Installing and configuring a Wireless Router

GadgTechWorld.blogspot.com

A wireless router affords laptop or portable computer users greater mobility in their homes and businesses. In most home networks, wireless routers are connected to a cable or DSL modem, and the router sends the signals and information that make up an Internet protocol (IP) thread to the user's computer via radio signals rather than wires.

To communicate with the wireless router, individual computers house transceivers such as an internal expansion card, a peripheral docked by USB or, in the case of laptops, a PC card or hard-wired internal device. For those accessing the Internet through a high-speed connection, a wireless router can also serve as a hardware firewall (as opposed to a software program), enabling protection from undesirable outside computers without exhausting as many system resources as traditional firewall programs.


Installing a Wireless Router

First, turn off the PC and modem, then remove the Ethernet cable from the PC and plug it into the router's WAN port. Install a second Ethernet cable between the PC's Ethernet port and one of the router's Ethernet ports. Power the modem, router and then PC, waiting for the system to boot and initialize before attempting an Internet connection.
Most routers are programmed with the manufacturer's default settings, including the network's name or service set identifier (SSID), channel and sign-on password. These default settings generally may be changed using included software or an online setup utility provided by the router's manufacturer.
Configure the router by entering the router configuration IP address at the URL provided, followed by the configuration utility ID and the default password. To find your router's default IP address and the default login info, refer to the owner's manual. If you own a Linksys router, a popular brand, the IP address is usually 192.168.1.1. Two other popular brands, D-Link and Netgear, generally use 192.168.0.1.

Connecting a Printer to a Wireless Router

First, check the documentation that came with your printer to determine how it's designed to connect to computers. Connections made through Ethernet, USB and (obsolescent) parallel ports are common, but newer printers are sometimes wireless-enabled and allow you to simply add them to your wireless network.
Refer to the owner's manual for your particular wireless router. Inside, find the default IP address and the default login info. If you own a Linksys router, the IP address is usually 192.168.1.1. Other popular brands D-Link and Netgear generally use 192.168.0.1.

Connecting Two Wireless Routers

Bridging two wireless routers involves configuring both networks manually. Visit each network location - which should be recognized by your computer automatically - and configure the appropriate Service Set Identifier (SSID), Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) or WiFi Protected Access (WPA) key and authentication information. Make sure you know the SSID and WEP or WPA key ahead of time.

Connecting an Xbox 360 to a Wireless Router

Connecting an Xbox 360 to a wireless router allows you to use Xbox Live without physically connecting your Xbox to a cable. Power up your Xbox system and the router, then plug the wireless networking adapter into the two slots at the Xbox's rear. Unplug any existing Ethernet cables and connect the USB connector to the port adjacent to the adapter. Use the system area of the Xbox dashboard to adjust your network settings. This should connect you to the wireless network.

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Which magazine featured this house best? A fun election!

Can we all give a hallelujah to the end of political ads? I wish there was a rule that in political ads candidates could only talk about the positive things they've done and want to do- and NOT mention any other candidates!

So, I thought I'd have a fun election. We have the same house - the home of the folks who run Indenfor & Udenfor, featured by 7 different publications. I want you to vote which magazine featured the home best. You can click on each image for a larger view.

The above 6 are from Vtownen, Holland, February 2006

The four images above are from Skona Hem, Sweden, 2003

These 5 are from a Japanese article, "Lives with the Scandinavian Tools"

These 5 are as seen in Henne, Norway, October 2002

The above 6 from Elle Decoration, UK, January 2005

These 5 are from Case de Abitare, Italy, November 2003

The above four are from Bolig Magasinet, April 2003, Denmark

So, who gets your vote?

A. Vtwonen

B. Skona Hem

C. Japan "Lives with the Scandinavian Tools

D. Henne

E. Elle Decoration UK

F. Casa de Abitare

E. Bolig Magasinet

Can't wait to hear what you guys think!

all images via Idenfor & Udenfor

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Wallpaper I LOVE!

