Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Wi-Fi

Wi-fi in a conference room - are we getting screwed?

lakeroon — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:14:27 -0800

Why is it costing so much to get internet service in a hotel conference room? I'm organizing a small conference (about 50 people) who will all be in a hotel meeting room using the internet on their laptops.

The hotel says its wi-fi doesn't cover the conference rooms and that we have to go through its external A/V company. This company wants to charge about $2500. They are OK with us using a different provider for the internet service; the one our planner has found quotes a price about $1000 less.

Both of these seem kind of ridiculous to me. If the hotel can provide in-room wifi for $10-15, why is it so much more to provide it in a different room? Is there a cheaper solution?

(Sorry to say I don't know much about the specifications behind these quotes. The cheaper one includes a payment to the main A/V company for use of a line, and the rest pays for a wireless router and a technician.)

Whenever I require a password on my wireless network it slows to a crawl.

ssmith — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:14:16 -0800

Whenever I require a password on my wireless network it slows to a crawl. If i set a password my speed drops to half (or less), if I get rid of the password - leaving all the other settings the same - it pops back up to being fast and responsive. Is it normal that adding password security would slow things down *so* much?

I'm using Comcast cable as my provider. The cable modem is plugged into an AirPort Extreme 802.11g with fully updated firmware. I'm connecting an intel iMac and an old G4 titanium laptop. But I mostly notice the slowdown on the iMac.

Up to now wireless security hasn't really been that important, but I recently moved to an area where the houses are much closer together, and it's something that I finally want to address.

Network speed is something that's really important to me. I play a lot of online games where lag is a serious concern (DotA FTW) as well as stream video, XBox Live etc.

Is there going to be a "secret setting" where I can have the best of both? It seems like I've tried every variation and option without success.

Wi-FI camera

Amby72 — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:17:37 -0800

How to use Wi-fi or eye-fi flash memory in my compact flash based DSLR. I have a Sony Alpha 100 that I love. I want to use an eye-fi card or something similarly wi-fi to facilitate the uploading of photos wherever I am. The camera uses Compact Flash. I see you can get an SD to Compact Flash converter. Just curious if it would work, or if it would break hamper it so it doesn't work. what do other people do, besides just normal transferring with the card or a cable?

Laptop Wi-fi thingy problem

popcassady — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:27:17 -0800

I have Xubuntu, a DWL-G650 wi-fi card, and an Airport Express base station. How do I get them to love one another? I installed Xubuntu on an old Compaq Presario lappy. Everything works fine but for the internet connection.

The computer recognises the network name but refuses to connect to it.

On selecting the network, I get a window:

Passphrase Required by Wireless Network

It asks me to choose the type of wireless security (I select WEP 128-bit Passphrase as this is what I configured using my iBook) and asks me to enter the passphrase. It also asks me for the type of authentication I want to use: Open System, or Shared Key (I have no idea what that means).

When I type my password in and press enter, a swirly animation suggests it's trying to open the connection but a few moments later the password screen returns and I'm back to square one.

I've checked and double checked the password. I've reset it several times, just to make sure.

I'm technically challenged, and I'm stuck. What am I doing wrong? What should I be doing?

I think my Wi-fi is being leeched, Please help!

spinko — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:09:51 -0800

I think my Wi-fi is being leeched, Please help! I have had no problems with my old wired router for broadband for my 2 laptops. No problems with speed or Ping.

I upgraded to wi-fi at home for my 2 laptops. I got recommended The Netgear DG834G, both connect to the internet fine.

Im using WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key) for protection. Got a choice of WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA-802.1x

When playing online games it Good and bad at times. Im getting 300-500ms ping on World Of Warcraft. Sometimes its so bad I turn off the router and restart it. For 2-3 mins its 150ms then jumps back to 300-500ms.

Incase you asked, none of the computers connected are downloading anything.

I was so pissed the other night I disconnected the router for 16 hours. The next day I played the game, perfect pings. Day later back to being bad.

Security is turned on, I check the attached devices when ping is bad and it says UNKNOWN as an Computer Name.

Whats weird is that when sometimes I get a popup from Windows saying that my IP is conflicting.

Both Laptops are 192.168.0.2 and the other 192.168.0.3

Upgraded to latest Firmware on the router.

Could someone be hacking into my router for free access?
If so How can I stop it as its annoying.

Good, free firewalls.

