I just released an outdoor wireless planning tool at address below.

http://www.wlanbook.com/outdoor-wireless-planner/

This online tool can be used to plan and visualize outdoor wireless networks by plotting device locations and radio frequency (RF) propagation coverage on mapping tools. Radio frequency propagation visualization can be viewed as contours on Google Maps or 3D RF models in Google Earth. This tool is beta software and several new features are planned. Feedback and feature requests are welcome.

How to Use Outdoor Wireless Planning Tool

I plan to add detailed instructions later but for now start by following a three step process - 1) find your location, 2) click on map to plot markers, and 3) view results in Google Earth.

Radio Frequency Propagation Visualization on Google Maps

Currently the radio frequency propagation visualization in Google Earth and Google Map view is the same for all plotted points. This feature will be enhanced so that results are based on user entered data like radio power, frequency, antenna gain, distance, and most importantly terrain data that can be determined from mapping software.

Radio Frequency Propagation Visualization in Google Earth

The Google Earth portion of tool isn’t complete but when done will have the ability to view results with custom pan, tilt, range, and altitude values for location. See below for what the 3D view will look like and download a demo file to view results in Google Earth.

Feedback, Bug Reports, and Features Requests

Please comment in post below or send me a message via my contact form with feedback, bug reports, and feature requests. This software was tested on a Windows Vista PC, Internet Explorer 7, and 1280×800 screen resolution. I’m sure it will behave differently on other systems so when sending bug reports please let me know your operating system, browser version, and screen resolution.

© 2008 Copyright WLANBook.com

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The topic of stealing WiFi Internet access or legality of using someone else’s WiFi Internet access is always entertaining because almost everyone has an opinion on this subject and in almost every case each person is convinced that their view is right. I’m no different — my method to determine if using wireless Internet is illegal answer the question below.

Did you get permission from the owner of the WiFi hardware to connect to it? Permission could be verbal communication or a sign that indicates that the WiFi connection is free.

If your answer is “NO” then you are stealing Internet service and it is against the law. Don’t believe me read this.

Internet Connection Is What They Really Want

An access point is basically connecting users wirelessly to a wired network. Other than hackers, most users that connect to an open wireless network want to get connected to the Internet which is a service that the owner of the wireless network is usually paying a monthly fee for.

So while someone could justify connecting to an open wireless network and convince you that they have done is not wrong. Once they use the owners ISP connection they are stealing a service.

Some folks may argue that if a WiFi connection is not secured then it can’t be considered stealing. Not true, even open access points technically use the SSID to “authenticate” users on to the access point with a process called “open authentication”.

ISP Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP) and Other People’s Wireless Internet

If you get permission you may OK but the person granting the permission may have violated the ISP’s rules. In almost all cases, the person giving the permission may not be allowed to share the Internet connection based on the service provider’s Terms of Services (TOS) and/or Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP).

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A SSID (service set identifier) identifies the wireless network and the SSID for your wireless WLAN card must match the SSID for any access point that you want to connect with. If the value does not match, you are not granted access to the network. Each SSID can be up to 32 characters long and is case-sensitive.

Multiple Access Points with the Same SSID

Muliple access points can have the same SSID and in most cases this configuration is known as an extended service set (ESS) when the two access points are connected to the same wired network. Sharing the same SSID can be an issue if the two access points are in close proximity but are not owned or part of the same wired network. In this case end user devices may connect to the incorrect SSID.

How to Discover Non-Broadcasting SSIDs

If the SSID is not being broadcasted, finding the hidden SSID is possible but requires special software that is able to look at wireless data frames to extract the SSID. There are many commercial products that have this RFMON capability and several open source products such as Kismet.

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Getting Gmail and/or Google Mail App to work on a Centro requires the same software and process as a Treo 650. See previous posts below.

Google Gmail on Treo 650 - Three step process to get Gmail working on a Treo 650 using Google Gmail Mobile App. This process works with free gmail.com Gmail and Google Mail App.

2 Mobile Gmail Apps on Same Phone, Treo 650 - If you have two Gmail email accounts and want to access both via your mobile phone, Palm Treo 650 on Sprint in my case, follow these directions.

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What Does WiFi Stand For?

Nothing.

“Wi-Fi”, Wi hyphen Fi, is a branding term created by Interbrand so that the WiFi Alliance could use the name and logo as the 80.211 interoperability seal and in marketing efforts. The branding effort has been so successful that the term WiFi is synonymous with 802.11 just like “Kleenex”, another invented word, is synonymous with facial tissue paper. Unlike Kleenex, WiFi has functional meaning since it is used to certify the interoperability of wireless devices.

The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global trade association with a mission of enabling the growth of Wi-Fi worldwide. The Wi-Fi Alliance created the term Wi-Fi, which has come to represent a cultural phenomenon. Products which successfully pass the Wi-Fi Alliance testing may use the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED brand. The Alliance tests and certifies the interoperability of wireless LAN products based on the IEEE 802.11 standards.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ Makes it Wi-Fi

The certification process is so important that it is virtually impossible to purchase consumer grade equipment that is not Wi-Fi certified.

Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance members have certified more than 4,100 Wi-Fi products. Through comprehensive testing, the Wi-Fi Alliance certification program helps to ensure that Wi-Fi products from multiple manufacturers work together.

