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It has become common practice to deploy wireless networks for convenience applications requiring users to be mobile. Also many “road warriors” have Wi-Fi accounts that let them access the Internet and the corporate network from remote locations. Furthermore, many deploy Wi-Fi at home to avoid the difficulties of wiring the home. But because wireless networks operate by broadcasting a radio signal between nodes, they are especially vulnerable to hackers and abuse.

Wired equivalent privacy (WEP) has been used in the past to secure wireless LANs. However, WEP has significant weaknesses, most notably that it uses encryption keys that are both static and known by stations across the network, and it uses a weak implementation of the encryption algorithm. Thus, it is important that wireless networks be protected by the new generation of security features now available.

Advanced Wireless Security Features

IT personnel have a number of available options to make their wireless networks more secure than they are using WEP:

· The Wi-Fi Alliance has developed Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), which is a standards-based security technology based on the IEEE 802.1X standard. It is free and built into both Windows XP and Macintosh OS/X. Any equipment with the Wi-Fi Alliance sticker is assured to support WPA. WPA2, implementing IEEE 802.11i, has been released, so users of WPA should plan on a migration as equipment using the new standard becomes available.

· Isolating the wireless network on a private LAN is an option for those who like the security of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). IPSec (IP Security) is available as an even stronger alternative to WPA and WPA2. IPSec supports the secure exchange of packets at the IP layer and has been deployed widely to implement VPNs. Although a less secure VPN option than IPSec, Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) can be layered over WEP to provide authentication and a second layer of encryption as an option for those who need support for older laptop systems. Whatever solution is used, you must be sure road warriors always access corporate resources over connections that are protected using strong encryption, either via a VPN or using SSL-enabled web pages.

· Isolating clients by preventing them from talking to one another on the wireless network is an option which prevents wireless hackers from attacking other users. This is especially useful in public wireless networks, and client isolation is a common feature in the more advanced wireless access points and hotspot kits.

· Controlling access to the wireless network while also enabling access for guests is often a problem. Many wireless devices support guest access by segregating unauthenticated users in a separate virtual LAN apart from the corporate network. You may also want to impose a simple firewall that supports web authentication.

· Access to the wireless network can also be restricted to machines whose MAC addresses match addresses on an approved list. The list can be either static or stored on a RADIUS server for look-up.

· Finally, most of the more sophisticated access points have adjustable signal strengths, varying from only a few milliwatts up to several hundred milliwatts. Varying the signal strength can prevent signal from leaking out of the building to surrounding buildings and parking lots, and can prevent eavesdroppers from picking up the wireless signal while sitting in their vehicles or in a nearby building.

Conclusion:

Products are now being offered which make available commercial implementations of new standards in wireless network security. Complications can arise when trying to integrate new equipment and standards with legacy systems, but in many cases vendors have accommodated such deployment scenarios. With these new products and the standards they implement, your wireless network can be at least as secure as your wire-based network.

About Jonathan Coupal:

Jonathan Coupal is the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of ITX Corp. Mr. Coupal manages both the day-to-day and strategic operations of the Technology Integration Practice Group. Among Mr. Coupal’s greatest strengths are evaluating customers’ unique problems, developing innovative, cost effective solutions and providing a “best practice” implementation methodology. Mr. Coupal’s extensive knowledge and experience enables him to fully analyze client systems to recommend the most effective technologies and solutions that will both optimize their business processes and fulfill immediate and future goals. Mr. Coupal and his team build a high level of trust with clients, establishing ITX as their IT partner of choice.

Mr. Coupal holds certifications with Microsoft and CompTia, including MCSE, MCSA, Security+, Linux+ and i-Net+, and served as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the development of the CompTia Linux+.

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What is Satellite Internet Service?

Instead of using your phone line or a cable line to access the Internet, satellite service uses a satellite dish to capture then redirect a satellite Internet signal to your computer. Because satellite service does not have the bandwidth restriction that dialup service does, satellite service is up to 50 times faster than dialup.

High-speed satellite service is available to anyone in the United States who has an unobstructed view of the southern sky.

What Equipment do I Need?

In order to get satellite service you need a satellite dish to capture the signal sent by an Internet provider, and an uplink and downlink modem.

Which Provider Has the Highest Speed?

Of the four major Satellite Internet companies, HughesNet offers the fastest speed available – 5Mbps download speed which is 50 times faster than dialup.

It’s closest competitor, WildBlue offers upload speeds up to 1.5 Mbps. The next two providers, SkyWay and StarBand also offer speeds up to 1.5 Mbps.

How Much Does it Cost?

Thanks to the competition between satellite providers, prices have come down in recent years. For instance, you can get 1 Mbps service from HughesNet for $59.99 per month. That includes free installation, 24/7 technical support, and anti-spam and anti-virus protection. You also get a 30-day money-back guarantee.