Wallpaper is by no means a new "trend." It's been back in style for a few years now. That's why I'm surprised I've just now discovered Studio Nommo - which has a gorgeous collection. I have designer Ashley from *i'm smitten* to thank. She designed one of my favs, the "Foxy" wallpaper.

The card from *i'm smitten* that was reinterpreted into wallpaper.



the wallpaper

Below are some other designs from Studio Nommo that I like


I've been liking feathers a lot lately


This one's titled "Things on my desk" Great for a home office!



Love the pomegranates!

You can also design your own wallpaper by uploading a photo or illustration to their site. See more at Studio Nommo

If you liked the Foxes in Trees illustration, see more at *i'm smitten*

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DHCP-(Dynamic Host Control Protocol)

IP addresses, by contrast, not only must be unique on a given internetwork, but also must reflect the structure of the internetwork. As noted above, they contain a network part and a host part, and the network part must be the same for all hosts on the same network. Thus, it is not possible for the IP address to be configured once into a host when it is manufactured, since that would imply that the manufacturer knew which hosts were going to end up on which networks, and it would mean that a host, once connected to one network, could never move to another. For this reason, IP addresses need to be reconfigurable.

In addition to an IP address, there are some other pieces of information a host needs to have before it can start sending packets. The most notable of these is the address of a default router—the place to which it can send packets whose destination address is not on the same network as the sending host. Most host operating systems provide a way for a system administrator, or even a user, to manually configure the IP information needed by a host. However, there are some obvious drawbacks to such manual configuration. One is that it is simplya lot of work to configure all the hosts in a large network directly, especially when you consider that such hosts are not reachable over a network until they are configured.


Even more importantly, the configuration process is very error-prone, since it is necessary to ensure that every host gets the correct network number and that no two hosts receive the same IP address. For these reasons, automated configuration methods are required. The primary method uses a protocol known as the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

DHCP relies on the existence of a DHCP server that is responsible for providing configuration information to hosts. There is at least one DHCP server for an administrative domain. At the simplest level, the DHCP server can function just as a centralized repository for host configuration information. Consider, for example, the problem of administering addresses in the internetwork of a large company. DHCP saves the network administrators from having to walk around to every host in the company with a list of addresses and network map in hand and configuring each host manually. Instead, the configuration information for each host could be stored in the DHCP server and automatically retrieved by each host when it is booted or connected to the network. However, the administrator would still pick the address that each host is to receive; he would just store that in the server. In this model, the configuration information for each host is stored in a table that is indexed by some form of unique client identifier, typically the “hardware address” (e.g., the Ethernet address of its network adaptor). A more sophisticated use of DHCP saves the network admininstrator from even having to assign addresses to individual hosts. In this model, the DHCP server maintains a pool of available addresses that it hands out to hosts on demand. This considerably reduces the amount of configuration an administrator must do, since now it is only necessary to allocate a range of IP addresses (all with the same network number) to each network.

Since the goal of DHCP is to minimize the amount of manual configuration required for a host to function, it would rather defeat the purpose if each host had to be configured with the address of a DHCP server. Thus, the first problem faced by DHCP is that of server discovery.

To contact a DHCP server, a newly booted or attached host sends a DHCPDISCOVER message to a special IP address (255.255.255.255) that is an IP broadcast address. This means it will be received by all hosts and routers on that network. (Routers do not forward such packets onto other networks, preventing broadcast to the entire Internet.) In the simplest case, one of these nodes is the DHCP server for the network. The server would then reply to the host that generated the discovery message (all the other nodes would ignore it). However, it is not really desirable to require one DHCP server on every network because this still creates a potentially large number of servers that need to be correctly and consistently configured. Thus, DHCP uses theconcept of a relay agent. There is at least one relay agent on each network, and it isconfigured with just one piece of information: the IP address of the DHCP server. Whena relay agent receives a DHCPDISCOVER message, it unicasts it to the DHCP server and awaits the response, which it will then send back to the requesting client. The processof relaying a message from a host to a remote DHCP server is shown in diagram 1-A Diagram 1-B shows the format of a DHCP message. The message is actually sent using a protocol called UDP (the User Datagram Protocol) that runs over IP. 