Wi-Fi Certification assures tested and proven interoperability among Wi-Fi devices. This certification gives users confidence that Wi-Fi products bearing the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ logo have passed rigorous interoperability certification requirements.

Wi-Fi or WiFi?

If want to use the brand correctly then refer to the official style guide. This style guide describes the usage requirements for the trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

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WiFi For Dummies

A request I get all the time is recommendations on books that are good for non techies to learn about WiFi. If you search long enough on the Internet you can find free information on the web that will answer your questions, no matter what your topic. What is more difficult, is finding free ebooks that are well organized and well written enough to be worth printing it out.

A great and **FREE** ebook in PDF format related to WiFi is can be downloaded directly from here. This book isn’t an official “WiFi For Dummies” book but covers the topic at a similar level. The second edition of the book was released in 2004 but is still great for anyone just starting to learn about WiFi.

In the authors’ own words:

You are about to have in your virtual hands a free version of the second edition of The Wireless Networking Starter Kit. We’ll be frank: the book got great reviews, and we heard from hundreds of readers how they liked it–but it didn’t sell well enough to continue to update it.

That’s why we’re giving this edition from 2004 away at no cost: there’s still much that’s relevant even after all the changes that Wi-Fi has gone through. (What’s really out of date? There’s little coverage of WPA security and nothing on 802.11n.)

Tech Support Via Email

The motivation for sharing the great resource above is that I receive several emails a week requesting tech support via my contact form. If the question is related to a post I have written I usually try to answer the email right away. In most cases the email request is about a very specific issue that I would have to research and would require several exchanges with the reader to fully understand the problem before trying to respond.

While I wish I had the time to answer all tech support questions, it just isn’t possible. So for now my policy is that I only respond to questions that are related to my posts. If the question is generic enough that others would benefit from the answer I usually write post instead of responding to question directly via email.

If you have a generic question about wireless I recommend you download the free ebook mentioned above. Some of the topics covered are below and I suspect in most cases will answer your questions.

Section I: Wireless Basics
1. How Wireless Works
2. Wireless Standards
3. Wireless Hardware
4. Other Wireless Standards
5. Wireless of the (Near) Future

Section II: Connecting Your Computer
6. Connecting Your Windows XP
7. Configuring Your Centrino Laptop
8. Connecting Your Macintosh
9. Connecting with Linux and FreeBSD
10. Connecting Your Handheld
11. Connecting via Bluetooth
12. Creating an Ad Hoc Wireless Network
13. Sharing Files and Printers
14. Troubleshooting Your Connection

Section III: Building Your Wireless Network
15. Planning Your Wireless Network
16. Buying a Wireless Gateway
17. Setting up a Gateway
18. Wireless Gadgets
19. Creating a Software Access Point
20. Bridging Wireless Networks
21. Indoor Antenna Basics
22. Small Office Wi-Fi Networking
23. Troubleshooting Your Wireless Network

Section IV: Wireless Security
24. Wireless Worries
25. Preventing Access to Your Network
26. Securing Data in Transit
27. Protecting Your Systems

Section V: Taking It on the Road
28. Finding Wi-Fi on the Road
29. Configuring WISP Software
30. Using Cellular Data Networks
31. Prepping for the Road
32. Working on the Road

Section VI: Going the Distance
33. Long-Range Wi-Fi Connections
34. Long-Range Anntena Basics

Appendix A. Networking Basics
Appendix B. Configuring Your Network Settings
Appendix C. How to Troubleshoot

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Ever wonder which is faster, using a wireless router or plugging directly into the wired Internet? The short answer is that the wired Internet connection will always be faster because you are eliminating the “middle man” — the wireless access point.

Also, because WiFi connections half duplex (can only send or receive not both at same time) and contention based (users/devices and have to wait to transmit) you can never take advantage of the full duplex nature of wired Internet connections.

In reality, this is hard question to answer because it depends on so many factors such as:

• Wireless technology (802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11n)
• ISP connection speeds (upload/download)
• Is wireless Internet (WiFi router) used by multiple users
• Are there other WiFi devices nearby or interfering sources

Estimated throughput for 802.11 a/b/g/n

Even when connected to the access point at 54Mbps your actual throughput will be much less because the speed numbers quoted by vendors are the data rates for the various 802.11 standards/amendments (802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n) and not throughput for the connected device.

Below are estimated data half duplex throughputs for various 802.11 standards for single client scenarios. For multiple client scenarios the numbers would be shared for all clients and uniformity among clients may not always occur.

802.11a - 19 Mbps
802.11g - 17 Mbps
802.11b - 5 Mbps
802.11n - > 100 Mbps

Internet Connection Bottleneck

While a wired connection will always be faster than the same connection via a wireless access point, most Internet connections are much lower in speed than the wireless router. For example, an asymmetrical cable modem high speed broadband service that is 5 Mbps download speed and 1 Mbs upload speed would most likely have same performance on any 802.11 network for uploading and downloading. While another user with a 15 Mbps down/5 Mbps up Internet connection would not fully use ISP connection on an 802.11b network.

Also, while most ISPs provide download/upload data rates for service offerings, these numbers are burstable data rates. In reality, all ISPs are designed so that guaranteed data rates for all users are much less.

WiFi Speed Test

Another method to figure out if using a wired connection is faster is to test your Internet speed via wired and wireless connection and compare results.