WildBlue’s 1 Mbps service is $69.95 per month, SkyWay’s 1.5 Mbps service is $79.95 per month, and Starband’s 1 Mbps service is $69.99 per month.

The Bottom Line

If you want a super-fast Internet connection that lets you surf web pages like flipping through the pages of a magazine … an always-on connection that lets you talk on the phone while you’re on the Internet … and the ability to download music and video files in seconds instead of minutes or hours … then satellite Internet service is what you’re looking for.

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4G wireless Internet allows you to travel the city and use your computer anywhere-from a parking lot to a park or even while jogging down a street. There are endless possibilities to consider here, especially when you consider a wide variety of new devices that are being preprogrammed for 4G connectivity. These include cameras, cell phones, GPS systems and camcorders.

This technology is superior to satellite Internet because of its higher speed and more affordable price. In fact, some providers are charging as low as $25 a month for broadband Internet service. The final price varies and depends on your level of service. The speed of a 4G modem can be anywhere from three to ten Mbps, which is still four times the speed of your current cell phone browser. That means you can play games using your new Internet services or watch full movies no matter where you are. You can email huge files from your work to your home or download a backup file from a secure storage location.

4G Internet is not only becoming popular because of its exciting new technology-it is also becoming a popular alternative in the cable vs. DSL Internet war. Many disgruntled customers are switching from phone company and cable company service to 4G. When you analyze the situation competitively, it really is the best option. DSL is fast, but a wireless system cannot be transported. WI-FI Internet is portable, but barely-it times out often and operates at low speeds. Satellite Internet is too clumsy and expensive and cellular Internet is almost unbearably slow!

If you want fully functional and super-fast wireless internet then contact a Fourth Generation Internet provider. There are no long-term contracts to worry about. Whereas most providers want to sucker you into a 12-month lease (and perhaps donate “free” equipment) you can pay a low monthly rate when you order services from a 4th Gen service. The only thing to be mindful of is that 4th Gen is not available in every major city as of this time. In the coming years, expect more major cities to be added to the list of “hotspot” cities.

You’re just days away from fulfilling your ultimate fantasy: sitting in the park, listening to downloaded MP3s while playing online games and chatting to your webcam sweetheart! Hey, it’s not entirely healthy but you can search for cures for Internet addiction online!

USB Gears and Accessories Review

QNAP 2-Terabyte (2TB) Turbo NAS TS-259 Pro 2-Bay All-in-one Superior Performance Network Attached Storage Server with iSCSI for Business – (Powered by 2x Western Digital 1TB WD10EARS 2TB 64MB Cache SATA2 Hard Drive – New w/ 3 Year Warranty) Feature

• 2x Western Digital 1TB WD10EARS 2TB 64MB Hard Drive
• 2TB Dual-Bay NAS w/iSCSI
• Gigabit LAN
• FTP Server, SAMBA, Print Server, SQL server
• TCP/IP, UPnP, iTuner, BT Download

QNAP 2-Terabyte (2TB) Turbo NAS TS-259 Pro 2-Bay All-in-one Superior Performance Network Attached Storage Server with iSCSI for Business – (Powered by 2x Western Digital 1TB WD10EARS 2TB 64MB Cache SATA2 Hard Drive – New w/ 3 Year Warranty) Overview

This is bundle deal of QNAP 4-Terabyte TS-259 Pro II Turbo NAS with build-in two Western Digital 1TB WD10EARS 64MB Cache SATA2 Hard Drive – New w/ 3 Year Warranty Modern businesses face the challenge of dramatic growth of digital data, including emails, documents and databases. Increasingly, IT managers are turning to networked storage to provide reliable, scalable storage, centralized network backup, and easy file sharing. QNAP new Business Series Turbo NAS Servers offer affordable high performance storage for SMB, Corporate, and entry-level Enterprise customers. The TS-259 Pro is the powerful 2-bay network attached storage (NAS ) server, which is designed to provide an affordable and easy-to-management solution with iSCSI service for virtualized and clustered environment. The TS-259 Pro also offers versatile business applications to maximize the efficiency of the data center in the business environment. Incorporating the next-generation Intel?Atom D510 1.66GHz Dual-Core processor and 1GB DDRII RAM, the Turbo NAS delivers exceptional performance and maintains high reliability for multiple concurrent applications and intensive data transfer with guaranteed low power consumption. Package Contents: QNAP 2TB TS-259P NAS Power cord Adaptor Quick Installation Guide Flat head screw x 8 (for 3.5″ HDD) Flat head screw x 6 (Black, for 2.5″ HDD) Ethernet cable x 2 Hard Disk Key Lock CD-ROM

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: May 26, 2010 01:15:24

USB Gears and Accessories Review