DHCP is derived from an earlier protocol called BOOTP, and some of the packet fields are thus not strictly relevant to host configuration. When trying to obtain configuration information, the client puts its hardware address (e.g., its Ethernet address) inthe chaddr field. The DHCP server replies by filling in the yiaddr (“your” IP address)field and sending it to the client. Other information such as the default router to be used by this client can be included in the options field.

In the case where DHCP dynamically assigns IP addresses to hosts, it is clear that hosts cannot keep addresses indefinitely, as this would eventually cause the server to exhaust its address pool. At the same time, a host cannot be depended upon to give back its address, since it might have crashed, been unplugged from the network,or been turned off. Thus, DHCP allows addresses to be “leased” for some period of time. Once the lease expires, the server is free to return that address to its pool. A host with a leased address clearly needs to renew the lease periodically if in fact it is still connected to the network and functioning correctly.  It is important to note that DHCP may also introduce some more complexity into network management,since it makes the binding between physical hosts and IP addresses muchmore dynamic. This may make the network manager’s job more difficult if, for example,it becomes necessary to locate a malfunctioning host.

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Satellite internet- a new sense of technology

Today the world is mostly operating with help of satellites.so i posted here some of the useful information about the satellite internet access.

The satellite internet access is a wireless service that is extremely used in all over the world. But due to the non-availability of terrestrial internet access it cannot be connected.. It is also very popular among users of ‘movable’ locations.


Let us see how does these satellite internet works?
The wireless connectivity and instant access to anywhere in the world 24x7 has lead technologists to now tap on internet access via satellite! This is a world wide availability that is being sourced and includes connectivity at sea and within land vehicles. The system basically comes in three types and the variants all use the connectivity enhanced via the local satellite service.
Connectivity via special hardware components:

The internet connectivity via satellite can be tapped through interface presence, like the telephone network that is ‘public-switched’ as in the case of the squawk box applications. In this case, a physical and separate internet ‘connection’ is not required. The system operates with the support of a server-to-queue-data connectivity and includes an FTP or File Transfer Protcol. In the case of connectivity via system hardware components, the transmitting station or the teleport is supported by two important components.

The internet connection is made possible when the ISP routers are connected to the designed proxy servers. This connectivity enforces the band-width limits of the QOS or ‘quality of service’, thus enabling user traffic. This connectivity is furthered to the DVB encapsulator and then, the S modem. The DVB-S modem then transmits an RF or radio frequency to the outdoor unit, through the up converter connected via a feed line. The system components also include a block up converter, an optional low noise block converter, an optional orthomode transducer, a feed horn and a waveguide. This connectivity is routed to an Earth station, which is a setup that consists of an outdoor and indoor unit.


Connectivity with help of the software components:
In case of remote sites, most satellite internet connections or one-way multicast applications need custom programming technology. This requires the software to be able to effectively filter, store and offer access to a selection interface and data. The transmitting station also needs to incorporate some software to handle access control and queuing-sending-encapsulating of the data on a prior basis. The remote sites require a programming back up to be able to provide authentication and take care of the proxy server settings essential to the operation. The filtering operation is provided by the DVB card driver, while the non-standard IP stacks address asymmetry and latency issues. The data is encrypted to be accessible to any satellite receiver.

The IP-over-satellite units usually incorporate proxy servers that are paired at the end-points and VPNs or virtual private network implementations. This is to ensure that communication between the clients and servers need not accept the inherent latency. The virtual private network implementations are designed for satellite links to handle long packet travel time. In connectivity via software components, the upload speeds are limited by the user's modem, and latency is high. The download speeds in such connectivity can be much faster than that in the case of dial-up.