In summary, if you have high end/low latency requirements (gaming, voice over IP, real-time collaboration) it is best to use a wired connection.

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SST-PR-1 SSID is ad hoc network SSID used by Sears Home Service van fleet. This SSID is usually an ad hoc network and shows up everywhere. Most wireless users don’t know what it is and try to connect to it causing it to go viral just like the Free Public WiFi SSID.

Sears Home Service

In combination with other technology, the Sears technician can look up parts, repair products, print out receipt, and get info regarding next service call. Very cool photos of Sears setup below.

Truck with domed antenna on roof for automatic vehicle location (AVL).

Netstumbler showing SST-PR-1 ad-hoc SSID.

Ruggedized laptop used by Sears service techs docked in van.

Ruggedized laptop used by Sears service techs undocked.

Disable Ad-hoc Wireless Networking in Windows XP

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If you want more photos related to SST-PR-1 go here.

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WiFi combined with satellite based Internet access is very common in developing countries where it isn’t practical to run wire or fiber optic lines to homes and business. Even when wire lines do exist, the only option available is slow dialup Internet access requring customers to pay for a local telephone line plus the ISP for a slow service that is only usable for basic web browsing or email. Also, the local telecom infrastructure is usually not engineered for data communications and users constantly dropped connections and busy signals when dialing the ISP.

Even where institutions and individuals have Internet access, the connection often has little practical value for more than a few elite users. Our tests of actual Internet speeds indicate that, while users at large European or American universities enjoy Internet connections which deliver 17 million bits per second, users at African institutions operate at speeds that are 500 to 600 times slower (~30 thousand bits per second). We also routinely test hundreds of Internet servers at African institutions and find that the typical server is online only about six hours per day and has frequent disconnects lasting days or weeks. As a result, it is impractical for instructors at these institutions to require students to discover information on the Internet. Also, these instructors rarely use resources like video, audio and multimedia tutorials because downloading these items is expensive, slow and unreliable. [World Health Organization]

WiFi Community Networks

By combining low cost commodity WiFi hardware satellite Internet connections very large community networks can be built without any special tools or heavy equipment that would normally be required to connect users via wires or fiber optic cable. Once enough users are connected together via an 802.11 network the cost of a satellite dish, installation, and recurring free can be shared by the community or provided by a local business acting as the ISP.

Dedicated Satellite Bandwidth vs. Usage Based Internet Access

Dedicated satellite Internet links are still very costly in most developing countries, especially those in sub-Sahara Africa (see above). Even 128/64 kbps links that may seem slow to many Internet users with premium broadband services are priced so high that most communities and ISPs cannot afford them.

The costs of Internet connectivity in Africa can be hundreds of times higher than those in Europe or the United States of America. For “free” information on the Internet, institutions in developing countries must often buy larger-capacity connections than they can realistically afford. For example, some universities in Africa are spending as much as the equivalent of 20 full-time faculty salaries for a 2-megabit Internet connection that is then distributed to 500 to 600 computers, resulting in a costly and painfully slow connection for everyone.
[World Health Organization]

A more practical approach is to get service from a usage based satellite provider that provides tiered pricing so that as the community network expands or contracts the cost of accessing Internet can be adjusted. Another benefit of a usage based satellite Internet provider is that they usually support higher burstable speeds which is beneficial when using interactive applications like VoIP or interactive video.

Grid Power vs. Solar Powered WiFi

Another issue in developing countries is the lack of reliable and clean power. To overcome this hurdle most community networks power the WiFi satellite Internet system with a hybrid solution combining the local grid power, solar panels, and batteries.

WLANBook.com Copyright © 2007 All Rights Reserved.

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An Ethernet crossover cable is a type of Ethernet cable used to connect computing devices together directly where they would normally be connected via a network switch, hub or router. For example, one would use a crossover cable to directly connect two personal computers via their network adapters.

Ethernet Crossover Cable Pinout

Making an ethernet crossover cable is not difficult if you know the proper pinouts and have the proper tools and materials. See photos below for 100Mbps and Gigabit crossover cable pinouts.

100Mbps Crossover - 10baseT/100baseTX crossover ( shown as T568A )

Gigabit Crossover - 10base-T/100base-TX/1000base-TX/T4 crossover (shown as T568B)

In practice, it does not matter if your Ethernet cables are wired as T568A or T568B, just so long as both ends follow the same wiring format. It is just as valid to make a four-pair crossover using T568A, or a two pair crossover using T568B, as it is to wire them the way shown here.

Typical commercially available “pre-wired” cables can follow either format depending on who made them. What this means is that you may discover that one manufacturer’s cables are wired one way and another’s the other way, yet both are “correct” and will work. In either case, T568A or T568B, a normal (un-crossed) cable will have both ends wired according to the layout in the first connections column.

[Wikipedia]

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Like Army’s Wireless LAN Policy, Navy’s guidelines for deploying wireless LAN technologies are outlined in documents developed and distributed by the Department of the Navy (DON) and other DoD organizations. Below is a list of documents related to using commercial wireless LAN technologies in unclassified networks.

