Wireless technology....at last

Ivan

From: "Ciaran Maher" <COM1046@ITCARLOW.IE>
Organization: Institute of Technology Carlow
To: FLANAGAN.STAFF.CARLOW.ITCARLOW@ITCARLOW.IE
Date sent: Wed, 19 Sep 2001 19:32:07 UTC
Subject: Enquiries - Wireless networking and you...
Send reply to: COM1046@ITCARLOW.IE
Priority: normal

Dear Sir,
Hello and sorry to bother you I've started up in the computer
course here in Carlow IT (obviously), in the computer
programming course CW019. I'm currently doing research
on Wireless Networking as a project with a group of friends,
setting up a small network between our home computer
networks. If your familiar with this technology then you know
what kind of equipment is involved and also that Line of sight
is essential. There are currently no licenses problems nor is
planning permission required. I'm sure at this stage you can
see where this is going, so I'll get right to the point. I wish to
discuss this kind of project with someone such as you with a
view to getting the college involved.

College involvement could take the form of either:

A) Merely allowing us to place a transmitter on top of your
building.

Limited connection to the college network allowing
students to log onto the college network to access files from
the college network and to store files which have been
edited/modified at home.

C) More advanced connection to the college network
including access to the college bandwidth at non-peak
times, i.e. when the LRC is closed.
or any combination or alteration to the above 3 suggested
options.
I understand that any participation on the colleges part
would require serious allocation of resources, which most
would consider unnecessary, however I would also
consider the aforementioned technology to be the next
wave in the intranet frontier that lies before us. Also, myself
and the limited few who are involved in this operation would
be more than willing to devote resources to this project in the
form of time to piece this rather ambitious project together,
any funds necessary to put the infrastructure in place
(although it was considered that commercial sponsorship
would make up a minor portion of the initial capital problems)
and perhaps most importantly to provide tutorship to any
future participants to this grand scheme.
Other considerations which are necessary before even
considering this project is security issues which I'm almost
certain would be at the foremost of most Network
administrators. At this point I would have to say that I'm am
currently under-informed on this issue to speak informatively
on the subject. However I can say that interception of any
signals from or to the college is next to impossible due to the
newest wireless protocol encryption method, more I couldnt
say. Any attempts to hack the network would be faced with
similar difficults which are faced from here in the college
except of course for problems with different OS's and the
like. Let me just finish on this particular topic by saying that
more research and discussion is required.

Finally any suggestions, ideas or thoughts you may have
would also be appreciated.

Thanking you in advance,

Ciarán Maher.


Ciaran

pop in sometime tomorow (I'm away friday) or next week and
I can have a chat with you.
Very briefly though ,we already have a wireless network of sorts
both within the campus and external.
We currently have a 11mbps omnidirectional antenna on the roof
we are getting the full 11mbps to St Patricks College in the centre
of town an also to the Directors house which is not exactly line of
sight but with the help of a rather tall antenna mast.
We have not a particular policy in place about allowing other
connectivity using this link but personally if students/staff are
willing to cough up for the necessary kit their end I dont have any
major difficulty facilitating though I would need to lay ground rules. We
also have an internal 11mbps wireless cell within the LRC .its function is
to support wireless connectivity for laptop users. no one is really using
it as yet as we have just put the kit in. I have to go now im pretty busy
-if you pop on some time and introduce yourself we can have a brief chat.

Regards

Fergal Flanagan(Computing Services Manager)

This is the computer manager in Carlow, If I was ye (especially those guys in TRBDI) I'd be asking ye're computer manager there, about this thing too.

Btw, to baldy and stephen and anyone else attending Carlow IT this means, we have to fork out about IR£200-300 (maybe less if its second hand) and we can connect to the college network. Read the post yourself, interpret as you like, but I like to think that he will give us restricted access to the colleges bandwidth at times when the LRC is closed. I'm not 100% of the technology but as far as I know we could also use the college antenna as a base station and connect to each other on the network, and even play CS, DOD, TFC and the rest.

Well, I place it out on the forum - Disect it to bits you guys.

Btw baldy, can you mail me your mobo no. so I can talk to ya, assuming of course your not afraid of me or something....

Ivan/Ciarán
--- "One small step for man, one giant nervous leap for
student-kind."

Robbo

We are supposed to bring one of those on stream at NUI,G this year, or so the rumour mill said...

Sorry to disappoint you but any wireless connect will probably go through the college firewall on its way out so games are a bit of a no-no.

po0k

ah but they could open one or two ports, or have the wireless setup external to the firewall, so that any comms between it and the college intrnet would still pass through the firewall.
but then again I'm just unusually optimistic.

I'd cough up the £200 for the wireless card if I was staying somewhere in galway with line of sight, or else get a laptop (any laptop) with a big disk (8GB maybe) and use it for wdownloading stuff for transport to the big box at home. Which reminds meh, i must get one of thos big cases for £80 in Maplins in Dublin. Might go up around Novemebr or so.

Headcase

hey Ivan,
from what ive noticed in itcarlow is that they only firewall games during the day. i tried downloading that demo again and there was a techy into the server instantly. if we get wireless cards, id say we could play games over the network cause we usually do anyway

and what the interesting thing u hav to show me

Stephen

I think I'll have to stop commuting and move into carlow if this comes to fruitition

nasty_crash

they don't firewall games at all!! its only selected sites that you cant connect to!! last year we played Quake 3 durning the day! And anyway the should go easy on the firewalls as we are shelling out a good few pounds for the kit!!!! they should keep that in mind that we are gonna pay a nice amount of money for the equipment!!!!!

Stephen

btw, anyone know anything about these wireless network cards?

Ivan

I'm looking into getting some cards cheap, I know a guy back where I live in tullamore who maybe selling 3 cards/antenna's with the usually standards second hand, shortly.
But I'd rather get some cheap american/austrailian stuff than get second hand, cos that way there still under warranty etc. Of course, if and when I get talking to Fergal I'll ask him where the IT got their stuff, and of course you would imagine they would get the cheapest available, so they may have a cheap supplier....we'll see how it goes.

I'm also gonna go have a word with the Networking society see what they think about a project on this topic (free labour - hehe :P)

I've been familiarising myself with the technology and standards for the last month or so now, and when I'm completely up-to-date I'll tell you guys where I think WE can get the stuff....

Talk ye's later.........

Ivan
--- "When I was a child I thought like a child, I spoke like a child and I acted like a child - But when I became a man I put away childish things."

po0k

I *might* be after you for one ina bit.