This is not some new fangled techno-speak, it is a real tool to be used for the protection of your wireless internet network and LAN. African American SMBs have to realize that if your Internet connection is on 24/7 then your network, and it is a network that your computer is connected to, is at risk. Any business that uses the Internet to share or exchange information, news, or ideas with clients, vendors, partners, or other locations look in the reflection of your monitor and realize that your business is an unintentional (or intentional) target.

You should already be aware of all the thousands of bugs, viruses, denial of service attacks and other unfriendly items that lurk on the internet and virtually try attacking every second. It’s like having a screen door on your most valuable assets. Let’s not repeat what you know about, let’s look at a larger picture that should concern everyone – the unknown. There are attacks that go unreported for various reasons, these are the ones that the major software and hardware vendors have no clue about and can only warn you after an attack is reported.

If your files, email, identity, client or product information are important to your african american business and you cannot afford a network being down for 24 hours. Then a firewall is what should be between the internet and everything else. You need to expect an intrusion if you have a small amount or no network protection. Hackers have tools that search the Internet 24/7 looking for a vunerable point to destroy. Overzealous marketers use similar tools to harvest information to use for spamming and unfortunately no one currently calls that a crime that we know as identity theft.

You have a deadbolt and a door lock on your front door and some even have a home security system in place. Why have a screen door latch on your home computer network, when you know there are people trying that door 24/7?

If you want to put a digital rottweiler between your home wireless network and hackers, marketers and other cyber-vandals then evaluate a strong firewall for your african american business.

Don’t have the time or resources to get your home wireless network protected and need a african american Wireless Solution Provider partner to be there for you? We can help give you your freedom back…and a whole lot more. M.D.T.G.

Daviyd Peterson ©2005 All Rights Reserved

***********************************************

Daviyd Peterson: 10-year consultant, instructor, trainer
Helps african american SMBs bridge the digital
divide by going wireless. Free article
on Home Wireless Internet Security and other related articles
http://www.mogendaviydtechgroup.com/firewallsmb.htm
See a video where big time firewalls duke it out!

****************************************************

MDTG <309.403.4983 phone/fax>

Built in wireless capabilities are becoming almost standard equipment on most laptop and home computers these days for a couple of reasons. One of the primary reasons is cost. Adding wireless capacity is so inexpensive that it would be silly for the manufacturers not to add it. The perceived value of any machine with wireless capacity far exceeds the cost to add it. Wireless is the wave of the future, so if the manufacturers want to stay ahead of the technology curve they need to add it to all but there most basic models.

If you’re like most people you probably can’t even check how much memory your computer has, let-alone if your computer is wireless enabled. Throw in the fact that you may not even know what wireless networking is and it’s easy to ignore even trying to determine if your computer has that capacity.

However, since you bought your computer you’ve probably heard more and more about “going wireless” because it’s becoming the hip thing to do. If that’s the case with you or I’ve simply peaked your imagination then read a bit more because I’ve outlined a few things you can to do to check if your computer has wireless capabilities.

Laptops – Intel Centrino Mobile Technology

Computer manufacturers do less than a perfect job at explaining what this means but if you if your laptop came with this built in then that’s good news for you! In a nutshell, it means that your laptop has wireless networking built right in and you don’t have to do a thing. Intel Centrino Mobile Technology is a marketing name for a combination of the Intel Pentium M processor and Intel’s’ Pro Wireless card.

If you have Intel Centrino Mobile Technology then your computer should have a “Centrino” sticker on it somewhere. If you can’t find a sticker but you suspect you had one at one time then simply do the following. Right click on your “My Computer” icon. It’s probably on your desktop but if not then go to your Start Menu, find My Computer, right-click and select Properties. When the menu opens look at what it says after or under the word Computer.

On a side note, Intel Centrino Mobile Technology also increases battery life and allows manufacturers to build computers smaller. If you can’t find anything referring to Intel Centrino Mobile Technology under the word Computer — don’t worry because as long as your laptop has a free card slot, installing wireless is a piece of cake.

