A Guide to Setting Up a Wireless Office

Considering Mobile e-Prescribing by RxNT?

Networking your office without wires gives you the freedom to move from room to room with a mobile Pocket PC handheld device allowing you to use RxNT’s revolutionary mobile e-Prescribing solution.

To top it all off, a wireless network can be less expensive than setting up a new network, and requires less time and technical expertise to get up and running.

Hardware and Internet Access

• Desktop PCs, Tablet PCs, or handheld’s equipped with wireless LAN access cards or with built-in support for wireless.
• A wireless access point.
• A broadband Internet connection, such as a partial or whole T1 line, or for small offices with fewer than 5 people, a DSL or cable connection if you plan to share Internet connectivity.

Follow the four steps below to set up your wireless network. When you are finished, your network will look like this:

Step 1: Connect your wireless access point to your broadband Internet connection.

Typically, your broadband Internet connection will include a router, which allows you to share your Internet connection among the computers on your network. On a wired network, a standard router shares your Internet connection with your company computers via Ethernet cables that connect computers to the router, often via hubs or switches. On a wireless network however, the access point broadcasts the signal wirelessly to all of your computers instead of requiring them to be hardwired to your router.

To turn your wired connection into a wireless one, simply connect your wireless access point to your router and it will be ready to share your Internet connection.

Step 2: Ensure all of your computers are wirelessly equipped.

For your desktop, notebook, handheld, and tablet PCs to communicate over your wireless network, they will need to support the wireless LAN protocol called Wi-Fi (or 802.11). Many of today's business computers come fully equipped with integrated Wi-Fi, so they are ready to access your wireless network as soon as you get your access point up and running.

If your computers and handhelds don't have built-in Wi-Fi support, you can quickly and easily install a Wi-Fi adapter. Adapter cards slip quickly and easily into PCI slots on a desktop case or the PC card slot on a notebook, Tablet PC, or handheld and give your computer wireless access just as if it were built in.

It is important that the wireless radios on your computers are compatible with your access points. 802.11b and 802.11g are compatible technologies, so a notebook with support for 802.11b can communicate with an access point that supports 802.11g. However, 802.11a devices are only compatible with other 802.11a devices, so you can't mix and match them with 802.11b or 802.11g devices.

Once you have your access point and your computers configured, you can begin sending and receiving information over your wireless network.

Step 3: Configure the SSID on your access points and wireless computers.

Wi-Fi access points use a special value called a SSID (Service Set Identifier) to distinguish wireless networks from one another. Access points often arrive preconfigured with defaults set by the manufacturer. If you don't change these values (which are well known), it's easy for outsiders to detect and attempt to access a wireless LAN. You should always immediately reset your SSIDs following the normal rules for strong passwords (not easy to guess, mixture of letters, numbers, and other characters, and so forth). See the documentation that came with your access point and wireless card for details on how to set SSIDs on your network.

Step 4: Configure your access point and cards for maximum security.

After you have all of your hardware up and working, but before you begin using your wireless network to communicate sensitive data, be sure to carefully review the security options and configurations available to you. Make sure your wires access point offers the latest in wireless security, including data encryption and user authentication, but it's up to you to take advantage of it. Many wireless access points are designed to be simple to set up, security included, so all you need to do is take a few moments to review the documentation that came with your access point to benefit from its full security support.

Tips and Advice:

These tips and tricks can make your network setup and installation easier:

• Data transfer rates decrease as your distance from an access point increases, so place your access point in as central of a location as possible.
• To minimize any interference with your wireless network, keep your access point away from microwaves, televisions, cordless phones, and computers. Also, place your access point in as central of a location in your office as possible for the best coverage.
• Finding the right wireless networking solution with the right capabilities for your size business can be a challenge, as can finding the adequate in-house expertise and time to install and implement the wireless solution you choose. To make the entire process easier and more cost-effective, RxNT offers an affordable Installation Service when purchasing the wireless access point and wireless handheld devices from us. Ask your RxNT sales representative about how to take advantage of this service.

Common Questions:

Will I need more than one access point?

If your wireless network needs to support more than 40 or 50 users, if your offices are spread across multiple floors, or if your office layout places some users very far away from the access point, you may need more than one access point.

What if I already have a wired network?

If you already have a wired network, you do not need to replace it completely with a wireless network. Instead, you may choose to use wireless technology to expand it to conference rooms, ad hoc work areas, and new floors or areas of your office space. Extending your wired network with wireless is easy. Ask your RxNT sales representative for more information.