Organization
Early chapters of this book introduce basic wireless concepts and
essential network services, while later chapters focus on specific
aspects of building your own wireless network. Experienced users may
prefer to skip around rather than read this book from cover to cover,
so here's an overview of each chapter:
Chapter 1, gives a brief history of the state of
wireless connectivity, and some ideas (and warnings) about how things
might proceed.
Chapter 2, is an overview of many important
logistical considerations you will face in designing your own
network, and describes some tools that may make your job easier.
Chapter 3, provides a detailed description of
critical network components that you will need to provide your users.
Network design and security considerations are also addressed.
Chapter 4, details how to use Wireless Access
Point hardware effectively in your networking project.
Chapter 5, is a step-by-step guide to building
your own Access Point using Linux, inexpensive PC hardware, and
conventional wireless client cards.
Chapter 6, is about extending your range. It looks
at using topographic mapping software to evaluate long distance
links, and examines the myriad antennas, cables, connectors you are
likely to encounter. It also provides a simple method for calculating
the usable range of your gear.
Chapter 7, investigates some really exotic (and
useful!) applications of 802.11b. It includes practical pointers for
setting up point-to-point links, some simple repeaters, assembling a
2.4GHz antenna from ordinary household objects, and lots of other fun
hackery. We'll also see an implementation of a
dynamic "captive portal" firewall
using open source (http://www.opensource.org) software.
Chapter 8, is a resource guide to some of the
major players in the wireless network access revolution. Here
you'll find out how people all over the globe are
making ubiquitous wireless network access a reality, all in their
free time.
Chapter 9, is the (brief) history of my own
experiences in setting up a wireless community network in Sebastopol,
CA (and in meeting directly with the heads of some of the biggest
community efforts in the U.S.).
Appendix A contains Tim Pozar's
paper, "Regulations Affecting 802.11
Deployment."
Appendix B provides a path loss calculation table. Appendix Coffers a shell script that makes network
scheme management easier.
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