Effigy2000 — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:12:02 -0800

What's a good, free firewall I can use on my home PC (running WindowsXP SP2) that isn't Zone Alarm Pro, Sygate or Kerio? I currently use the last free version of the Sygate firewall. It's great and seems to protect my system from attacks well enough (as far as I can tell) but I'm thinking that it's probably going to start becoming ridiculously obsolete soon (if it isn't hopelessly so already). So I need a new, preferably free firewall solution for my home computer which is linked via an Ethernet cable to one other home computer.

I don't want to use Zone Alarm Pro, for the simple reason that it doesn’t get on with Nintendo's Wi-Fi service. So I suppose one other feature that I'd like to see this new firewall use would be compatibility with that service.

I've tried Kerio, but I didn't like it. Maybe I didn't configure it correctly when I used it or something, but within a day or so of running it my system had collected more spyware than you could shake a stick at, something which simply hadn't happened under Sygate. It got so bad that I had to actually restore my Windows installation to a restore point from before Kerio was installed! So sufficed to say, it was a bad experience and I don’t intend to repeat the Kerio experiment again.

If there aren't any free firewalls out there that are worth using, I'd be happy to hear a few recommendations for low cost firewall solutions, but as I'm sure many here would agree, free is pretty much always better.

Firefox to Internet

jefficator — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 18:41:30 -0800

Why won't my laptop connect to my wi-fi? :-( I have a Dell laptop and a wireless network in my apartment. When I start up my laptop, browsing the internet works just fine. If I close it, though, when I reopen, Firefox won't let me browse! Apparently I'm still connected to the internet--Trillian connects just fine--but Firefox won't connect.

What gives? :-(

Laptop can't see secure wireless network. Can you?

Milkman Dan — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 19:24:38 -0800

PC laptop wireless issues: Can’t connect to my secure in-house wireless network. Any smart people able to help? Hey Team Internet,

I’ve got a laptop, and I can’t make it connect to my wireless network.

The wireless connection requires users to be added manually by inputting their fixed and/or wireless MAC addresses. I have added those addresses, and they have certifiably been correctly inputted. The network is not password protected, but will only let pre-authorized computers connect.

My laptop is an Acer TravelMate 280 running Windows XP. The router is a Linksys. In the “Choose a wireless network” box, the network doesn’t even show up as an option. It’s not a matter of distance – the signal is being broadcast from within my house.

When in other locations, I can connect to other wireless networks without any trouble. I can connect fine via a direct plug-in via Ethernet cable. I have another PC laptop that connects fine to the same wireless network. There’s also a new Macbook Pro that can connect fine to the wireless.

Those are the clues to the puzzle! Any ideas how to make this work?

How can I get my laptop to print wirelessly again?

stleric — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 16:15:48 -0800

How can I get my laptop to print wirelessly to an HP DeskJet 6980 like it used to? Okay, so I've got a ThinkPad T42 with XP Home SP2 and Intel 2200BG.

I bought one of HP's DeskJet 6980 inkjets with wireless built in, and I used to be able to connect and print to it flawlessly for the first few months, but just as soon as I installed this IPSec client for my school's wireless network (I never got the client to work), I couldn't print to my printer wirelessly anymore. My laptop still connects to the printer's ad hoc network, but I can't get access anything that requires communication between the computer and printer (printer status, remaining ink levels, etc.), and every time I attempt to print, the print job hangs for about a minute and I get this message. Trying to ping it through DOS returns some message along the lines of "configuration error." Given that I could never get the IPSec software to work, I uninstalled it, but the problem remained. (Incidentally, the laptop still works just fine with every other wireless network.)

I've tried contacting HP support on the issue both over their online chat (not helpful at all) and their phone number (at least the guy tried), but nothing that they suggested ultimately helped. I've tried different IP and firewall configurations, I've attempted all sorts of ipconfig trickery, I've reset the printer to factory settings several times, and I've uninstalled and reinstalled the printer software probably about 5 or 6 times. Every time, it still works completely the same - it prints fine and easily via USB, it works over an ethernet/patch cable after about 10 minutes of cajoling.

The curious thing, though, is that I can get it to print wirelessly just as easily as it used to when, and only when I connect the computer via ethernet cable to my desktop (which, incidentally, is neither wireless, nor is it connected to the printer). Every time, I connect the cable, the local area network icon in the system tray comes up with the little yellow/exclamation point warning bubble (this happens every time), I select "repair connection," and like magic, not only does this let me access shared folders on the other computer, the wi-fi printing on my laptop works again. I know that repairing the wired connection seems to go through some things like renewing the IP address and clearing (I think) NetBT cache or something to that effect. Nevertheless, after that, every time I wake the computer from standby or restart, I can't print wirelessly again.