SECNAV Instruction 5239.3A

5239.3A, released in December 2004 by the DON CIO, is Department of the Navy Information Assurance Policy. The document establishes Information Assurance (IA) policy for the
Department of the Navy (DON) consistent with National and Department of Defense (DoD) policies. The policy applies to “All Ships and Stations” and doesn’t have any specifics about WLANs or wireless security. The specifics regarding wireless are covered in guidelines below. [source]

SECNAV Instruction 2075.1

DON Use of Commercial Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Devices, Services, and Technologies, released November 2006. [source]

This policy provides guidance to secure components of the network that directly pertain to the wireless architecture. It delineates requirements for FIPS-140 Certification and Accreditation as well as Layer 2 Authentication and Encryption.

DON Guidance on Wireless Local Area Network Implementation of the 802.11i Standard, released January 2008. [source]

A. All new WLAN acquisitions must specify the 802.11i addendum.

B. Existing non-compliant WLAN solutions must ensure migration toward compliance with the 802.11i addendum. Migration plans shall be submitted to the Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer (DON CIO) within 90 days.

C. All solutions will continue to be certified and accredited by the appropriate designated approval authority (DAA) prior to implementation.

DoDD 8100.2

Use of Commercial Wireless Devices, Services, and Technologies in the Department of Defense (DoD) Global Information Grid (GIG) - April 14, 2004. [source]

Section 4.1.2 says if data is transmitted wirelessly it must be secured using FIPS validated encryption, and is a good summary of the entire document.

4.1.2 - Encryption of unclassified data for transmission to and from wireless devices is required. Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis as determined by the Designated Approving Authority (DAA) for the wireless connections under their control. At a minimum, data encryption must be implemented end-to-end over an assured channel and shall be validated under the Cryptographic Module Validation Program as meeting requirements per Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication (PUB) 140-2, Overall Level 1 or Level 2, as dictated by the sensitivity of the data (reference (g)).

DoDD 8100.2 Supplement

Use of Commercial Wireless Local-Area Network (WLAN) Devices, Systems, Technologies in the Department of Defense (DoD) Global Information Grid (GIG) -June 2, 2006. [source]

This document added additional guidance related IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN technologies and security. Some argued that the document was too specific and details such as specifying 802.11i for security should be contained in Best Business Practice (BBP) and not overarching directives. Others argued that such details were necessary to remove ambiguity that remained after the release of the April 14, 2004 directive. In addition to detailing the data-in-transit security requirements when deploying IEEE 802.11 networks, the document also stated that continuous 24/7 wireless intrusion detection was required for wired and wireless networks.

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If you are interested in a career in wireless networking a good foundation in networking fundamentals is very important.

Embedded below is a training video that covers the OSI Model, IP routing/switching, IP subnetting, IP Protocols (TCP, UDP, DNS, DHCP), 802.11a/b/g, and network security fundamentals.

Based on content the video was probably produced over a year ago but is still a great resource for anyone starting off in wireless LAN networking and wireless LAN security.

Wired and Wireless Networking Fundamentals Training Video

If the embedded video above is not compatible with you system you can also download the video by first going here or directly from here in Windows Media or QuickTime formats.

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US Army’s guidelines for deploying wireless LAN technologies is outlined in documents developed and distributed by Army and other DoD organizations. Below is a list of documents related to using commercial wireless LAN technologies in unclassified networks.

DoDD 8100.2

Use of Commercial Wireless Devices, Services, and Technologies in the Department of Defense (DoD) Global Information Grid (GIG) - April 14, 2004. [source]

Section 4.1.2 says if data is transmitted wirelessly it must be secured using FIPS validated encryption, and is a good summary of the entire document.

4.1.2 - Encryption of unclassified data for transmission to and from wireless devices is required. Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis as determined by the Designated Approving Authority (DAA) for the wireless connections under their control. At a minimum, data encryption must be implemented end-to-end over an assured channel and shall be validated under the Cryptographic Module Validation Program as meeting requirements per Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication (PUB) 140-2, Overall Level 1 or Level 2, as dictated by the sensitivity of the data (reference (g)).

DoDD 8100.2 Supplement

Use of Commercial Wireless Local-Area Network (WLAN) Devices, Systems, Technologies in the Department of Defense (DoD) Global Information Grid (GIG) -June 2, 2006. [source]

This document added additional guidance related IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN technologies and security. Some argued that the document was too specific and details such as specifying 802.11i for security should be contained in Best Business Practice (BBP) and not overarching directives. Others argued that such details were necessary to remove ambiguity that remained after the release of the April 14, 2004 directive. In addition to detailing the data-in-transit security requirements when deploying IEEE 802.11 networks, the document also stated that continuous 24/7 wireless intrusion detection was required for wired and wireless networks.

AR 25-2 Information Assurance

Sections 4.29 and 4.30 contain guidance regarding portable electronic devices (PEDs) and wireless technologies - revision October 24, 2007. [source]

4–29. Portable electronic devices
Portable electronic devices (PEDs) are portable ISs or devices with or without the capability of wireless or LAN connectivity. These include, but are not limited to, cell phones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) (for example, Palm Pilots, Pocket PCs), laptops, memory sticks, thumb drives, and two-way radios. Current technologies (infrared, radio frequency, voice, video, microwave) allow the inclusion of numerous capabilities within a single device and dramatically increases the risks associated with IS and network access.

4–30. Wireless local area networks
Wireless LANs are extensions of wired networks and will implement IA policies and procedures in accordance with this and other applicable regulations . Non-compliant wireless LANs will have migration plans documented in POA&Ms, that ensure the systems will meet the minimum requirements of this policy. The DAA will consider the POA&M in the authorization decision. All Army organizations and activities operating wireless local area networks (WLANs) will comply with the following and as supplemented in BBPs.

