Wireless Network Hacks & Mods For Dummies (Paperback)

by Danny Briere (Author), Pat Hurley (Author) "We recently read the following quote by a pundit commenting on the sorry state of fast food in America: "You can have cheap, good, and..." (more)
Key Phrases: hot spot operators, supplicant software, cellular repeater, Ogg Vorbis, Wi-Fi Alliance, Zero Config (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

• Fun projects and valuable content join forces to enable readers to turn their wireless home network into a high-performance wireless infrastructure capable of entertainment networking and even home automation
• Step-by-step instructions help readers find, buy, and install the latest and greatest wireless equipment
• The authors are home tech gurus and offer detailed discussion on the next-generation wireless gear that will move the wireless LAN beyond computers and into telephony, entertainment, home automation/control, and even automotive networking
• The number of wireless LAN users in North America is expected to grow from 4.2 million current users to more than 31 million by 2007

From the Back Cover
Connect the old, the new, the practical, and the fun!

Play multiplayer games, set up home surveillance, or take your network outside

Now that you've got a wireless network going, you're getting the urge to see what else it can do, right? Hook up with this book and find simple, fun ways to expand its possibilities. Add your home entertainment gear, beef up speed and performance, discover wireless on the go, and get more out of your network!

Discover how to

• Extend broadband throughout your home
• Protect your network from snoops
• Boost cellular signals
• Set up a wireless hot spot
• Take wireless to your car
• Make calls with your wireless network and VoIP

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 359 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (September 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764595830
• ISBN-13: 978-0764595837
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #735,574 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #11 in

  Books > Computers & Internet > Security & Encryption > Wireless Security

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What *else* can you do with wireless technology?, December 20, 2005

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

So what do you do once you have your wireless router plugged in and your laptop connected to the internet via the airwaves? What more *can* you do, and what if you want to venture beyond the basics? A lot of that is covered pretty well in the book Wireless Network Hacks & Mods For Dummies by Danny Briere and Pat Hurley.

Contents:
Part 1 - Making Your World Wireless: Wireless Inside Everything!; Wireless Network Basics; Wireless LAN Infrastructure; Wi-Fi and Broadband Connections
Part 2 - Boosting Performance on Your Wireless Network: Combining Wired and Wireless Networks; Better Living Through Network Monitoring; Boosting Signal Strength Where You Need It; Staying Safe in the Wireless World
Part 3 - Wireless on the Go: On the Road Again with 802.11; Staying Safe on Any Wireless Network; Outfitting Your Car with Wireless; Operating Your Own Hot Spot
Part 4 - Cool Wireless Toys: Building a Wireless Audio Network; Wirelessly Securing, Monitoring, and Automating Your Home; It's Your Dime - IP Calls and Your Wireless Network; That's Not All - Other Cool Wireless Toys
Part 5 - The Part of Tens: (Almost) Ten Sites for Advanced Wireless Topics; Top Ten Wi-Fi Security Questions;
Index

It seemed like (at least to me) getting connected wirelessly used to be more art than science. Now it's pretty easy, and it doesn't take much to make a connection anywhere you happen to be these days. But there's a lot more you can do with wireless technology that perhaps you haven't thought of. For instance, the authors talk about GPS units and how they can connect wirelessly to services to enable you to track your car's location. Given I have a son with diabetes, that's a possibility I plan on exploring so I can sleep better at night. Or let's say that you are a music lover and you want to listen to your tunes all over the house. Using wireless networking, you could set up a wireless jukebox and listen anywhere. Perhaps you're the altruistic type and you just want to share your connectivity with others who need it. There's a *lot* of information in here on how best to do that, both from a security and a technical perspective. Add all that to some very understandable writing on the underlying technologies behind wireless (like 802.11a/b/g, WEP/WPA/WPA2, etc.), and you have a useful and solid book.

Any time I read a title that talks about hacks and mods, I realize that not everything will be applicable or even interesting to me. But if I can come away with a handful of ideas and tips to use and explore, it's worth the read. This book meets that criteria...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to Find a Better Introductory Book, December 6, 2005

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're thinking about setting up a wireless LAN, you would have to go a long way to find a better book than this one to use as a reference for what you can do with the LAN, the equipment that is available, and how to go about setting it up. This includes everthing from the interface adapters to the access points, hubs, routers and so on.

This may sound strange, but I'd suggest that you read the last chapter first. It's title is 'Top Ten Wi-Fi Security Questions.' Wireless means radio is used for transmitting the data. Radio means that this is being broadcast between the various devices. Someone outside your immediate area, can scan and detect your radios signals that are carrying your data. You can make your LAN secure, but reading this chapter first gives you a good introduction that will help you as you read the rest of the book.

This is a new book. It includes a lot of the newest toys like the cell phone sized Wi-Fi phone. They also cover digital cameras, security devices, all kinds of things that you may not have thought of initially.