Connectivity with one-way terrestrial return:
The satellite internet connectivity via one-way terrestrial return uses the traditional dial up access. The system has out-bound data traveling through a telephone-based modem.This enables the users to surf and download at broadband speeds! The GPRS enables a mobility that transmits in the field of 50 to 53 dBW. However, downloads are handled by satellite. While a license is required for the uplink station, there is no such requirement for users. Another type of the same system incorporates the use of the General Packet Radio Service. This system enhances the back-channel by using a standard GPRS connection. The upload volume in this system is low and the service is charged by volume uploaded. The mobile or satellite internet connectivity that is broadband enhanced can be accessed with the help of the recommended satellite dish width, a note-book and GPRS-GSM telephone.

If you know any further information about this post you can comment here and your comments are welcomed.

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2012

2012 END OF THE WORLD - BELIEFS

SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS from around the world are predicting that five years from now, all life on Earth could well come to an end. Some are saying it’ll be humans that would set it off. Others believe that a natural phenomenon will be the cause. And the religious folks are saying it’ll be God himself who would press the stop button. The following are some likely arguments as to why the world would end by the year 2012.


Reason One: Mayan calendar
The first to predict 2012 as the end of the world were the Mayans, a bloodthirsty race that were good at two things -- building highly accurate astrological equipment out of stone and sacrificing virgins.

Thousands of years ago they managed to calculate the length of the lunar moon as 329.53020 days, only 34 seconds out. The Mayan calendar predicts that the earth will end on December 21, 2012. Given that they were pretty close to the mark with the lunar cycle, it’s likely they’ve got the end of the world right as well.


Reason two: Sun storms
Solar experts from around the world monitoring the sun have made a startling discovery. Our sun is in a bit of strife. The energy output of the sun is, like most things in nature, cyclic and it’s supposed to be in the middle of a period of relative stability. However, recent solar storms have been bombarding the earth with lot of radiation energy. It’s been knocking out power grids and destroying satellites. This activity is predicted to get worse and calculations suggest it’ll reach its deadly peak sometime in 2012.

Reason three: The Atom smasher
Scientists in Europe have been building the world’s largest particle accelerator. Basically, its a 27 km tunnel designed to smash atoms together to find out what makes the universe tick. However, the mega-gadget has caused serious concern, with some scientists suggesting that it’s properly even a bad idea to turn it on in the first place. They’re predicting all manner of deadly results, including mini black holes. So when this machine is fired up for its first serious experiment in 2012, the world could be crushed into a super-dense blob the size of a basketball.

Reason Four: Super Volcano
Yellowstone National Park in United States is famous for its thermal springs and old faithful geyser. The reason for this is simple -- it’s sitting on top of the world’s biggest volcano and geological experts are beginning to get nervous sweats. The Yellowstone volcano has a pattern of erupting every 650,000 years or so, and we’re many years overdue for an explosion that will fill the atmosphere with ash, blocking the sun and plunging the earth into a frozen winter that could last up to 15,000 years. The pressure under the Yellowstone is building steadily, and geologists have set 2012 as a likely date for the big bang.

Reason Five: The Physicists
This one’s case of bog -- simple maths mathematics. Physicists at Berkely University have been crunching the numbers. They’ve determined that the earth is well overdue for a major catastrophic event. Even worse, they’re claiming that their calculations prove that we’re all going to die, very soon. They are also saying that their prediction comes with a certainty of 99 per cent; and 2012 just happens to be the best guess as to when it occurs.

Reason Six: Earth’s Magnetic field
We all know the Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field that shields us from most of the sun’s radiation. What you might not know is that the magnetic poles we call North and South have a nasty habit of swapping places every 750,000 years or so -- and right now we’re about 30,000 years overdue. Scientists have noted that the poles are drifting apart roughly 20-30 kms each year, much faster than ever before, which points to a pole-shift being right around the corner. While the pole shift is under way, the magnetic field is disrupted and will eventually disappear, sometimes for up to 100 years. The result is enough UV outdoors to crisp your skin in seconds, killing everything it touches.

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