Wireless Security Standards v1.26

Wireless Best Business Practices (BBP) - updated August 11, 2006. [source]

This document establishes best practice standards for the deployment and use of local wireless network technologies for the Department of the Army. It intends to protect Army resources and data from security threats, improve incident response for wireless issues, and mitigate interference among wireless technologies. Wireless network devices offer a simple, convenient, and inexpensive solution to extend local area network (LAN) accessibility by reducing the requirements of physical infrastructure. Wireless networking removes the encumbrance of wire connections on portable devices, and can also enable laptop and handheld users the ability to travel beyond traditional network boundaries (e.g. between buildings) without losing network connectivity. This flexibility however, introduces several unique vulnerabilities in addition to the inherent risks associated with any wired network.

Since wireless signals are radio transmissions, they can be intercepted by suitable radio receiving devices, jammed intentionally by other devices, sometimes even devices
operating outside the intended service area. If data transmissions are not encrypted or are inadequately encrypted, the intercepted data can be read and understood in a matter of seconds.

“Road Warrior” Laptop Security v1.0

Issued February 17, 2006

Laptops, portable notebooks, tablet-PCs, and similar systems, referred to as mobile computing devices (MCD), pose unique security challenges. Users of these information systems (IS) are tasked with the physical security of these mobile devices while administrators must protect the IS from compromise when used as a standalone system or when remotely connected.

These systems shall be configured to provide host-based security as the primary defensive measure. Combined with the capability to connect securely from trusted or untrusted
sources, the IS must protect the networks during remote user access and permit adequate configuration and security management balanced with user functionality. Technology exists to provide host-based IS protections coupled with the capability to remotely access Army internal resources through protected and securable connectivity.

Army Information Assurance Approved Products List (AIAAPL)

Approved products related to information assurance (firewalls, VPNs, IDS, WIDS, encryption gateways, etc) are listed in document. The document is not available for public download.

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The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is America’s cryptologic organization. It coordinates, directs, and performs highly specialized activities to protect U.S. government information systems and produce foreign signals intelligence information. A high technology organization, NSA is on the frontiers of communications and data processing. It is also one of the most important centers of foreign language analysis and research within the government.

Security Configuration Guides

NSA has developed and distributed configuration guidance for a wide variety of software and hardware. The objective of the configuration guidance program is to provide NSA’s customers with the best possible security options in the most widely used products. Security configuration guides are available for Applications, Database Servers, Operating Systems, Routers, Switches, VoIP and IP Telephony, Web Servers and Browsers and Wireless related technologies.

NSA and Wireless Security

There are currently two documents developed and distributed by the Systems and Network Attack Center’s Network Hardware Analysis and Evaluation Division related to wireless LANs and wireless LAN security.

Guidelines for the Development and Evaluation of IEEE 802.11 Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) Updated: September 2005

In today’s increasingly wireless world, organizations are quickly realizing the security benefits of constantly monitoring the electromagnetic spectrum within their enterprise. When an organization has an interest in identifying and locating unauthorized wireless hardware and preventing intrusion attempts on their network, the benefits of this monitoring exist regardless of whether or not network owners officially sanction the use of wireless devices. Many government entities have monitored their spaces for the presence of cellular, Bluetooth, infrared, and/or IEEE 802.11 signals for years. The DoD Directive 8100.2 now mandates RF monitoring, intrusion detection, and denial of service prevention in DoD networks. Although not a specific requirement, RF monitoring and intrusion detection could also help federal and military operated health care institutions meet the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Recommended 802.11 Wireless Local Area Network Architecture Updated: November 2005

Wireless local area network (WLAN) technology based on the IEEE 802.11 suite of standards is available as built-in options on most new personal computers and as add-on hardware through USB and PCMCIA adapters. The low hardware cost, ease of installation, increased mobility, and network configuration flexibility has led many Government agencies and organizations to implement WLAN solutions for their users to access their enterprise network. With the pervasive use of 802.11 networks throughout the Government and their impending use within the intelligence community, it is imperative for the National Security Agency’s (NSA) Information Assurance Directorate (IAD) to make an informed recommendation of a wireless network architecture for Government unclassified networks. Wireless networks with classified data require additional protection solutions that are not addressed here.

I recommend these documents be used for information purposes only and not as strict requirements documents when selecting or configuring 802.11 Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) or 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs).

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Starting this spring Starbucks, in cooperation with AT&T Wi-Fi Service, will offer free WiFi internet at Starbucks locations. A paragraph from the press release is below.

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) today announced a new comprehensive communications agreement with AT&T that will enhance the enterprise networking capabilities for Starbucks by streamlining business operations and enhancing the customer experience. With this announcement, AT&T, which has provided Starbucks with network connectivity for point of sale and other store operating systems for more than 10 years, will offer consumer WiFi service in more than 7,000 Starbucks locations in the U.S. beginning in spring of 2008.

Like many $5 latte sipping Starbucks customers, I prefer paying zero dollars for WiFi and even seek out coffee shops/retailers who offer free WiFi. On several occasions, I’ve selected a local Panera Bread or Silver Diner over a Starbucks because they offer free WiFi. I usually spend more than $2 for coffee and pastry at Panera Bread and closer to $15 at Silver Diner for an old time diner style breakfast.

