Customer Reviews

Jeff Duntemann's Wi-Fi Guide, Second Edition

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first edition of the WiFi Guide was considered by many in the wireless world to be the "bible' of WiFi. As hard as it may be to believe, the second edition is even better! Jeff has truly outdone himself with this version. All of the important information from the first edition is back, but this time the book is expanded to include a wealth of information the first only hinted at.

If you are interested in how wireless networks actually work as well as how to secure them (at both the hardware and software level) this book is for you. Well done Jeff.

It's a toss-up for me between this book and O'Rielly's "Wi-Fi Hacks" book. Both books have up-to-date, well written content. The Hacks books is organized more aggressively into a set form that may or may not appeal to you. This book has a more traditional topic based organization.

Topics include antenna coverage and construction, operating system information and coverage of the different types of Wi-Fi security that are available.

I recommend this book for anyone serious about building their own Wi-Fi networks. I don't recommend this book, or O'Reilly Hacks, for someone just looking for how to get their computer on a wireless network. For that I would recommend a book specific to their operating system.

In 2003, Duntemann came out with the first edition of this book and it was well received. Now, scarcely a year late, he has brought forth the second edition. One could be cynical and say that a second edition is in part to trigger users of the first edition to upgrade, much as some hardware and software vendors might so. But WiFi has been growing rapidly on several fronts. It is a measure of its vitality that in the space of a year, this new edition is indeed useful.

Here are the salient recent developments, as explained by Duntemann. For starters, the IEEE 802.11g is now well defined and a slew of products has become available that support it. So much so that Duntemann recommends that you consider 802.11a products obsoleted by these, in most circumstances. Related to this, he provides an updated assessment of many types of 802.11 hardware.

A common need by some WiFi users who travel is knowledge of public hotspots. A chapter is devoted to this topic, with summaries of major networks like Boingo and T-Mobile. A field in major flux.

Every text on WiFi talks about security. Because when you use wireless, anyone in the vicinity could evesdrop. But this book is slightly unusual in the amount of attention devoted to it. Fully 5 chapters (a quarter of the book) expound on security. The level of this discussion is necessarily technical. But not forbiddingly so. Hopefully, most of you can glean something from this, if you pay attention.

Jeff has put together a extremely useful guide to wireless networking. It is well organized, allowing quick access to specific topics, and broad enough to cover most relevant issues for smaller (and maybe some medium sized) networks. He wisely discusses that which is truly important, avoiding complexity when it is not needed.
There is a considerable amount of practical advice, product information and helpful hints regarding installation, setup and security.
This is not likely very usable for a novice, but would be helpful for anyone who has at minimum a basic understanding of networks.

Bold statement, I know, but in my opinion Jeff has done what many have not been able to do in the past; develop a guide that is both easy to follow and very complete. I would not hesitate to recommend this guide to my IT guys as well as someone looking to learn about Wi-Fi that may not even know where to start. Both would find this guide book the most valuable book on their shelf.

One of the most comprehensive guides I've found to date. Easy to follow with excellent detail, offering explanations for various methods. A bright light for Wi-Fi instruction, it's an extraordinary volume. Both the novice and expert alike, would certainly find benefit from it well structured format.

Whether you're a newbie or a WiFi master, this book has something for you.
Jeff does a great job of taking the subject of Wi-Fi networking and breaking it down into basic, easy to understand elements. This book is a `must-read' for anyone interested in learning the ins and outs of the Wi-Fi world.