So what gives? How can I get my laptop to do whatever it's doing when it connects to the other computer and repairs automatically, or figure out what the IPSec install screwed up in the first place?

If anyone can actually help me out with this, much, much, much thanks - I've been trying to fix this for months...

WLAN Security Conundrum

Dr.James.Orin.Incandenza — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 11:31:01 -0800

I'm considering subscribing to a local WISP in the city I live in. Unfortunately, the guy's Wi-Fi network is using WEP encryption and I'm more than a little concerned about security. I doubt one customer recommending his small operation migrate to WPA or WPA2 would yield any results. Is there anything I can do to secure my connection? Like I said, he's a small operator and I'm all about supporting local businesses (and I'm not a huge fan of the shoddy service I get from mainstream broadband providers). I'm having an outdoor panel antenna installed and plan on hooking that into a WPA/WPA2 wireless router for my home network. I'd like to know what the main points of vulnerability are and how to (if possible) strengthen them. I've considered running Tor to further secure my connection but am worried that it'll significantly reduce my bandwidth. I don't really have a need for a super secure connection but am a bit of an internet privacy advocate/I like to tinker. Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Dr.JOI, enthusiast and i-hobbyist extraordinaire

Wi-Fi stops for a few seconds every few minutes?

quintno — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 03:25:31 -0800

What does it mean if every few minutes my home wi-fi service stops for a few seconds? Is this a problem with the access point? connecting wire? The issue does not occur with desktop plugged directly via ethernet cable from cable-internet connection. But I notice that access points' lights now flicker constantly (and extremely fast--not like the lights on the router). And wi-fi signal disconnects for a few seconds all the time. Do I need new access point?

San Francisco Telecommuting

mto — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 09:13:57 -0800

I just moved to San Francisco and I am looking for good places to work that have either free WiFi or cheap WiFi. It's not hard to find a cafe or something to work from for a day, but it's a big city, and so I am hoping folks can give me hints on the good places to work. The kind of places where you can really get some work done, are comfortable, and have cheap/free wifi, etc. Sometimes I even need to use Skype for my work, so if it's the kind of place I can talk on the phone that'd be good too (but is not necessary, I often work from places I can't easily talk).

Good answers look like "I have worked from place XYZ, it's awesome b/c of 123, I get lots of work done there." Bad answers are ones like "go to any cafe, library, etc", which is to say finding a place to work from is not a problem. Rather I am looking for informed recommendations on places to work from, based on experience.

Out of sight, out of mind

adamrice — Mon, 08 May 2006 08:59:35 -0800

Recommendations for networking equipment in a Mac household? NAT, NAS, print server, and wifi I have 3 macs and one laser printer in the house. I'd like to put the printer in a closet (which is wired), along with a networked hard drive (to be used chiefly for backups and storing media files) and the rest of my networking hardware.

I've already got a basic wired/wireless router (netgear wgr614) that works fine, but I'd be willing to replace it in the interest of spending money in one place to save it somewhere else, or just cut down on my total box count (not a lot of room in the closet). At some point I will probably need a switch downstream from the router , which only has 4 ports—eventually I'd like some kind of box in the living room to play back media files (possibly another Mac, but if I can get away with a UPnP player, that's OK too). It seems that various boxes offer some combination of the features I want, but it's not clear what the most efficient, effective, and inexpensive combination would be.

The house is wired with Cat 5e. Not sure if that will let me take any advantage of gigabit Ethernet.

I'm not too intimidated by the prospect of hacking on something to add features if it's really worth it (I know that a lot of these gadgets have hacking communities), but I'd really rather just plug it in and go.

I'd appreciate recommendations for hardware combinations, and warnings about any serious pitfalls to avoid (I already know to avoid the Netgear SAN box).

Are there any worthwhile printers with built-in wi-fi yet?

stleric — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 12:57:27 -0800

Are there any worthwhile printers with built-in wi-fi yet? I'd been eyeing HP's Deskjet 6840 a few months ago, but I read about too many people having problems with paper jams, among other things. Apparently, the Deskjet 6980 was just released, and there seem to be fewer complaints, though people are having installation issues. I've also heard that some of Canon's are especially good, but that they have shorter longevity (I certainly had bad luck with the last Canon inkjet I owned). So, question is, is there anything available yet that is especially good?

wi-fi

jgballard — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 14:51:00 -0800

I sometimes have networks show up on my iBook's wi-fi indicator, and then I can seemingly 'join' those networks without entering a password. But then I open my browser and it won't call anything up. Are these phantom networks? Or do I need to play around with the settings? Similarly, I get 'computer to computer networks' that show up all the time, and those never enable web surfing. Is there some way to jump on those? What's the use of a network if you can't use it, after all?

