Books for/about - WiFi

Wireless Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools

Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Authors: Rob Flickenger

ISBN: 0596005598
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Summary: VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Are you one of the millions of users who suddenly need nothing more than a laptop and wireless card to get online? If you are, then this book is for you! Authors Rob Flickenger and Roger Weeks, have done an outstanding job of writing the 2nd edition of a practical book that gives you the reader, the most out of your wireless networking hardware and software.

Flickenger and Weeks, begin by demonstrating some of the uses for Bluetooth, Mobile Phones and GPS, which will keep your devices connected, without wires. Then, the authors show you the tools you need to detect the presence of wireless networks, coordinate spectrum usage to avoid interference, and visualize network performance. Next, they explore the current standards for securing wireless networks and suggest several strong methods for protecting yourself and your wireless users from abuse.
The authors then show you how to push wireless hardware to the limits, extending range and increasing performance and efficiency. They continue by covering software hacks in detail. Then, the authors present several homebrew designs for wireless networking made by contributors from all over the world. Finally, they present a collection of techniques to help simplify the job of building wireless networks that cover the area you require.

In this most excellent book, you will find practical techniques for extending range , increasing throughput, managing wireless resources, and generally making your wireless networking vision a reality. More importantly, this book brings you the knowledge of experts who apply what they know in the real world every day.

Summary: Fantastic Stuff
As others have suggested, it really is not about hacks. Actually its the computer jargon, that keeps varying time to time. There really is a very thin line between hacks and cracks. One suggestion, "The book's title could have been "Wireless tips/hacks for Geeks". Bug again for Geeks, the current title should be fine(endless loop).
This really is a great book, a lot of information consolidated most of the obvious technical part removed and thorow work/research done on the subject.

Summary: One of the best around
Wireless Hacks is one of the best, most succinct books on all things wireless that I have come across. I was expecting the standard "how to set up and secure a wireless access point" fare, and while you do get some of that, you get so much more as well. The authors really do a good job covering everything wireless. From BlueTooth technology, to standard WiFi, to hacking routers, to creating your own antennas, this is a great book for anyone interested in wireless technology.

Like the other "Hacks" books from O'Reilly, this book contains 100 different things you can do to get more out of your wireless devices. The book begins with a good section on BlueTooth technology. If you've got a new cell phone, chances are you have BlueTooth. The authors show you how to do a lot of creative things-from simply connecting your phone to your computer, to showing a slide show of photographs.

The section on 802.11x hacks is so much more than how to secure a network. The authors show you how to detect wireless networks, how to analyze and watch network traffic, and even build your own access point. One of my favorite hacks involves turning a Linksys WRT54G wireless router into a remote control car-all over 802.11b.

In the last section of the book, the authors concentrate on creating effective wireless networks-big or small. Examples are provided for creating a network for a single house, as well as how to create a network for a whole city.

This is a fascinating book, with examples provided for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms. This book is a must have for wireless network enthusiasts.

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Wireless Hacking: Projects for Wi-Fi Enthusiasts

Publisher: Syngress Publishing
Authors: Lee Barken Eric Bermel John Eder Matt Fanady Alan Koebrick Michael Mee Marc Palumbo

ISBN: 193183637X
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Summary: Left wanting
Lee Barkens book was a major dissappointment. The overall content lacks the descriptiveness one would expect from a book of its title. The reader is lead down an overly linear path of chaotic instruction, devoid of any explanation as to why the chosen method is presented. Wireless Hacking is lacking of any alternative solutions which might highlight or better suit the readers specific needs.

Left with no wiggle room, the reader is lead to believe that the methods presented are the best and only available, which is frequently false and completely misrepresented.

My advice is, spend your money elsewhere. There are far better resources available than what Lee Barken provides.

Summary: Just right for me!
This book sets out to educate, inspire and be a resource for building community wireless networks. For me the book lives up to my expectations. When dealing with the elements of building a wireless networks, some topics are difficult to get clear information on. Configuring m0n0wall is a good example. Try looking in the forums!
The step by step guides on specific hardware and specific releases of software may make it difficult to keep the book current but has infinitely more value to me than any attempt at a generic explanation. To illustrate this point, it is a long road to install Cacti as a network monitoring tool. You have to install Apache, PHP, Perl, RRD and Mysql before you can even start. I would never have made it, but Michael Mee's step by step guide made it a snap. Some of the software had been upgraded since the book was written but you could choose the same release as in the book. However, I found that the methodology in the book made it sufficiently clear that I could use the latest release in each case.

