technology and you need to ensure your wireless adaptor can take advantage of the new technology but in theory this should cover your house and some of the garden as well!

Which type of Wireless Network Adaptor is best?

There are three types of wireless network adaptor, PCI and USB are in my mind the ones to consider. PCI is for internal Desktop use, the USB is external and can be used on laptop or desktop. The third option is for laptops and is PCMCIA and I am not a fan as I have found it to be less reliable than a USB adaptor.

USB

USB adaptors are easy to fit, you just need a CD drive to install the software and a spare USB port and you are away and ready to connect to a wireless network.

PCI

PCI adaptors are more tidy that USB adaptors, no cables to worry about although you do need to be comfortable opening up your computer to install them. Also, if the machine is hidden under the desk or under a shelf then you are immediately restricting the signal. If the wireless network point is in the same room this shouldn’t be an issue.

So there we go, a slightly longer Quick Tip this week, but part one of a series in Planning a Wireless Network – For Beginners I hope it gets you started!

This weeks quick tip is about wireless security! When setting up your WEP or WPA encryption key don’t use your usual password for the key, or to generate the key! You need to think of something that isn’t at all related to you, that people can’t guess! OR Do what I do…use a key generator:

A couple of examples we use:

For A Wep Key: http://www.andrewscompanies.com/tools/wep.asp

For a WPA-PSK: http://www.kurtm.net/wpa-pskgen/

Windows Home Server 2008 – Want to share files, photos and videos with other members in your family, easily backup all the machines in your home, then it is worth checking out.

Gone is the time that families have just the one computer and networking is crucial for sharing the internet connection, printers, etc. But what about shring files and photos togather? Well Windows Home Server 2008 makes that much easier and at the same time you can use it as a backup server for all the machines in your home. Takes the requirement off you to remember to backup to CD every friday!

Take a look at the Microsoft Site for more information about Windows Home Server, and what it can do for you!

Over the coming months we will be posting more about Windows Home Server, so keep an eye out here at PCToolbox.

Despite most ISP broadband setup instructions saying this there is still a misunderstanding somewhere when it comes to filters. So here is my Quick Tip attempt to help

When you are setting up broadband in your home of office you will be given some micro-filters, the amount depends on how generous your chosen ISP are feeling!

The reason you need these filters is because when you have broadband activated on your line you effectively have two signals coming down that one physical line. Therefore you need to separate (filter) them. The filter sends the analogue signal to the socket on the filter to which you plug in the phone or fax or old style dial-up modem. The other small socket has just the digital signal that is required by your broadband modem.

All that said there is still one important point to remember. You MUST have a filter on any phone in the house or office no matter if there is a modem connect to that socket or not! The reason for this is that otherwise the phone will interfere with the digital signal that your broadband modem requires to connect you to the internet and thus your internet will randomly drop out!

For some that seems obvious but for others hopefully that will help

Skype is a fantastic creation and keeping in touch all over the world is made so much easier with Skype. What really bugs me though is the USB phones, not Skypes fault obviously! The way they will interfere with your PC sound settings and despite getting all the settings perfect so you can listen to music and then easily use the phone, it still goes wrong. Because of that I don’t use Skype as much as i’d like.

For a while I have been watching the reviews and developments of phones that connect to Skype but actually bypass the computer altogether i.e. NOT USB! These phones are gadgets that connect to your internet connection wirelessly! Either by configuring them directly to connect to your encrypted/non-encrypted wireless connection, or by coming with a piece of kit that plugs into an Ethernet port on your router which the phone then connects to wirelessly.

There are a number of these types of Skype/VoIP phone already on the market, with the big guys like Belkin, Netgear, Philips and Linksys making an offering to this. The one that stands out to me after reading a lot of reviews and looking through the technical specifications of many is the Netgear VoIP Skype Dual Mode Cordless Phone.

The way this one works – it comes with a base station that you plug into an Ethernet port on your router and away you go! Oh you do have to enter your Skype details into the phone, but then away you go! You can also have up to 3 additional handsets on this setup as well. The other great feature about this particular model is that it is ‘dual mode’. This means that you can connect the base station to your normal phone line as well and therefore use the same phone for calls from your normal landline as well.

No..not yet anyway but I certainly plan to. For anyone who uses Skype a lot, or maybe don’t use Skype for a reason like mine, how about considering one of these!

To summarise then:

Pros -

• Easy to setup – one use review I read said “ever fallen off a log”. I think that sums up how easy it is!
• Avoids the PC! Nice
• You can have up to 4 phones connected to the unit
• Dual Mode so you can use your normal phone line too

Cons –

• It isn’t cheap. At time of writing the cost is around the £90 mark. 10 x that of the cheap USB phones. Then again I am one who believes in the saying “you get what you pay for!”
• I’m yet to own one!

Related Links: Skype.com || Netgear SkypePhone

This weeks quick tip is about problems connecting to wireless networks. There are so many possibilities here but the one I want to highlight this week becomes apparent when you are trying to connect to a wireless network that you know works!

Commonly a network SSID (name) does not get changed so if you buy a Netgear router chances are the SSID is NETGEAR. If you are like a number of people that connect to a number of different networks and already have a NETGEAR profile in your Wireless Access list and then go to connect to another one with the same SSID you will have problems connecting, it won’t ask for the WEP/encryption key and will just not connect! The reason being that it thinks it has the information to connect to that Network.

Answer: Remove the other profile from your list of Wireless Networks and then try to reconnect. If you regularly connect to 2 networks with the same SSID then try to get the SSID changed It is good practice to have a unique SSID anyway

I am often asked what are the advantages of having a server for a small business. Which is a good question as it can be a heavy investment and often a wasted investment if it is not used to its full potential. So how could a small business use a server to its full potential without using features for the sake of it..?

It’s my opinion that using Small Business Server from Microsoft is the ideal operating system as it is packed with features the standard versions don’t come with, most importantly for small businesses it includes Exchange Server. More specifically the features that I think would be most useful to a small business are as follows…

• File Storage – store files centrally to ensure easy access for all users rather than emailing documents back and forth or using USB Pen Drives.
• Exchange Server – Have your server manage your company emails so sending internally is immediate, you can share each others calendars and access all this remotely from any machine with an internet connection so your team can always stay in touch.
• Remote Access – Allows employees to work from anywhere with an internet connection for ultimate productivity.
• With all data stored on the server you have only one backup to worry about – even with the best server in the world you still MUST backup!
• Share printers
• Enabling Faxing from and to the server with faxes being delivered to the email inbox of users

Servers can do much more, but in my opinion those are the things that are the biggest advantages to Small Businesses looking to improve their Computing capabilities.
Something to try on your own? Most definitely not. Get hold of your I.T. Company and ask them to do it for you.