-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
P C T U N E U P S !
-=+=-
Easy PC Maintenance for the rest of us!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Publisher: Jonathan Leger Issue #013
mailto:jleger@... # of Subscribers 870

======== This Week's Feature Article ================================
---------------------------------------------------------------------
LOOK MA! NO WIRES! WIRELESS NETWORKING IN THE HOME/OFFICE
=====================================================================

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to any of your associates
who might benefit from this information. If you are receiving this
issue as a forward, and would like to get your own free subscription,
please see subscription information below.

Please Note: We do not make our mailing list publicly accessible. We
respect your privacy as our subscribers.

NOTE: You are receiving this e-mail because your address was
subscribed to this newsletter. If you feel you have received this
e-mail in error, please contact me at:

mailto:jleger@...

Or you may unsubscribe by following the directions at the bottom of
the e-mail. My apologies for any inconveniences.







=====================<<< S P O T L I G H T ! >>>=====================

Want to learn more about Microsoft Access? Access Pearls from Saicom
is a monthly newsletter devoted to all users of MS Access - beginner,
intermediate and the ones who probably don't need any help. It
consists of original articles and sample code. Sample databases can
be downloaded from the website.

Subscribe At:
http://www.saicomsystems.com/index.asp?id=tips

View Archives At:
http://www.saicomsystems.com/index.asp?id=pasttips

List Owner and Editor: Nirmala Sekhar

=====================================================================






------------------------------------
READER FEEDBACK ABOUT THE LAST ISSUE
====================================

"Hi - I'm a little behind on my e-mail but just read your 'modem'
article. It is fantastic and very well written. I don't need a new
modem but your article was so interesting that I had to read it all."
--Dar Beck (dar@...)


======== Feature Article ============================================
---------------------------------------------------------------------
LOOK MA! NO WIRES! WIRELESS NETWORKING IN THE HOME/OFFICE
=====================================================================
by Jonathan Leger

Networking. The word evokes fear in the hearts of many businesses.
Why? Because it means drilling holes in walls, running cables
through ceilings, funny-looking equipment with flashing lights
sitting on desktops. More than any of those things though, it means
wires Wires WIRES everywhere!

Wires are no fun. They're not very attractive, for one thing, they
can get tripped over, tugged on, and pulled out of the hub (the box
where all of the wires join together). It's very painful to run
network cabling in hard to reach places, and if you have very high
ceilings in your office, trying to hide the cabling by running it
along the wall can be a chore.

The problems associated with networking cable used to be a shoulder-
shrugging "Oh well" fact of life, but not anymore!

Zoom has created a wireless networking line called ZoomAir that has
a 2 megabit transfer rate and a range of up to 400 feet (in any
direction). But before I go into too much detail about how spiffy
ZoomAir is, let me first give you an overview of networking, its
advantages, and why you might be interested in having a home or
office network.

-----------------
Networking Basics
=================

Networking is not a complicated concept. All a network consists of
is one or more devices that can talk to each other and share
information or services.

Let's say that you are sitting in front of a PC that is networked to
another computer down the hall. Think of the computer down the hall
as a long-distance hard drive. Because really that's all it is. As
far as your computer knows, that PC down the hall's hard drive is
inside of your computer! And that PC down the hall's printer is
plugged into your computer. It doesn't know the difference. Sure,
it takes a little longer to read files from that hard drive down the
hall, and it takes a few seconds more for the print job to make it to
the printer, but your PC isn't concerned with that.

Devices on a network talk to each other using what's called a
"protocol". A protocol can be thought of as a language. When
someone tells you "hello" in English, it's polite to respond with a
similar greeting. The same is true when someone says "goodbye", etc.
A language and the culture associated with it is a protocol, a method
of communicating.

Networks use protocols in much the same way as we use a language.
When your computer asks the computer down the hall for a file, the
computer down the hall responds with an appropriate answer. When
your computer asks the printer down the hall to print a document, the
printer responds accordingly. The two computers say their hellos and
howdy-dos, then pass information back and forth to each other, and
then say their goodbyes.

This can be very useful in the home or office. Let's say that you've
got two computers at home (which is very common), one upstairs in the
bedroom and one downstairs in the den. You're in the bedroom and go
to dial-up to the internet, but, oh no!, little Timmy is surfing
downstairs, so you'll have to wait. Not if the computers are
networked! You can share your internet connection. This keeps you
from having to buy a third phone line and get a second internet
account so that more than one person can be online at a time.

Or, for the office, let's say that everyone needs to have access to
some common forms that customers fill out on a regular basis. If
your computers are networked, then everyone has access to all of the
forms, and if you ever add or change a form, you only have to make
the change in -one- place, rather than at every PC. You can share
printers, an internet connection, hard drive space, just about
anything. Sharing a printer in a home environment is also a money-
saving investment if you don't mind walking a few extra steps to
the printer to get your document.

-----------------------------
Wireless Networking A Reality
=============================

So now we have a basic understanding of what networking is and how it
works. Now for the big question: how hard is it to setup a network?
Well, until recently, setting up a network without the help of a
skilled professional was not a good idea. There are all kinds of
problems associated with setting up networks that required a seasoned
professional to solve.

ZoomAir makes life much easier for those who want to have a network,
and it is also cheaper in the long run. There are three steps to
setting up a ZoomAir network:

[1] Install the ZoomAir card.
[2] Install the ZoomAir drivers and software.
[3] If you are connecting the wireless network to a land-based
network, you'll install the Access Point software on one of
the computers.