Desktop Computers

If you’re not sure whether or not your desktop computer has a wireless connection, the easiest thing to do is to simply turn it around and look for a small aerial sticking out of the back towards the bottom. If it’s there then you are wireless enabled. On the other hand, if there’s nothing then it’s still possible that you have a wireless device in the computer, especially if you purchased anytime in 2005 or beyond. However, because it’s not the best idea (unless you’ve done it before) to try and open up your computer to check something I’ll show you a way to check, if your wireless enabled, using Windows.

Using Windows to Check Wireless Capacity

Rather than messing with your computers hardware to verify what you’ve got installed, you can just as easily check using your Windows’ Device Manager. To use it, right click My Computer / Choose Manage / and then click Device Manager.

After you click Device Manager a list of everything you can install will appear on the right half of the screen. Take a look under Network adapters and ignore anything that says 10/100 or Ethernet because they are simply normal network connections — not wireless ones. If there’s anything else there, it could be a wireless device.

If you think you have a wireless device, but it has a yellow warning sign alongside its name in the Device Manager, you should take a look at it to see what’s wrong by double clicking on it. Windows should then tell you why the device is not working at the moment and may even suggest that you go through its troubleshooter program. Do that before you do anything else.

If it turns out to be a driver problem, you should insert the driver CD that came with your computer. If you can’t find the driver CD that came with your computer – don’t worry because you should be able to find and then download the appropriate driver online. The first step would be to go to website of your computers manufacturer and do a search for the name of the wireless device that showed up in your Device Manager. Once you find the correct driver simply download it and follow the instructions.

After all this (actually about 5 minutes) you may discover that you don’t have a wireless enabled computer — oh well, those are the breaks. However, it’s clearly better to find out your computers wireless capacity now — before you go out and buy some wireless equipment and then realize that you didn’t even need it.

This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.

Kevin Erickson is an entrepreneur and writer. To read other articles he’s written visit: Wireless Internet | VoIP Provider | Trade Show Display

WiFi is a very hot commodity worldwide…for both users & those wanting to cash in on the business potential. Below you’ll find some things to consider if you’re one of those interested in the business potential of WiFi. If you have more to add….please do.

I’ll try to keep this as simple as possible.

Here’s some simple ideas you should consider for becoming a WiFi Hotspot.

* To turn your business into a hotspot, you really only need 2 things:

- Hotspot Kit (which should include hardware, software, and remote monitoring)

- High Speed Internet (whatever is appropriate for your situation….DSL, T1, or DS3 connectivity)

* Before you order your hotspot kit, you need to first determine what type of service you will need:

- Single Access Point OR

- Multiple Access Point

The number of connection points you need is determined by the amount of area that you wish to make available for wireless internet access. For example….larger hotels will require one access point per every 20 rooms (on average) while a coffee shop can adequately service their clientele with just a single access point.

* The last decision you will need to make is whether or not to bill your clients for wireless internet access. Today, more and more enterprises are offering wireless internet access as a value-added service in an effort to attract more visitors to their hotels/shops. In today’s competitive environment, offering complimentary hot zones can be the determining factor when customers weigh your offering against that of your competitors.

However, should you find that billing your customers is what you want to do, find a provider who can help you do that. Your hotspot kit should come with software that will enable you to take credit cards right over your gateway (the page the users ’see’ when they try to access the web using your hotspot). You’ll likely partner with that provider in that revenues would be shared by both you and “them”. Thae provider you choose will make sure the hotspot is running efficiently. This allows you to focus on your key business and to receive a profit-share check each and every month your customers log on to the net in your hotspot.

The above is a simplistic description of what you’ll need to think about before becoming a WiFi hotspot. Do your homework along these lines and you’ll have a decent foundation to make a good business sense decision.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications….including DS3-Bandwidth.com and Business-VoIP-Solution.com Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

If you are shopping for wireless security, you might want to look at the various alarms available on the market today.

There are alarms that have the same options you can find in the professional wireless security systems in the $500 to $1,000 bracket. With the use of the remote, the alarm will instantly sound in the whole house, similar to a car alarm. When you use the handheld control pad and set it to maximum, you have one minute to leave the house after you have armed the system and before the alarm sounds off.