Can you help set up our wifi?

brautigan — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 13:29:04 -0800

Wi-fi for small businesses 101. What is the best solution for providing our cafe customers wi-fi? We run a small independent coffee shop / bar in the Uk and we'd like it to become a wi-fi hotspot. Should we simply buy a router and charge a nominal fee for the password or go down the In-A-Box provider route eg the cloud and land our customers with a five pounds an hour fee. Or is there an in-between option? It would be nice for our homepage or similar to come up when they log in with a message and todays menu etc on it and we're also not interested in making money from it, just covering the expenses etc. Advice?

Secure wireless connection

PenguinBukkake — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 06:22:57 -0800

Wi-Fi for dummies: I have a brand-new AirPort Express. My iBook already has an AirPort card, and I'm about to set up a reasonably secure wireless connection at home (I have an iBook, OSX, and a Windows 2000 IBM laptop). Online resources are either pretty dry and technical (as I said, I'm not really a computer person) and some advice seems, frankly, a bit confusing. Can you point me to a good online tutorial for setting up the network? Thanks and happy holidays.

Can I wirelessly connect my iBook to my (rather restrictive) work intranet?

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 08:32:58 -0800

How can I become a rogue employee? I want to set up an unauthorized hotspot in my office, that "circumvents" the IT policy, by wirelessly linking my iBook to the all-PC network. My tiny office has 9 people crowded around 4 crummy Dell desktops. We've invested in our own personal laptops: 3 Vaios, 2 Thinkpads, and me with an iBook. The trouble is none of us are allowed access to the work intranet. The IT department are adamant that only authorized Dell laptops can be configured to access the network.
When I plug my Airport Express in, it seems to think it's connected to the intranet, but it won't pass any data. Does anyone have any tips or resources to help me "configure" it, to allow us all untrammeled access?

Internet access while biking cross-country

felix betachat — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 20:19:31 -0800

I'm taking three months this summer to bike cross-country with my father. Is there any way for us to have (reasonably) uninterrupted wireless internet on the route? A quick look shows that, if we were traveling on the main highways, GPRS data service from Cingular or T-Mobile would do the trick. But for much of the time, we'll be running parallel to, but not on the main interstate highways (examples here and here). I'd thought about signing up for the T-Mobile Hotspot service as well, but the same problem applies. Shockingly, there aren't enough Starbucks, Borders, Hyatts and Kinkos in the small towns to give us regular opportunities to access the web. We could get a Blackberry, maybe, but I want to be able to send images to my Flickr account and to be able to upload data from my Mac via ftp. Is there anything we can do, short of dialup on a satellite phone?

Captive Portal with auth - help?

bystander — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 05:26:05 -0800

Captive Portals. I'd like one. I want it to work with a WRT54G, connected to a DSL line. I'd like a login screen that looks up an auth database (probably RADIUS, but not definite) and I would like the whole auth infrastructure to be centralised, so I don't need anything but the wireless router on the end of the DSL line. I want to have multiple DSL lines sharing the auth infratructure. I want to control access, so only users with existing credentials gain access (not anyone like wifidog).
Cheap or free is good.
I'm not the brains of the operation, but I think I can understand the answers, any recommendations?

Know of a cheap USB Wifi dongle for Mac OS 9?

zpousman — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 10:52:42 -0800

I need help with my parent's iBook (OS 9.2). They want wireless internet but there's no PC-card slot, nor an "under the keyboard" option. There is a USB port. Anybody know of a $20 USB-adapter that will work with OS 9. I already know about the AeroPad, but that sucker is $70! Does anybody know of a cheaper option? I'd be willing to go to $30 or $40. There are a vast array of little sticks for PCs. Has anybody here used one with a Mac on OS 9. I'm happy to download patches / drivers / etc. And I don't care what the box says, I just want this to work.

Apple Airport trouble

keijo — Sat, 23 Apr 2005 05:07:10 -0800

I just got a new broadband connection and a new SAGEM modem to go with that. All works fine with my Powerbook when I connect it directly, but I also bought a new Airport Express Base Station that just won't recognise the connection. It has an Ethernet port and a USB port but all the instructions just refer to the USB port to be utilised for a wireless printer. My modem just has a USB output - there is no way to get an Ethernet connection out of it. What to do? Do I need a new modem? Or is there a way to connect the SAGEM modem via the USB port? The Apple website is of no help nor are the instructions.