Based on my experience, offering free WiFi at Starbucks 7000 locations will benefit Starbucks the most by eliminating a reason for customers take their business elsewhere. The details of how the offering will work is covered in-depth here and here and info about requiring a Starbucks Card to use the free service is below.

The press release from Starbucks and three conversations I had with them yesterday finally made clear what the free 2-hours access requires. You need a Starbucks Card—not their Visa card, which will also work, but their stored-value card that you can recharge. These are available to buy with a minimum fill of $5.00. Once you have the card, free Wi-Fi service is activated by a single purchase of any amount on the card each month. Earlier reports (and what I thought I’d understood) indicated that either you needed the Starbucks Visa card, or that you simply needed a Starbucks stored-value card without a purchase.

Starbucks and iPhone

Since AT&T is involved in this free WiFi service and AT&T has an exclusive relationship with Apple regarding the iPhone it is possible that some special integration with Starbucks, AT&T, and iPhone is coming. Forbes has a nice article about a new Apple patent related to ordering using a “wireless device”.

In an application with the U.S. Patent Office published on Dec. 20, the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer and gadget company described a wireless system that would allow customers to place an order at a store using a wireless device such as a media player, a wireless personal digital assistant or a cellphone.

Someone has already designed an interface to make above possible and screen shots of the iPhone screens are shown below.

Someday, you may be able to walk into a Starbucks, order your “non fat half caff tripple grande quarter sweet sugar free vanilla non-fat lactaid extra hot extra foamy caramel macchiato” via your iPhone, sit down and start surfing the web for free, and when the drink is ready you’ll get a message sent to your phone or they may even bring it to your table along with the Starbucks “Eggs Florentine with Baby Spinach and Havarti” breakfast sandwich.

(I don’t have an iPhone…I’m happy with my Palm OS based phone.)

Starbucks Free WiFi and Technical Details

While the business side of the arrangement and how customers will access the free service is explained, the technical details of the WiFi network are not provided. One of the negatives of free WiFi at places like Panera Bread is that Internet speeds can be extremely slow at peak times in morning and during lunch. A few questions I have regarding the performance of the network are below.

• Has any performance and capacity planning been conducted on WiFi architecture per store to determine if additional users can be supported? Streaming videos on laptops and newer WiFi enabled devices like iPhones will require more network resources compared resources required for email and basic web browsing
• Are the access points being replaced/enhanced for this new service? The existing WiFi architecture is most likely not 802.11n or even 802.11a/802.11g, limiting the performance of the network to basic services.
• Will users with subscription service to AT&T Wi-Fi Service have guaranteed performance on network?

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I purchased this drive back in April 2007 even after reading this post where the author had bad experiences with multiple drives. As stated in my first post about the Western Digital My Book Pro Edition II, I liked the features of the drive and the price was right so I went ahead and purchased the drive from Costco knowing that they have a lifetime return policy on all products in store or online (since then they have changed policy to 90 days from purchase date for computer products and accessories).

I’m happy to report that I don’t think that the Western Digital My Book Pro Edition II sucks.

My environment is Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional, and Windows Vista and I use drive via USB connected to a Adaptec USB hub. I don’t have a Mac and have never tried to use this drive with a Mac. I don’t why I have had better luck than others with this drive (knocking on wood) but below are some things I do/did that may have helped.

Reformatted to NTFS and Changed to RAID 1

This is the first external RAID capable drive I have owned. Normally, I would just plug a USB capable drive but I wanted to make sure I had RAID 1 setup correctly so I read the directions and followed the Quick Install Guide. I’m glad I did because this drive ships with RAID 0 and HFS+ file system and needed to be reformatted for Windows and RAID changed to RAID 1.

1. Install RAID Manager software
2. Connected drive to PC
3. Changed to RAID 1 (comes shipped with RAID 0 and HFS+ file system)
4. Ran Windows Disk Management Tool
5. Intialized Device
6. Partitioned and formatted drive (NTFS)

A full format took over an hour.

UPS Power

I have used an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with the drive and I would guess it hasn’t been powered cycled more than a dozen times since it has been installed. Not sure how much of a difference this would make but it doesn’t hurt to use UPS power for any computing device with storage disk or moving parts.

Better Cooling

Anyone that has this external disk would agree that even during normal usage the air the is forced through the top vent is very warm (almost like a place heater). I copy huge files to/from this device almost everyday (1Gig + at a time) and noticed that my device was getting very hot. To help circulate air, I added rubber feet to bottom vent. Again, not sure if this is needed but with computing devices cooler is better.

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If you have two Gmail email accounts and want to access both via your mobile phone, Palm Treo 650 on Sprint in my case, follow instructions below.

The first step is to get a single account working. See post titled Google Gmail App on Treo 650 for how to get Gmail mobile for gmail.com or Google custom domains working on a Treo 650. The process should be similar for any phone that supports a Java Virtual Machine.

Once you have a single account working, adding a second account requires editing the Palm OS identification of the Java midlet so that Palm OS/Java Virtual Machine considers it to be a unique application and not an update or re-install of same application.

