Wireless networking made easier

First, to communicate with your network, a device must have its own Wi-Fi adapter. Laptops typically take a PC Card, such as the Netgear WG511T. With desktops, you can install an internal Wi-Fi card or plug an adapter into your USB port.

Wi-Fi adapters usually lead to access points -- boxes that connect Wi-Fi adapters to wired networks. But that's where things start to get slippery.

"You can get a bare-bones access point that simply translates [Internet Protocol] to [radio frequency] signals," says Dave Juitt, CTO for Bluesocket, a maker of Wi-Fi management devices, "or one that does everything but bake an apple pie for your grandma."

Depending on vendor and model, those apple-pie access points often double (or triple) as routers, switches, bridges and gateways. High-end, business-class products, which can cost over £500, typically include support for high-end encryption, mesh networking, bridging and other features.

Access points and routers

Access points targeted at the home market commonly serve as 'residential gateways', meaning that in addition to connecting wireless adapters to the home network, they have built-in broadband modems. Despite the 'residential' in their name, such devices can also be useful for small offices that don't already have a wired Ethernet LAN.

Routers, on the other hand, serve as traffic police, taking data from a gateway or other modem and directing it to the appropriate devices inside the network. Most Wi-Fi gateways have routers built into them, which makes them gateways/routers/access points, if you want to be thorough about it.

But wait, it gets better. Need to share an inkjet or laser printer? Some access points, such as Netgear's FWG114P, include built-in print servers. Many wireless routers have hardware firewalls built in, so they'll protect your network from unwelcome guests. If you want to access your LAN securely from the road, some access points have their own virtual private network (VPN) capabilities. And many include Ethernet ports, so you can connect a wireless LAN to a wired one.

WLANs have limited range and bandwidth, so as your network grows, you'll need a repeater such as the Buffalo WLAG54C to extend the radio-frequency (RF) signal to distant reaches of your office. Or you can simply install more access points in key areas, connected by Ethernet cable to a bridge or a switch (yes, even your wireless network needs some wires). As your network gets bigger, you'll be looking at adding standalone routers, bridges and switches -- and, most likely, hiring a professional to set it all up for you.

Wi-Fi your way

In the meantime, the number of access points you'll need depends on several factors, including the flavour of Wi-Fi you use, the number of users, their appetite for bandwidth -- even the building materials used in the walls (drywall is fine, but stucco and concrete are packet killers).

Bluesocket's Juitt says a typical 802.11g access point can handle 15 bandwidth-hungry users without breaking a sweat; Wi-Fi Alliance's Brian Grimm says he's seen more than 200 Wi-Fi fanatics in one room surfing comfortably using just two access points. Your mileage will vary, and both experts agree that the only way to find out for sure is to start out with a small WLAN, and then grow it as needed.

The good news? With a little homework, you can have Wi-Fi your way -- without getting yourself in a pickle.

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