add one for $50–$100. That capability permits you to communicate with exist-
ing wireless networks in homes and offices, as well as in public places like
libraries, schools, Internet cafes, and airports.If you need to set up your own wireless network, you need to add a WiFi
router,a transmitter/receiver that plugs in to a standard computer or into the
router of an existing wired network. Cost: $75–$150 for the state of the art.
(Chapter 13 offers more router information.)The only other possible expense is for a software firewall(a program that
is intended to block unauthorized intrusion to your machine) and antivirus
protection — but that is something you should already have in place for all
of your machines. Most current Windows operating systems come prepared
to work a wireless network or can be adapted to do so with software device
drivers provided by hardware makers. I recommend, though, that you con-
sider Windows 98SE the entry-level version for wireless computing and
Windows XP (kept current with at least Service Pack 2) as the optimal
operating system.Minding your wireless Ps and Qs .....................................................
By industry convention, the most common wireless technology is based on
the 802.11 standard, which dates back to the late 1990s in its original form. As
of this writing there have been three significant versions of the 802.11 stan-
dard, each better than the one before. You’ve got your original aversion,
followed in rapid succession by band g.There were, of course, proposals for c, d, e, and f, but for various reasons they
were deemed not ready for prime time or not technically or economically feasi-
ble. As we go to press, 802.11g is the latest and greatest, but wireless propeller
heads are hard at work and itching to let loose any or all of these: 802.11e,
803.11h, 802.11i, and 802.11n. And just for a change of pace, a whole new
group of new schemes falls under the 802.15, 802.16, and 802.20 standards.
What? Did you think they had already reached the limit of laptop capability?The good news, though, is that the big bubble of machines released to work
with the 802.11g specification almost certainly means that when even better
WiFi hardware and software are available, they will have to be backward com-
patiblewith previous equipment. That means that if (or more likely when)
speeds, reliability, and range improve, at the very worst your current
machine will operate just as it does now; in the best case, manufacturers will
offer inexpensive plug-in adapters (USB, PC Card, or dedicated slot; more on
these in Chapter 16) that upgrade a machine to the new standard.204 Part IV: Failing to Communicate