Eric Geier

Besides the interface changes everyone’s spotting in Windows 7, another big change can be found in the networking features. The network icon in the system tray offers more functionality, making it quicker and easier to connect to Wi-Fi networks. The Network and Sharing Center that debuted in Windows Vista has been streamlined. Plus you’ll find […]

In part one of this tutorial, we installed FreeRADIUS to do 802.1 X/PEAP authentication, in order to run WPA or WPA2 Enterprise encryption on our Wi-Fi network. We loaded our PC with CentOS 5.3 and installed FreeRADIUS version 2.1.6. We also created certificates for PEAP, configured the EAP settings, created user accounts, and inputted the AP […]

Don’t throw out your old 802.11g gear just yet. Though 802.11n provides faster speeds and longer range, your aged legacy equipment can still serve a purpose. As we’ll discuss in this tutorial, old wireless routers can be turned into access points (APs); they can help increase the Wi-Fi footprint even more. Plus they might even help increase […]

As you’re sipping your favorite drink or getting a bite to eat while surfing the Net from a Wi-Fi hotspot, others could be sipping or gulping down your personal information. Since Wi-Fi signals are wireless, people can essentially grab your data from thin air. However, there are many preventive measures you can take to ensure your […]

Mesh networks are a type of wireless network. As you’ll discover, mesh networking is great for blanketing Wi-Fi in larger areas. They are especially useful in places where the environment changes frequently, such as people and walls moving around in malls, trees and buildings growing around an apartment complex, boats moving around the docks, and […]

When I discuss Wi-Fi security, I try to show an example of what a Wi-Fi eavesdropper or hacker could see from an unencrypted wireless network. This way you can imagine what someone from the parking lot or nearby can see of the data traveling between you and the access point (AP). The underlying reason is […]

A few months ago, we covered how to manage wireless connections with Netsh, a command-line utility of Windows. In Windows Server 2008 and Vista, Microsoft added WLAN commands to Netsh. This now provides the ability to manage wireless adapters, wireless network profiles, and Wi-Fi connectivity from the Command Prompt. In the previous tutorial, we explained […]

Remote desktop connections enable access to a computer’s desktop, programs, and files from other computers, either in the next room or around the world. Everything appears on the remote computer just as it does when sitting in front of the host computer. Configuring computers to accept these connections is simple—just click a checkbox. Then to […]

Elektron 2.0 RADIUS Server If you’re from a small business, you shouldn’t give up yet; there are RADIUS servers out there targeted toward you. Periodik Labs (formerly Corriente Networks) describes its Elektron RADIUS Server as “the world’s easiest to use.” One of its slogans is “Wireless Without Worry,” and it touts its software product as […]

Small businesses can save money and beef up security by purchasing an access point with a RADIUS server built in. In this two-part tutorial, we tell you how to set one up using the ZyXEL NWA-3160 as an example. Read part one here. Figure 1. Click to enlarge. Though we will discuss exactly how to […]

E-mail has become so commonplace as a method of communicating that many of us–including small business owners and their employees–routinely send sensitive messages without regard for security. In this tutorial, we’ll look at securing the connection between e-mail servers and e-mail software (such as Microsoft Outlook or Thunderbird) and protecting the content and attachments of the messages […]

In the fifth and final installment of our series on WPA-Enterprise for small businesses, Eric Geier offers step-by-step guidance for configuring computers on your wireless network with WPA and 802.1x settings. (Suggested reading: Part 3 to learn how to set up an Elektron RADIUS server; Part 4, to learn how to configure a wireless router and/or access […]