The following articles have been provided for your information by the
Association of Personal Computer User Groups: The Oak Ridge PC Users Group is a
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The following articles have been provided for your information by the
Association of Personal Computer User Groups: The Oak Ridge PC Users Group is a
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Want to get a laptop so you can surf the Web from your lawn chair this summer? Or perhaps you just want to be able to share your Internet connection between your computer and your wife’s computer?
In either case, a wireless network is essential, but sometimes interference makes wireless problematic. Let me shed some light on the subject.
The main component of a wireless network is a wireless router ( or a wired router and wireless access point). I talked about routers in my previous A Router Can Protect your Computer article, so I won’t go into the details and routers except to say that a wireless router is simply a router that works on radio wave frequencies to connect computer and other equipment without hard-wiring. A wireless access point works in the same manner.
If you are technically inclined, you might want to try to set the router up yourself. The setup is not too difficult, but adding the necessary security can be problematic for a technophobe. So if you are in that category, hire someone to set up the wireless network for you. If you try it yourself and can’t get the security in place you will also want to consider hiring someone to secure your network. An unsecured wireless network leaves your computer vulnerable to infiltration by others and can cause numerous problems including identity theft. Once you add the security to your router, you are safe from having others jump on your network. The software for the security is included with your router.
For the most part, wireless networks work very well, but I have seen many cases where interference can cause problems. The most popular wireless networks right now are 802.11b and 802.11g. Both of these popular wireless connections work on the 2.4 GHz frequency that is already crowded with wireless telephones, microwave ovens, garage door openers, wireless mice, remote controls, and baby monitors.
So if you are thrown off your wireless network when your garage door opens or the wireless telephone rings, you will want to assume that you have two or more gadgets interfering with each other. When trouble-shooting wireless interference problems remember that the proximity of the items makes a big difference. If your wireless telephones work on the 2.4 GHz frequency and cause interference with your "b" or "g" router, you can, of course, go out and purchase phones that work on a different frequency to eliminate the interference. But you may not have to do that. Simply moving your telephone away from the router may do the trick.
While the 2.4GHz frequency is quite crowded, it does have 11 different channels to choose from. So look in the documentation that came with the phones and/or the documentation that came with the router to learn how to change the channel. Once you know how to do that you simply need to make sure that the router and the other piece of equipment are on different frequencies so they don’t interfere with each other. Choose channel 1, 6, or 11 for your router to give it the best chance at a frequency that does not overlap with any other frequencies.
If you still have interference problems, you can consider purchasing an 802.11 n router. These are the newest wireless routers. They work on the much less crowded 5.8 GHz frequency. The "n" routers have greater speed and range than the "b" or "g" routers. I put one in my home where other routers had trouble transmitting the signal far enough and it works like a charm. I can even put my 5.8 GHz wireless phone right by the router without any interference. There is currently one caveat in choosing an "n" router. The "n" specification has not yet been completely finalized. That means that there could be some minor changes in the technology before it is completely standardized. So you will be purchasing a router that is what they call draft or interim model.
To the average user, this means that if the final standard is changed drastically it could possibly be incompatible with the "interim" "n" router you have purchased. That possibility is remote, and even if it happens, your system will still work. You might, however, not be compatible with other "n" systems. That is not likely to happen and, if the standard is changed when it is finalized, most router manufacturers will be able to send you a firmware update to make your router compatible.
I love my wireless "n" router, and while others have chided me for being on the "bleeding edge", I don’t think I am taking much of a chance, and it provided a solution to my problem.
As more and more computer are being purchased for the home, wireless networking is becoming more and more popular. While we haven’t yet actually freed ourselves from our piles of wires, sitting on the patio, in the kitchen, or in the bedroom surfing the Internet without any tethers can be a very freeing experience.
This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (Sandy@compukiss.com).
Have you accessed the WindowsXP “Restore” option to reset your computer to an earlier time? We often need to do this when things go haywire after installing some new software. Fiddling around with old programs or offbeat wares can sometimes land you in hot water operating wise. I found myself in just such a mess not long ago. Fortunately I had made a restore point prior to installing the renegade software, so I was able to use it to get things back to normal. Well, almost.
One of my oldest and most valued programs is CorelPaint. Suddenly, after going through the restore procedure, I began getting an error message plus having the program refuse to open when I double clicked on the desktop shortcut icon. This applied to CorelDraw as well. The error message said something about trying to install the program, then it would go through some strange digital machinations before rolling everything back and giving up. Strangely enough though, if I double clicked on a .jpg or .tif file in Explorer, the files would open the program with no difficulty. Several days were spent opening graphic files in this manner when it suddenly dawned on me that perhaps the programs might open from the executable files directly. Sure enough, when I went to them, again in Explorer, they both opened like clockwork. So why did it take me several more days to figure out that the icons on my desktop had some way become corrupted? I don’t want to know the answer to that one.
Anyway, after deleting the icons, new ones were put in place by right clicking on the executable files in Explorer and double clicking the “Send to desktop” option from the menu. Usually the names given icons made in this way are not the best, so they usually get changed to something more useful on my computer. Often part of the name is “shortcut”. Who needs that? It’s fairly simple to change the name. Just click once on the icon, wait long enough so that the computer doesn’t interpret the next click as a double click, then the icon text will be in “Edit” mode. You may have to experiment with the timing for this since not all “mice” are set for the same response time. The two clicks need to be fairly close together, but not close enough for a double click. Once in “Edit” mode you can type in whatever name that makes better sense to you.
We should all know by now that if there is a curved arrow in the lower left corner of the icon then the icon is a shortcut to the executable file, not the program or file itself. Be very careful. Sometimes there actually are icons for executable programs placed on your desktop when the programs are installed. Those icons will not have the curved arrow. Don’t delete them unless you want to get rid of the program itself. This applies also to other things you might have placed on the desktop yourself, such as graphic or document files. It might be wise to leave those names in their original form. It might also be a good idea to examine the icons on your computer to see how many, if any, DO NOT have the curved arrow. Chances are there won’t be many, possibly none. It is helpful to know if there are any that reflect actual programs or files, just to keep yourself informed about your own computer system.
It always pays to figure out what your computer is up to. Since it lives a life separate from yours it is often not possible to tell just what it has been doing in your absence. With the new powerful operating systems, many, many things go on in the background when the machine is powered on, whether you are there or not. Supernerds probably have eliminated many of the automatic actions, but most of us just muddle on, thankful that the computer runs at all.