Open Source Typical Mac User Live

 

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Welcome to the Typical Mac User Live show. My name is Victor Cajiao and I am your host this evening. My regular Podcast Typical Mac User Podcast can be found at www.typicalmacuser.com and that shows is released bi weekly on Tuesday nights and Sunday nights.

 

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It's time to hear a word from our show sponsor today Ambrosia sofware

 

 

 

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This evening my Guest Co host is George Starcher you know him as an associate editor for my blog and my go to guy for all things networking and security. Presisely why he is here tonight

 

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A: Wireless Fundamentals

 

 

 

 

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Radio Channels and Frequencies

• 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz)

  • Each channel uses approximately 22MHz of range.

  • In B/G networks you want a 5 Channel spread so you use 1,6 or 11. Most routers default to 6.

  • N networks with wide channels uses 40HMz of range when in "wide channels"

    • That means even on channel 1 it overlaps with B/G 1-7. Since most N routers default to 6 you can imagine it interferes with ANY 1,6 or 11 B/G device.

• 802.11a/n (5Ghz)

  • I would move any N hardware to the 5GHz radio and let it run wide channels for now.

Range

*N MIMO (multiple in multiple out) antennas have anywhere from 1.5 to 4x the range of a regular single antenna system.

• Can we say hosed by your neighbor with the default N router on 2.4GHz network set to channel 6?

*Multiple Access Points

• If you have wired you use same SSID, same encryption but vary the channels: 1,6 and 11.

• If you have no wired connections that is where WDS comes into play. Typically can be a headache to setup particularly across different vendor hardware.

  • *some* but not all APs support WPA preshared key in addition to WEP. Apple hardware does on newest gear with recent firmware.

  • Throughput is cut in half since it has to send and receive to move your data from your client to the next wireless AP upstream.

 

 

Encryption & Security Access

• WEP is dead. Might as well not use it if you can WPA.

• MAC filtering is waste of time. Causes just management nightmare because wireless does NOT encrypt the mac addresses any hacker can sniff one to impersonate to get onto your network.

• WPA Pre Shared Key is what the typical user should run now days. Use a good strong passphrase not a dictionary word.

  • Dictionary keys are as easy to crack as any wep key.

• Anyone who can break your encryption (or if you are using none like in a public hotspot) can eavesdrop on everything you send.

 

 

Questions and comments from the Audience

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B: Setting up Apple Hardware (Extreme N and Express)

 

 

 

 

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Picking N (b/g compatible) Vs 802.11n only (5Ghz)

• This depends, do you need to support G hardware like an old PowerBook, a Wii etc.

• Remember it down shifts to the lowest speed client. So a Wii can pull you down to G even if your laptop is N.

 

Bridging

• If you are going to useBridging you need to check "Allow this network to be extended"

• Bridging is using the wireless like an uplink cable. The bridging AP acts like a client to the main AP.

  • When briding on apple gear it turns off the DHCP server and connects everything in one network instead of how a router does it.

  • You want briding when you want your Bonjour to work across all devices on your home network.

 

 

Seperate 2.4 and 5Ghz networks.

• Victor and I run this way. One extremeN runs our N network at 5GHz with wide channels.

• Another extremeN or Express in bridge mode with wireless set to "Create a wireless network"

  • Uses a DIFFERENT SSID and Encryption key.

 

Questions and comments from the Audience

 

 

It's time to hear a word from our second sponsor today Memory Miner.com/victor

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C: Airport Disk / Time Machine

 

 

 

 

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Yeah Time machine can work to your airport disk.

• Apple does NOT support it even if it works.

  • Not a reason not to take advantage if you can. I just would not rely on it as your sole backup.

  • The airdisk does NOT encrypt the data. Unless you push an encrypted disc image to it.

  • I mainly use my airdisk as target for Backup from dotMac and a spot to save my iweb domain file.

 

 

Questions and comments from the Audience

 

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SHOW ENDING:

 

 

I want to thank George Starcher for joining us tonight and we hope all of you have a much better idea of how to build that ultimate or even simple Aiport Express or Airport Extreme network.

 

 

 

 

 

The Typical Mac User Podcast can be found at www.typicalmacuser.com and that shows is released weekly on Tuesday nights. This show will be release in my sream late tonight. If you haven't subscribed to that show yet, head over to the web site at www.typicalmacuser.com and hit the ONE BUTTON iTunes subscription.

 

For now this is your Host Victor Cajiao saying, enjoy the rest of your Sunday