Midlet Name Change for Gmail.com Email

To change the midlet name the META-INF\MANIFEST.MF file in the .jar file will be modified. You will need to change midlet name, which identifies the application in the Java VM and then change the text after mdlet-1, which is the name of the installed application. See image below for edits I made to change name from “Gmail” to “Gmail 2″. BTW, I used WinRAR to open .jar archive and a text editor to make change. After you save the file and close text editor WinRAR will prompt to update archive file.

If you want to customize the icon you can update the archive with the desired GmailIcon.png file. The size should be 16×16 or 32×32.

Gmail.com Mobile 1.5 Email Midlets for Treo 650

You can either roll you own custom named midlets or use the files below that I have modified for five accounts. This midlet is only for gmail.com email addresses for Google App custom domain addresses follow the same process but start Google App Mobile Email midlet.

Download these via Java VM installer and accept install of application.

First Gmail - http://www.wlanbook.com/download/gmailcom.jar
Second Gmail Account - http://www.wlanbook.com/download/gmailcom2.jar
Third Gmail Account - http://www.wlanbook.com/download/gmailcom3.jar
Fourth Gmail Account - http://www.wlanbook.com/download/gmailcom4.jar
Fifth Gmail Account - http://www.wlanbook.com/download/gmailcom5.jar

First saw this here.

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Below is a three step process to get Gmail working on a Treo 650 using Gmail App.

1. Use Treo 650 browser and download JVM http://www.wlanbook.com/download/1.prc accept install of this application
2. Use Treo 650 browser and download JVM http://www.wlanbook.com/download/2.prc accept install of this application
3. Open installed IBM Java VM and install Mail by Google 1.5.0 Midlet by selecting “Install” and entering url http://www.wlanbook.com/download/gmailapp.jar
4. To bypass air time permission check download following file via Treo browser and accept install of application http://www.wlanbook.com/download/3.prc

Done!

Configure/Tweak Google Gmail App on Treo 650

1. Open IBM Java VM and Launch Google 1.5.0. Configure with your username/pass and check email!
2. Open Treo Prefs and select IBM Java VM. Enable “Use Double Buffering” and “Use high resolution coordinates”.
3. Set Memory Maximum to 4Mb and Java Thread Stack Size to 8Kb. Exit Prefs and check email again via Google 1.5.0 Midlet. You should notice better resolution

See below for steps I took to get to condensed steps above.

Google Gmail

Like many, I have a HotMail, Yahoo Mail, Google Gmail, and Microsoft Exchange/Outlook email accounts. Out of the four, my favorite interface for email is Gmail. Gmail’s search capability, organizing emails into conversations, and tagging is great. Also, Gmail was the first to offer an huge inbox that started off at 1 Gig of storage space and continues to grow (is around 6 Gig now).

POP/IMAP on Treo 650

Checking Gmail on a Treo 650 using POP or IMAP is possible but I have had mixed experience using the VersaMail v. 3.1B that comes with Palm OS v. 5.2H. It works but sometimes the I don’t get the newest emails and other times I get error messages if I use IMAP. I suspect other email clients may have better support for POP/IMAP than VersaMail but even then they don’t support the cool features that make Gmail great when access via a browser.

Mobile Gmail on Treo 650

After giving up on POP and IMAP, I set out to get Gmail working on my Treo 650.

If you have a Blackberry or iPhone, you can simply go to http://gmail.com/app and a wizard will walk you through process of downloading and installing Gmail App. Doing the same thing on a Treo 650 (Blazer browser) results in message below.

Sorry, the Gmail application is not supported for your Palm Treo 650. You can access Gmail on the go by using the web version. If you are certain that your phone has a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed, feel free to try the download.

Gmail Web Version on Treo 650 Option

I tried both “Mobile” and “Desktop” modes for web version of Gmail on Treo 650 but didn’t like user interface and how my Inbox looked on a mobile device. Plus, composing email isn’t as nice since interface is a browser window/form and is limited by how Blazer displays the form fields.

So, my only option left was to try to get the Gmail App to work on my Treo 650.

Gmail App on Treo 650

Install IBM Java VM

As mentioned by the Gmail message above, to get the Gmail App to work on a Treo 650 you will need to have a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed. Luckily, Palm provides a free JVM by IBM that is available at http://www.palm.com/us/support/jvm/

Do you have a Java application to run on your Palm device?

Download IBM’s WebSphere Everyplace Micro Environment to run Java 2 Micro Edition™ applications and realize the value of open-standards. Whether it is a business application that wirelessly connects to your corporate data or your favorite game, Java provides you greater access to more software and functionality.
How do you know if your Java application will run on your Palm device? Check with the application provider.

The latest version of WebSphere Everyplace Micro Environment (CLDC 1.1 /MIDP 2.0) is available for users of the Treo 600, Treo 650, Treo 680 and Treo 700 P smartphones, T|X, Tungsten T5, Tungsten C, Tungsten T3, Tungsten E2, Tungsten E, LifeDrive, and Zire 72 handhelds. The Tungsten W, Tungsten T2, and Zire 71 handhelds are no longer supported.

Install Gmail

Go to http://gmail.com/app and allow Google to detect device and required version of Gmail App.

Or try direct download from IBM Java VM install screen

Gmail 1.5 for gmail.com accounts http://www.wlanbook.com/download/gmailcom.jar

Gmail 1.5 for Google App (own domain) accounts http://www.wlanbook.com/download/gmailapp.jar

WLANBook.com Copyright © 2007 All Rights Reserved.