This alarm can also be used to monitor children going in and out of the house. When the alarm is set in the “run2″ and it is off, it will sound a pleasant chime upon opening any door or window with a sensor or whenever the motion sensor senses movement. When you set the “run1″mode, there will be no sound of chimes.

Other features of this wireless alarm are the ease in installation and the 95dB piercing siren. It also has a remote control so that there are no security codes to remember and lamps that flash when the alarm is moved.

Aside from being simple to use, the alarm calls up to four phone numbers until one person answers. It then plays a message you recorded using your own voice. It has a listen-in feature that allows the contacted person to listen to your home for any activity or noise.

It also boasts a built-in microphone that records your message. The home and away modes allow you to either secure your home inside and outside or the exteriors only. Since it is not permanently installed, it means you can take the system with you.

The motion sensor has an LED that indicates any sensed movement. Entry and exit charms alert parents or other occupants. This device, priced at $109.99 includes a base console, two door or window sensors, a lamp module, motion detector, keychain remote, and security or home control remote.

Wireless internet access is truly the wave of the future and depending on where you live the future could be now. Wireless “hotspots” really are popping up somewhere on a daily basis. Not that I’m complaining, because having the ability to access the internet via a wireless connection is a great convenience and allows you to “Take Your Laptop For a Walk on Wireless Side”.

On the other hand, even though there are thousands of “hotspots”, they don’t always get a whole bunch of publicity. However, if you were to do a search for “hotspots” in your town you may be pleasantly surprised. You may have thought that there weren’t any in your area but if you live in even an average-size city then it would be more of a surprise if you didn’t find a few “hotspots”.

Another alternative would, of course, to do a search for “hotspots” or “wireless hotspots”. There are a ton of websites you can go to and find “hotspots”. One “hotspot” that is generally considered to be on the most comprehensive is www.jiwire.com. You can search for local “hotspots” from the JiWire website or could simply type your zip code into Yahoo Maps and choose ‘WiFi Hotspots’ from the menu located on the right side of the screen.

Another option would be to check out the nearest Starbucks. They are literally everywhere and almost all of them offer wireless internet access in at some part of the store. Borders and Kinko’s are also pretty good bets and if all else fails… keep a watchful eye out for a local cafe or simply ask around a little bit and someone should be able to point you in the right direction.

Small Wireless ISP Fee

You may find that some of the larger hotspot networks with multiple, convenient locations require that you pay a small fee to a wireless ISP to access through them. In many instances, you can simply purchase a prepaid card at the place where the access is offered so it’s really not a big deal. However, if you want to free access your best bet would be to stick to the smaller independent locations.

Why Would a Cafe Offer Free Wireless Internet?

Actually, if you think about it, it’s really nothing more than good business. Rather than pay to access the internet in some dingy Internet cafe, you can access the Internet for free in their place of business and while there buy their food and drinks. Cafes are willing to pay the minimal cost of providing wireless Internet access in exchange for the new customers it brings into their business. Especially, in areas where Internet access is hard to come by, any other way. The same goes for hotels and airports: customers see wireless access as an added value and in many instances; they will choose a particular hotel based on this feature alone.

Actually, the real growth area in wireless “hotspots” is in the private sector. Businesses are falling all over themselves to provide free Internet access to their business customers – cafes, hotels and airports are all starting to offer wireless access to anyone who happens to be around. All you need to do is bring in your laptop with Centrino technology or a wireless PCMCIA card.

We’ve already covered a number of potential public hotspots to take your laptop and go searching for but one that hasn’t been mentioned is in reality may be one of first places to check out is your local public library. Public and university campus libraries are increasingly offering wireless access and if you’re a student there’s a good chance that your whole university campus is wireless enabled – or will be soon.

Hotspot Locator Software

Hotspot Locator Software allows you to create a database of known “hotspots” on your computer that you can search at any time, whether you are online or offline. Simple type in a zip code or the name of a city and the software will come back with the nearest “hotspots”… all sorted by distance from your location. And to make sure that your database doesn’t get out of date, each time you access the Internet the software automatically connects to its servers and checks the latest hotspot to your list and if your list if out of date it will download and update your list with the latest information.

