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Yes, that weird looking gizmo sticking out of the PCMCIA slot of my Sharp laptop (in front of the USB plug) is an antenna. Not an ordinary, run-of-the-mill antenna, nor one for a plain old transmitter, this little gem operates as part of a spread spectrum transceiver in the 2.400-2.483 gHz band. No license is required for its operation. No code test, either. It's just one small part of the ACER Warplink wireless network package I acquired not long ago and this article is designed to take you through the plus and minus side of this new form of networking. |
Wireless LAN came into being here quite by accident. The primary use of my LAN, except for backup purposes, involves linking a computer at the other end of the house to the primary computer in my office. This leg ran about 75 feet through the attic. I should say, through an obstacle course, for running the cable was an Olympic-sized bit of exercise. And, even then, part of the run had to go outside the house, under the overhang, then back through the cinder block and into the room. There were no problems for four years, until this fall. Suddenly, the link failed and, try as I might, I couldn't find the fault. There had been air conditioning people in the attic on two or three occasions. They very easily could have cut or damaged it. And, of course, the outside portion of the run could be the problem. Ordinary cable coax is not built for such use. Regardless, as I thought about stringing another cable, my enthusiasm for the job waned, and then waned some more, a lot more.
I remembered seeing something about wireless LANs and did a search on the PC Magazine site. There had indeed been an article in mid-1999 about the various options and Acer's WarpLink appeared to be the best value. Acer works under Win95/98 with a CPU of 486/66 or better. RAM requirements are minimal and only 10 MB of disk space is required. After some hesitation, I got on the Net, went to NECX.com and ordered the kit, and spent $180 of my life savings for the complete kit (no tax and no shipping charge, either!). This package contains one ISA 32-bit card, one PCMCIA card, installation software and a two-user license and software for Sygate 3.0 (the modem-sharing program reviewed here 18 months ago). As is usual, the PCMCIA card accounted for most of the cost of the kit. Laptop users get used to that! Note that inividual components can be purchased at www.shopacer.com. Thus, if you don't need the PCMCIA units, you can buy only ISA cards.
Setting up, with one exception, was trivial. The one exception may be unique to my setup. When it came time to install the ISA card in the Dell, I opened up the case and expected to spend about a few minutes on the project. Unfortunately, Dell gave all the easy space to the PCI slots, all of which are filled, making it even more difficult. The ISA was tucked away in a dark corner and I spent an irritating half hour getting the card properly seated. Installing the software was exceptionally easy, but do make certain you follow the directions to the letter. Please understand, too, that your computers must have Microsoft Networking setup correctly when installation is complete, just as you do to set up any LAN. The following must be present when you right-click the Network icon in the Control Panel: Acer NeWeb's version of WarpLink (PCMCIA), IPX/SPX, NetBEUI, TCP/IP and File and Printer sharing. If not present add them in the normal way.
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Once installed and after a reboot, the WarpLink utility pops up on the screen when you click the icon in the system tray. The first decision, after you name the machine and establish a network password is whether the machine is to be a HOST or CLIENT. Host, in this case, does not mean that WarpLink is like a Client/Server network. One machine needs to generate synchronization (frequency hopping) signals. Any machine can serve this purpose, though it obviously must be able to communicate with all computers on the network. The assignment can be changed at any time, though only one machine can carry the designation as host. The screen shot shows how easy it is to change. We'll go into Advanced settings further down the page. |
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Now that you are up and running, Utility shows which stations are on the network and an index of receiving quality. A solid 100% reading is quite comforting and means that the transfer rate will reach its 1 meg-per-second potential with no difficulty. The reading normally bounces around a bit, but stays at or near the 100% level. I might add that my link is a bit handicapped because there is no room for the antenna on the Acer card in the Dell machine. Every slot is full with little space between them. I could rearrange all the PCI cards, I suppose, but have not yet faced the challenge. My schedule is too full to allow for such demands on my time. Hi! They should have designed an antenna that screws into the end of the card and not on the flat surface. Oh well, nothing is perfect! |
Once the links are secure, you can focus on adding print-sharing. This is another step that doesn't take a lot of effort. Be sure, though, that you have the printer setup disk available before you begin. In My Computer, select Printers, then Add Printer, click Network and go from there. Note that unless Microsoft has the exact model of your printer listed on its option list, it is best to click the Have Disk option and finish the installation knowing that you have the correct driver. And, while on the subject of sharing, make certain that all of your drives and files are set up for sharing as well.
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If you click More at the lower right hand corner of the Utility, you get enough information to satisfy even the most sophisticated techno-perfectionists among us. To those, like me, who are several levels below such status, the information aims more at our curiousity than our intellect. It is nice to know that the failure rate on MPDU's is zero, and that the retry rate is less than 1%. But, unless the network fails to operate properly, I'm not certain about the value of such data. If I need to call or Email Acer for help, I'm sure the readings would be necessary. |
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Now we come to that part of the program designed for the experimenters of the world . . . and our hobby is loaded with them. If you click the Setting tab on Utility, you get the opportunity to click the Advanced Setting. Go right on past the first page and click the Hop Sequence tab. This is where the fun begins. Who among us can resist the temptation to abandon old-man Default and choose our own Hop Sequence (even though we are not quite sure what the numbers might mean). I plan to play with this once I get my third computer on the network. There are 77 options! Maybe there is real potential here, particularly if you are facing a very long RF jump between computers. |
I use InSync backup software with the Acer product. InSync remains my choice and operates flawlessly over the wireless LAN. Of course, the speed drops down a bit, but it goes with the speed of light compared to tape or Zip drive backup. See InSync for a review of V1.3. Now in 3.0 the mechanics of the program remain essentially unchanged. InSync is available at www.dillobits.com and comes to you as low-priced shareware. Try it.
In summary, I like the wireless solution to networking. The system is easy to install, works with little or no difficulty, eliminates the need for a hub and all those cables and, while it isn't quite as fast as a hard-wired network, the difference is scarcely noticed. We should get used to the idea of wireless data transfer for our cellular phones may soon deliver more Email and Internet data than our desktop PC. There is no question that the wireless era, in this totally new form, is going to take over much of our wired world (providing of course that the spectrum is able to accomodate the demand). The cost, while slightly higher than NIC's and hub setup, is not unreasonable. And, the price will no doubt continue the usual downward trend. So, if you are in need of a small LAN, give serious consideration to the Acer unit. You won't be disappointed.
73 de Jim N2HOS