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It is possible for a single access point to have multiple SSIDs. This capability is more common in enterprise class access points and is usually implemented so that each SSID has a separate BSSID (MAC address). Each SSID can be hidden or in clear text or a combination. Some vendors allow as many as 32 different virtual WLANs to be configured per access point radio.

The most common multiple SSID configuration is two SSIDs, a guest network for visitors that provides Internet access only and a private wireless LAN that is connected to company resources.

Enterprise Class Access Points and Multiple SSIDs

Virtually all enterprise access points support multiple SSIDs per access point radio. Analogous to using VLANs in switches to segment users, multiple SSIDs create virtual APs that can be used to segment wireless users. In most cases each virtual access point is associated to a different wired VLAN.

SOHO Access Points/Wireless Broadband Routers and Multiple SSIDs

Most low end access points/wireless routers ship with a single radio and single configurable SSID. Several third party firmware packages exist that expand the features of these wireless broadband routers to add multiple SSID support in addition to many other enterprise class features such as radius support.

Some of the more popular third party firmware distributions are DD-WRT and OpenWRT. Both OpenWRT and DD-WRT support the Linksys, Netgear, and D-Link products.

Other combinations of access points and SSIDs are below.

No Access Point and No SSID

It may sound impossible to some, but you can have a wireless network without an access point or SSID. There are many proprietary wireless networking technologies and standardized technologies such as Bluetooth or IrDA don’t utilize SSIDs or access points.

No Access Point and Single SSID

Another name for this type of network is Ad-Hoc or an IBSS (independent basis service set). In this mode two or more stations using the same SSID can communicate with each other without going through an access point or wired network.

Single Access Point and No SSID

This scenario is not possible in IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless networks. While you can “hide” a SSID by not broadcasting it in beacon frames, the SSID still exists and must exist per IEEE 802.11.

There are some 802.11 WDS (wireless distribution service) configurations that don’t utilize SSIDs and don’t behave like access points but in general most access points that can be used for WDS are also APs and use SSIDs to service stations. Since WDS is not a WiFi certified 802.11 mode of operation not all vendors implement this mode the same way.

Single Access Point and Single SSID

This setup is the most common and is what every access point supports. Access points that are residential class wireless broadband routers with a single wireless radio are usually limited to a single SSID. In almost all cases, the radio can support multiple SSIDs but the firmware supplied by the vendors only allows a single SSID to be configured.

Multiple Access Points and Single SSID

A single access point covers a limited area and to increase coverage requires using multiple access points that are connected together via a wired or wireless network. This type of wireless network is called and extended service set (ESS). Sharing a common SSID, in addition to covering larger area, allows for mobility by roaming different access points in the ESS.

It is common to have multiple wireless networks in the same area and the SSID provides stations an easy method to distinguish wireless networks. Extended Service Set (ESS) or multiple access points with the same SSID that are connected together via a wired network allows for larger coverage and roaming.

Multiple Access Points and Multiple SSIDs

802.11 uses unlicensed frequencies and allows anyone can setup a WLAN without notifying frequency managers or other users. 802.11 accommodate scenarios where many access points or wireless networks exist in the same area with different SSIDs. These ESS, BSS, IBSS networks share the same RF space but are not connected to each other via the same distribution system.

It is best to conduct a site survey to determine if there are other wireless LANs in existence and try to design around existing networks when possible. Technically they could all use the same SSID and channels but it is good etiquette and design to select a SSID and channel that isn’t being used already.

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RFMON is short for radio frequency monitoring mode and is sometimes also described as monitor mode or raw monitoring mode. In this mode an 802.11 wireless card is in listening mode (”sniffer” mode).

The wireless card does not have to associate to an access point or ad-hoc network but can passively listen to all traffic on the channel it is monitoring. Also, the wireless card does not require the frames to pass CRC checks and forwards all frames (corrupted or not with 802.11 headers) to upper level protocols for processing. This can come in handy when troubleshooting protocol issues and bad hardware.

RFMON/Monitor Mode vs. Promiscuous Mode

Promiscuous mode in wired and wireless networks instructs a wired or wireless card to process any traffic regardless of the destination mac address. In wireless networks promiscuous mode requires that the wireless card be associated to an access point or ad-hoc network. While in promiscuous mode a wireless card can transmit and receive but will only captures traffic for the network (SSID) to which it is associated.

RFMON mode is only possible for wireless cards and does not require the wireless card to be associated to a wireless network. While in monitor mode the wireless card can passively monitor traffic of all networks and devices within listening range (SSIDs, stations, access points). In most cases the wireless card is not able to transmit and does not follow the typical 802.11 protocol when receiving traffic (i.e. transmit an 802.11 ACK for received packet).

Both modes have to be supported by the driver of the wired or wireless card.

RFMON and WLAN Discovery Tools

Kismet is probably the most widely used open source WLAN discovery tool. In addition to passively detecting access points and stations Kismet has many advance features like revealing hidden/cloaked SSIDs.

Before jumping into using Kismet you should feel comfortable with Linux and confirm that the hardware you plan to use has drivers that support monitor mode.

If you are not Linux savvy and only have basic wireless LAN discovery requirements, you may be able to get by using tools that don’t require RFMON like Netstumbler. Also, review the limitations of active scanning tools like Netstumbler and alternative tools.

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