Wireless Mobile Network Service FAQ Last Updated 07/12/2007 What is Wireless Internet Service? Why are we doing this? How fast is it? Is it secure? Is it safe? Requirements and Setup What hardware and OS platforms does BCF recommend? How much will this cost me? I have Linux, will it work? Will the Wireless card conflict with my Ethernet card/modem? Whom do I call for support? Do I need to register my wireless card with host master? Can I register with host master for a static IP/hostname? It's not working, is there more support available? Using Wireless Internet Service on Campus Where on campus can I connect with Wireless? How can I tell if I'm connected to the network or how strong a connection I have? What happens if I move around from zone to zone? What happens if I leave and then re-enter the coverage area? Does Wireless work in any Classrooms? What is the College policy on personal wireless networking on campus? Can I print? What is Wireless Internet Service: The Wireless Internet Service (Wireless.Net) provides Internet access to mobile computers and other portable devices without connection cables. Instead, it uses radio communication between the computer and BCF Access Points. There are several versions of wireless Ethernet in use today. BCF's wireless Ethernet is based on the IEEE 802.11b and g standard, therefore only devices that use this protocol will work on the BCF campus. Why are we doing this? The key advantage of wireless Ethernet is flexibility. Your Internet capable device does not have to be connected to a phone or network jack. This also allows individuals to utilize their personally owned computers to connect to the Internet and BCF services. Previously no means to accomplish this was provided. Using this method Internet access can be provided for less cost than with wired networks. How fast is it? The IEEE 802.11b/g standard has a maximum speed of 54 megabits per second (Mbps). However, depending on signal quality and how many other people are using the Wireless Internet Service through a particular Access Point, usable speed could be much less (on the order of 2 or 4 Mbps, which is still substantially faster than most dialup, cable and DSL modems). Is it secure? No, Wireless Internet Service is insecure by default. Any user on the Wireless Local Area Network (LAN) can spy on unencrypted traffic from other wireless users. Wired connections on campus are generally more secure when communicating with other BCF servers. For this reason, it is important to use SSL when connecting to Campus Web, either via http://www.baptistcollege.edu/mybcf or https://mybcf.baptistcollege.edu/. You may see literature saying that the 802.11b/g standard includes provisions for optional 40- or 128-bit link-level encryption over the air, however, current implementations require the encryption key to be shared by all users of the wireless LAN, effectively eliminating the usefulness of this security feature in an open campus environment. Is it safe? Lucent Technologies makes the following statement: Because WaveLAN operates at .25 watts in a bursty mode (cellular phones go up to 3 watts and microwave ovens leak more than that), a user is probably in more danger talking on the car phone or cooking dinner than they are using wireless Ethernet. All devices on the market are approved by the FCC, which has a good public document on RF Safety. Requirements and Setup What hardware and OS platforms does BCF recommend? BCF and IT will not support equipment that is not owned by the college. In other words it will be the sole responsibility of the user to install and configure their own devices. IT has verified that Windows Vista, Windows XP Professional/Home, Windows 2000 Professional, and Apple Mac OS 9 & 10 can connect to the network. How much will this cost me? Wireless Ethernet cards, a.k.a. WiFi cards and 802.11b/g cards, can generally be purchased for as little as $20. May new computers now come with a WiFi card built-in, so check your system prior to purchasing one. I have Linux, will it work? Linux drivers exist for the Lucent WaveLAN cards and Linux test computers were able to connect to BCF's Wireless Internet Service, however we do not support this configuration. If you have questions you should read the online documentation, and/or contact the vendor for support. Will the Wireless card conflict with my Ethernet card/modem? Whom do I call for support? Both devices should function properly if you use one at a time. If you encounter problems, first make sure you have installed both cards according to the installation instructions that came with the modem/Ethernet card and the wireless card, then contact the manufacturers for support. Or contact the operating system manufacturer for support. Do I need to register my wireless card with host master? No, Wireless Internet Service is available to the extended BCF community. Anyone on campus with a correct configuration and login credentials will have immediate access. Can I register with host master for a static IP/hostname? No, the Wireless Internet Service only works with dynamically assigned IP addresses. It's not working, is there more support available? Check the student computing guide to make sure you have configured the device correctly to access Wireless.Net. Using Wireless Internet Service on Campus Where on campus can I connect with Wireless? Main campus buildings, dorms, married housing and Heritage Village. Most of the open areas in between these buildings will also have connection capability. How can I tell if I'm connected to the network or how strong a connection I have?   Macintosh:   The Airport Control Strip in the bottom left corner of your screen will have lit green dots indicating the strength of the connection. If there are no lit green dots, then you are out of range. Mac OS9 Mac OSX Windows PCs   There will be a connection icon in the System tray: Icon Description Color If you see green bars, you are connected and have good performance. Green If you see yellow bars, you are connected, but may have slower performance. If you want better performance, you can move to another location. Yellow If you see one red bar, you have no connection at all and will need to move to another location to connect. Red   What happens if I move around from zone to zone? Your Wireless card will always try to connect to the stronger signal. As soon as another Access Point has a stronger signal your connection will switch, but continue uninterrupted service. What happens if I leave and then re-enter the coverage area? Leaving the coverage area will destroy your connection. Upon re-entering, in unlikely circumstances, you may need to reboot your computer, however most of the time, you will be able to continue where you left off. What is the College policy on personal wireless networking on campus With the rapidly growing popularity of low cost wireless Ethernet come some obstacles to the proper operation and performance of this technology. Due to the shared nature of the rather small 2.4 GHz band, we all must be aware of the potential negative effects of interfering wireless devices. Examples of wireless devices which can interfere, especially with the 2.4 GHz band which is used for Wireless Ethernet include:   2.4 GHz spread spectrum cordless phones 2.4 GHz consumer short distance wireless video links Wireless Ethernet Access Points including the Apple Airport Base Station and the Macintosh computer operating as a software base station. Any computer operating in IEEE 802.11b/g Ad-Hoc mode Some scientific equipment. Devices such as these should not be operated on campus due to the interference they can cause with Wireless.Net. BCF is committed to supporting the wireless network across public areas of main campus. Your cooperation is appreciated and will ensure an efficient and well-structured wireless network Can I print? BCF does not provide printers for the wireless network. Printers are available in the Information Technology Lab and Library, but are only accessible from the wired computers at those locations. No provisions have been made to allow printing directly from the wireless network.