Re: [PLUG] OT: Large Wireless Network on the Cheap

[Jason Costomiris <jcostom@gmail.com>]

On Sat, 9 Oct 2004 14:10:16 -0400, eric@lucii.org <eric@lucii.org> wrote:
> So you're telling me that if I run a wireless access point rather than
> a wireless router then even MAC address authorization won't protect me.
> What is there then?  WAP (or WEP or whatever that encryption stuff is?)

There's WEP or WPA (which comes in 2 flavors - PSK or "Enterprise"). 
PSK is pre-shared key, a common value that all WPA clients use. 
Enterprise requires a RADIUS server on the network to authenticate
users.  Personally, I use WPA Enterprise here at home.  Makes it
simple to allow a friend on to the network one day and when he leaves,
remove his ability to use it.  Another alternative is one of the
proprietary authentication schemes such as LEAP, but that requires
some fairly expensive hardware.

> I bought a wireless router and my daughter compains that she cannot see
> the shared drive on the server or the printer.  I want to replace it with
> a wireless access point but don't want to invite "the neighbors" in.

That really shouldn't make a difference.  If you really want to go
cheap, verify that IP connectivity exists between your daughter's
machine and the machine where the shared drive is and setup a shortcut
for \\a.b.c.d\sharename on her desktop.  Over at my parents' house, my
mother doesn't really grasp the Net 'Hood concept, so I just give her
a shortcut on the desktop.  Works great.  Also, you don't need the
'Hood in order to have printing work.

Another option is WINS.  Not the cleanest, but it works.  Is the
server running Samba?  Turn on the WINS support, and point your
Windoze machines to the Linux box as a WINS server.  The 'Hood should
work immediately.

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