If hotspot locator software sounds like something you’d like to take for spin, you’re in luck because it’s offered for free from many of hotspot providers’ websites. T-Mobile Hotspot is currently the largest provider and offers a free download at: http://www.tmobile.com/hotspot.

About The Author
Laramie Cahill is a contributing writer to: http://www.zephyrnet.com and http://www.eyeonvoip.com and http://www.usfairtrade.com. This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.

Using the Physical World as a Game Board.

Wireless networking is 1 of the greatest new computer technologies in terms of convenience. If you’re weighing the pros and cons of wireless before taking the leap, here are 5 to put in the “pro” column.

#1: No More Wires

Of all the reasons to switch your network to wireless, this is perhaps the most important. Wires are inconvenient, expensive, dangerous, and downright ugly.

No more wires across the floor improves the safety of your home, since it’s easy to trip over exposed wires.

The average Ethernet wire doesn’t cost much per foot, but it adds up quickly. To run wires between rooms or floors, you have to knock holes in the walls, which might not even be an option for renters.

Plus when you move you don’t have the mess of disconnecting all the wires only to re-connect them at the other end. Nor do you have to examine every wire for damage if your internet connection goes down.

#2: Internet Access For All

Wireless networking gives you a cheap, easy way to share 1 internet connection among multiple computers. You can add new computers to your network simply by plugging in a wireless card and switching them on — they get an internet connection immediately!

#3: Share Files And Printers

A wireless network gives you access to your files wherever you are, and makes it easy to synchronize the data of a laptop and a desktop computer. It’s much easier to send files between computers with a wireless network than by email, or CD.

Plus, with the printer connected, you can also write things wherever you happen to be, press print, and go collect them from a printer connected to another computer. Printers plugged into 1 of the network’s computers are shared by all the computers automatically.

#4: Always ON

Broadband revolutionized networking with internet connections being continuously connected — no need to dial in every time. Wireless networking lets network connections be always-on, so any of your computers can connect to the internet whenever you want. Take laptops from room to room or out on the deck — they’ll have an internet connection. Plus, there’s no need for excessive password entry.

#5: Freedom!

With wireless networking, you can even take your computer wherever the signal reaches. Going wireless is much like the switching from the old fashioned wall-mounted telephone to a cellular phone. The freedom is exhilarating.

In the heart of Silicon Valley a revolution is about
to take place. It could change the Universe as we
know it. Don’t laugh, this revolution will grab you
by the short wires and turn your world upside down.

It will affect your life and the lives of your children’s
children. It might just be the spark that changes
everything…

It all has to do with the Internet.

Someone wants to give the Internet its wings. Get rid
of all those wires and monthly bills. Set it free.
Let it fly among the stars. Broadcast it out into
the stratosphere. Or in other words, make it free
for everyone.

And it’s about time.

Are we talking about a free wireless Internet for the
masses? Well, not exactly and not yet. But it’s the start
of such a concept that could quickly become a reality
for many people very soon. It has to start somewhere
and why not in Silicon Valley. Where else would you want
to start a free wireless revolution but a place that really
knows how to cash in its chips.

And who else would you expect to lead this
Internet Parade than Google; the all knowing,
all seeing, omnipotent and undisputed ruler of
the mighty cursor.

Google wants to give free broadband Wi-Fi service
to the small city of Mountain View, sometimes AKA-ed
as the Capital of Silicon Valley. Located between
the Santa Cruz Mountains and San Francisco Bay,
Mountain View is home to around 72,000 young,
vibrant and smart residents. The median age is
32.8 years old. Pure Google fodder.

Google has proposed a system of providing free
Wi-Fi via 300 transmitters on light poles which would
virtually make the city one big hotspot. City
leaders now have to decide if Google should get the
go ahead for this free Internet. In its proposal,
Google has plainly stated its own self-interest in
such a system.

“In our self-interest, we believe that giving
more people the ability to access the Internet
will drive more traffic to Google and hence more
revenue to Google and its partner websites.”

