Download, print, surf the Web and more—the digital
world is better when you cut the cord
By Wes Pitts
I despise wires,
but I love the devices they connect. On or around my desk, there
are no less than a dozen peripherals, tools and gadgets, each
of which requires at least one wire, and some, two or more.
There’s my laptop, LCD monitor, two digital cameras, a
flatbed scanner, an external hard drive for backups, two iPods,
an inkjet printer, a laser printer, a fax machine, and a Wacom
tablet, mobile phone, keyboard and mouse—a veritable constellation
of technology products that connect to each other. You can imagine
the tangled web of wires involved to bring all of this together.
Maybe you feel the wires closing in on you, too.
Wireless technology
offers a way out of the tangle. In the last few years, two technologies,
Bluetooth and WiFi, have gained in popularity, finding their
way into more and more devices.
Bluetooth is a short-range, limited-bandwidth solution for transferring
small amounts of data. I was able to happily cut several of
the cords on my desk with a Bluetooth-enabled Wacom tablet,
keyboard, mouse and mobile phone. Because Bluetooth can transfer
data at a maximum of about 700 Kbits/sec. (that’s kilobits,
not megabits), however, it’s not useful for moving large
amounts of information, such as high-resolution image files.
WiFi, short for Wireless Fidelity, picks up where Bluetooth
leaves off. WiFi networks can carry large quantities of data
at very high speeds over distances of 100 feet or more, making
this technology the standard for creating wireless networks
at home and in public places. Most new laptops now include WiFi
capability, which is also finding its way into peripherals like
digital cameras.
Want To Cut Loose?
If you’re ready to untangle your digital world with WiFi,
you’ll need two items to get started. First is the wireless
router, or hub. This is the base station that hosts connections
between WiFi devices.
Second, you’ll need a wireless capability in each of the
devices you want to connect. This is either built in or can
be added with an aftermarket wireless card or other similar
accessory.
When you’re comparing WiFi equipment, you’re going
to encounter the IEEE 802.11 specification. Engineers are brilliant
at what they do, but woefully lack the ability to communicate
without using long strings of seemingly unintelligible numbers,
letters and acronyms with unexpected punctuation. To further
confound you, you’ll be asked if you want 802.11a, 802.11b,
802.11g or 802.11b/g. Huh?
Each of these refers to a slightly different implementation
of the same technology, with varying capabilities in terms of
speed and distance of data transfer. Most new devices use IEEE
802.11b or 802.11g, so you can’t go wrong with an 802.11b/g
device, as it supports both of the most common protocols (802.11a
is rarely seen these days).
The difference between b and g is speed—b transfers data
at speeds up to 11 Mbits/sec., while g operates at about 54
Mbits/sec.—roughly 1.4 and 6.8 Mbps, respectively. If you
choose a wireless router with the b/g specification, you can
connect the widest variety of devices and still take advantage
of the faster speed with devices that support it.
Setting Up Your Home Network
Getting past the technical jargon is the most difficult part
of going wireless. Once you’ve acquired the equipment,
putting it all together is relatively easy.
First, select a location in your home for the wireless router.
It’s best to put it in a central location, if possible,
to maximize reception throughout the house. WiFi devices can
communicate through most walls and floors, but a central location
will deliver the best results.
You’ll want to place the router near your Internet modem
so that they can be connected with—ahem—a wire, however.
It doesn’t matter what type of Internet connection you
have, nor do you have to connect your network to the Internet,
but you haven’t lived until you’ve sent e-mail or
surfed the Web from your couch.
Next, you’ll configure your router and enable password-protected
security. You don’t have to enable security, but remember
that this is a wireless connection, allowing potentially anyone
within range of your network to view, change or otherwise tamper
with your personal data, so you’re strongly encouraged
to create a network password.
To configure your router, you’ll need a computer that’s
also ready to go wireless or an accessory to add this feature.
Manufacturers have made the process fairly easy, with setup
wizards to walk you through the process. Once you’ve completed
this initial configuration, you’ll be able to automatically
connect to the network whenever you’re in range.
WiFi At Home
Now that you’re connected, you have all the benefits of
a traditional network. In addition to Internet access, you can
share files with other computers in your home. There also is
an increasing number of peripherals, including cameras and printers,
that have built-in WiFi. This allows you to stash your printer
someplace out of sight, or to make prints from anywhere in the
house.
Cameras with WiFi technology are a relatively new beast. The
feature was first introduced in the professional Nikon D2H D-SLR
as an option. It was originally intended for the likes of sports
photographers, who could wirelessly send images from the field
to a laptop elsewhere in the stadium, and from there relay the
images back to the home office for immediate use.
Now this capability is finding its way into consumer cameras
such as the Nikon Coolpix P1 and P2. You can set the camera
to automatically send your images as they’re captured to
a specified computer and, if you choose, bypass storing those
images on the camera’s memory card. Put the camera’s
USB cable to rest and use the wireless connection for routine
image downloads. You also can send images to any PictBridge-compatible
printer that’s connected to your computer or directly to
a printer equipped with Nikon’s optional PD-10 Wireless
Print Adapter.
WiFi Around Town
As wireless technology has caught on, WiFi hotspots have been
showing up at airports, hotels and coffee shops. Even New York
City’s Central Park has WiFi service. Hotspots allow you
to connect to the Internet with your WiFi laptop. Sometimes
you can connect for free; other times you need to set up an
account with the service provider of the specific location where
you want to use it. The fee-based services typically give you
the choice of a time-limited single use or a monthly service
fee for frequent use.
These hotspots are terrific for sharing vacation photos while
you’re still on vacation, so you can skip the hotel gift
shop postcards. It’s also a way to back up images if you
have access to online image storage.