That's it! It takes me about 15 minutes per computer to install the
card and the drivers for a ZoomAir network. Once the software is
installed, the ZoomAir cards immediately look for each other and
start talking. You're linked!

How fast is a ZoomAir card? Well, as mentioned, they have a
bandwidth of 2 megabits, which means it's about 40 times faster than
a 56k modem, and can transfer a text copy of the King James Bible
in about one minute (the King James Bible is about 9mb). For the
home user sharing internet connectivity and a printer, and for the
office environment who is sharing documents and printers, this speed
is more than adequate. The ZoomAir card claims that 2 megabits will
support up to 30 users, but the truth is that's probably being a bit
optimistic if the computers stay busy talking to each other. It
would probably support 10-15 users just fine.






=====================<<< S P O T L I G H T ! >>>=====================

You're GUARANTEED A CREDIT CARD
-------##########---###########

Card Search USA

You are guaranteed to qualify for two unsecured credit cards just by
meeting our basic requirements. At least 18 years of age? Make at
least $95 a week? Have a valid Social Security Number? Been at your
current job at least 6 months? You Qualify! Click the link below NOW.

http://www.beevy.com/card_search/csusa?77-1960

=====================================================================







----------------------
How Much Does It Cost?
======================

ZoomAir cards cost more than regular network cards, but in the long
run they are cheaper. How so? Maintenance is -very- low. There
are no physical connections to go bad, no hubs to break, no wires to
tug out of the wall or trip over. The installation time is minimal,
so if you're having the network installed by a professional, it will
take much less time (and time is money to the busy professional
networking guru).

As you can see from the above, using a wireless network is definitely
worth your consideration in a small to medium sized business, at a
business where running wires just is not an option (or a very
difficult option), or where the members of the business use laptops
and move around a lot (did I mention that there is a PCMCIA [laptop]
card for toting your laptop about while maintaining your network
connection?)

At home, the wireless network makes for a no-hassle installation,
and with some cheap software (NShare Pro is about $40) you can share
your internet connection! Windows 95/98 comes with all of the
software you need to share your printer and hard drives.

How much do these cards cost? The retail cost per card is $219 each.
If you'll be connecting the wireless network to a standard cable
network, you'll need the Access Point software ($199) installed at
one of the computers. You'll also need the Access Point software if
you're planning on the most distant computers being more than 400
feet apart from each other, because the Access Point software will
pass data back and forth between those computers.

So what are you waiting for? You could be saving phone line charges,
internet access charges, printer costs and costly storage upgrades
by getting a wireless network installed at your home or office!

----------------
About the Author
================

Jonathan Leger is a partner in United Technologies, a computer sales
and service firm engaged in cutting-edge technology such as wireless
LAN networking, traditional LAN networking in Windows workgroups, and
custom database programming.

Please direct all questions and comments regarding this issue, or any
suggestions for subject-matter that you would like to see appear in
PC Tune Ups to:

mailto:jleger@...?subject=WTU_Feedback


-----------------------------
-=+ SHAMELESS PLUG FOR YOUR HELP! +=-
=============================

Have I helped you out? Do you enjoy PC Tune ups? Then please help
me out by forwarding this information to any of your friends or
associates that you feel may benefit from this information.






=====================<<< S P O T L I G H T ! >>>=====================

SAVE $3200 A YEAR Through Debt Consolidation
##################--------------------------

American Debt Management Services, Inc.

Whether Current or Past Due - We Can HELP! Reduce debt payments by
up to 50%. Reduce or eliminate debt interest charges. Eliminate debt
collection calls forever. Rebuild your credit. Eliminate debt late
fees and over-the-limit fees. Bring debt accounts to a current status.
Consolidate your bills into 1 easy payment which starts the credit
rebuild process. Click the link below NOW for your free analysis!
Our average client saves $3200/Year!

http://www.beevy.com/american/dm?77-1960

=====================================================================






=====================================================================
WEBMASTERS/EZINE PUBLISHERS: Free Content!
=====================================================================

You are hereby invited to copy/paste this article and use it in your
publication or web site. All that is required is that you include the
following brief resource box:

Article by Jonathan Leger of PC Tune Ups. Jon's ezine has lots of
articles on how to diagnose and repair your computer yourself,
without having to pay a "professional". His easy-to-understand,
down-to-earth approach makes computer repair a breeze.
Subscribe to his FREE, weekly PC Tune Ups Newsletter by sending a
blank e-mail to:
mailto:windowstuneups-subscribe@egroups.com


=====================================================================
(U N)S U B S C R I P T I O N I N F O R M A T I O N
=====================================================================

To SUBSCRIBE to PC Tune Ups, send an e-mail message to:
--> mailto:windowstuneups-subscribe@eGroups.com?subject=subscribe

To UNSUBSCRIBE to PC Tune Ups, send an e-mail message to:
--> mailto:windowstuneups-unsubscribe@eGroups.com?subject=unsubscribe

For BACK ISSUES of PC Tune Ups, point your browser to:
--> http://www.egroups.com/group/windowstuneups/

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
PC Tune Ups! is brought to you by:
United Technologies
2600 Texas Hwy.
Many, LA 71449
Phone: 1-877-SABINE-1
Fax: 1-318-590-0888
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-