Obviously, Google has everything to gain. Ad revenue
and the Internet is its lifeblood. Why not expand that
lifeblood. And why not make the Internet pay for itself.
Why shouldn’t it be free and ad supported — cut out all
those monthly ISP bills users now have to pay.

Will the majority of Internet users be willing to
give up their ISP bills for a few Google ads on
webpages? In a heartbeat!

Sure, there will be naysayers, all revolutions have
them. Commercialism of the web is a totally bad road
to traverse. Capitalism is wrong. But it’s a moot
argument, the web is already monetized up to the yin-yang.
Users should get something back for a change. It might
be totally in Google’s self-interest to give people a
free Internet but there’s no denying that such a gesture
would also be a way of sharing all that ad revenue.

A free Internet that spans the Globe and beyond –
available to everyone. Such a system is probably a
natural evolution. The Internet is already turning into
a billion channel universe broadcasting its contents
into the stratosphere. Why not give all this content
some wings.

Why not make this broadcasting system free and ad
supported. There’s a subtle democratic gesture in
what Google is offering. Will people accept this
offer or try to hold back evolution. Will they enable
Google “to be a good corporate citizen and play a
pioneering role in a public-private partnership
to bridge the digital divide.”

Of course, this is just the start, if Google’s
Proposal flies, a free Internet will only be a
click away.

Today, Mountain View. Tomorrow, the Universe.

Bring it on! I want my Free Internet!

Still looking for that unique corporate gift for the boss or employee — Click Here:
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Get a Free Desktop Calendar & Planner compliments of Titus Hoskins and DATEwise.

Copyright © 2005. This article may be
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Wireless networks use radio waves instead of wires to transmit data between computers. Here’s how:

The Binary Code: 1s and 0s

It’s well known that computers transmit information digitally, using binary code: ones and zeros. This translates well to radio waves, since those 1s and 0s can be represented by different kinds of beeps. These beeps are so fast that they’re outside the hearing range of humans.

Morse Code: Dots And Dashes

It works like Morse code, which is a way to transmit the alphabet over radio waves using dots (short beeps) and dashes (long beeps). Morse code was used manually for years via telegraph to get information from 1 place to another very quickly. More importantly for this example, though, it is a binary system, just as a computer system is.

Wireless networking, then, can be thought of as a Morse code for computers. You plug in a combined radio receiver and transmitter, and the computer is able to send out its equivalent of dots and dashes (bits, in computer-speak) to get your data from here to there.

Wavelengths And Frequencies

You might wonder how the computer can send and receive data at high speed without becoming garbled nonsense. The key to wireless networking is how it gets around this problem.

First, wireless transmissions are sent at very high frequencies, which allows more data to be sent per second. Most wireless connections use a frequency of 2.4 gigahertz (2.4 billion cycles per second) — a frequency similar to mobile phones and microwave ovens. However, this high frequency produces a wavelength that is very short, which is why wireless networking is effective only over short distances.

Wireless networks also use a technique called “frequency hopping.” They use dozens of frequencies, and constantly switch among them. This makes wireless networks more immune to interference from other radio signals than if they transmitted on a single frequency.

Internet Access Points

The final step for a wireless network is to provide internet access for every computer on the network. This is done by a special piece of wireless equipment called an access point. An access point is more expensive than a wireless card for 1 computer, because it contains radios capable of communicating with around 100 computers, sharing internet access among them. Dedicated access points are necessary only for larger networks. With only a few computers, it is possible to use 1 of them as the access point, or to use a wireless router.

Industry Standards

Wireless equipment from different manufacturers can work together to handle these complex communications because there are standards which guide the production of all wireless devices. These standards are technically called the 802.11. Because of industry compliance with these standards, wireless networking is both easy to use and affordable today.

Wireless Is Simple To Use

If all this talk of frequencies has you worried — relax. Wireless networking hardware and software handle all of this automatically, without need for user intervention. Wireless networking, for all its complicated ability, is far simpler to use than you might expect.

Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit Wireless Internet for more info.

Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.