The fact that the book has many contributors means that each chapter is written by an expert in that particular field. These people have done it and are sharing it to the best of their ability.

There are many photographs and screen shots to make comprehension easier.

If you are interested in WiFi you should have this book on you bookshelf or closer. The word hacking in the title gives me that same feeling as when I am being followed by a State Cop! However, I suppose that others will feel different.

I hope the contributors and editor will endeavor to keep the book up to date as hardware and software evolves.

Summary: great book with great ideas
I have been wanting to build a community wireless network for a long time now, but digging through google and looking for books turned out to be difficult to find someone else doing something like me, until I found this book. Read the first 30 pages of it in the bookstore and I was hooked, I had to have it. The only problem I see with it is that they seem to do things in a cookie cutter way allowing little flexablity (the 802.11a backhaul is a good idea, but there are other ways than using hardware that is no longer being made and having to do cheap 'hacks' to get things going. I guess thats why it is called wireless 'hacking'. It assumes a good deal of prior knowledge, which for me is great since I am familiar with vi and unix, etc. but a newbie might be a bit confused. They should have made it a bit more friendly for newbies, at times I felt the whole book was somewhat of a hack, like they rushed to throw something together that people could use since nothing else exists like this book. They also seem to focus too much on configuring windows stuff which I find annoying since I use OS X/Linux. Many times it felt like hey were reading my mind, everything I have wanted to do for years, they did. It is a wee bit overpriced though, I would say it's worth $20-25.

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	Building Wireless Community Networks, 2nd Edition Publisher: O'Reilly Media Authors: Rob Flickenger
ISBN: 0596005024 List Price: $29.95 Amazon Price: $20.37 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 4 Reviews: Summary: Very Practical This is one of the most practical technical books I read. It covers all aspects that should be considered for wireless community networks, not only in regards to wireless (like db loss and stuff) but also some networking aspects like NAT. Good description of some of the largest wireless communitie in the US as well. Summary: A 3rd edition would be handy This field of wireless networking is burgeoning. The uptake has continued unabated since Flickenger published this book almost two years ago. Readers would benefit from an upgrading of this book to a newer edition. For one thing, the latest hardware offerings from vendors could be discussed. But also the IEEE wireless standards have moved forward. While the book doesn't go into the details of these, a newer edition could explain what the implications of the changing standards are on you. For one thing, WiMax is starting to emerge as an alternative to WiFi. It may not be fully defined yet, but it's close enough that planning might start on using it. Its proposed maximum range far exceeds that of WiFi. Though there is the tradeoff of ultimately fewer users who can share this bandwidth over a given region. Summary: Not Intended for Practical Implementation I have a T1 line to my home in the country and wanted to provide my neighbors within a mile or so with a share of my bandwidth. What I lacked was a knowledge of what components to buy, what the practical differences are between components, ways to throttle bandwidth to individual neighbors, how to prevent bandwidth theft by neighbors who are not sharing in the cost of the T1 line, which components are "safe buys," what is involved in installation, what other skills are required, and where I can buy the needed components. The title of this book started with "Building," so I hoped that it would be a practical book that focused on actually building a wireless network. Unfortunately, I was disappointed because the "building" is at an academic level, not a practical, commercial one. The requirements I have above are treated poorly, if at all. So, while this book may be great for people looking for a starter in becoming engineers or for professors looking for an academic textbook, it is less satisfactory for consumers looking to build a community network. Some specifics by book chapter: 1. Wireless Community Networks: history, some problems for ISPs, and what happens if the shift goes from the ISP to the individual network member. Nothing practical here. 2. Defining Project Scope: It doesn't. Instead, it talks about protocols such as 802.11, 802.11a, .... The "Hardware Requirements" section doesn't take you from your needs to what you'll require. It simply says that you will require hardware based on your needs and says you'll need to survey your site. 3. Network Layout: Is a bottom-up chapter with buzz words: Layer n, BSS, IBSS, DHCP, DNS, NAT, WEP, more on protocols, and security. This chapter fails to take one from problems to solutions. But, now you know the terms when you talk about actually building a WiFi network. 4. Using Access Points: Defines a lot of them, not how they solve your problems. 5. Host-Based Networking: The preface says this chapter provides a step-by-step guide to building your own access points using Linux and some hardware. But, the chapter itself just defines some terms and has a few scripts. It's not a step-by-step guide from my perspective, and it doesn't define the problem that is being solved nor who would want this. The chapters that follow follow the pattern of bottom-up thinking: defining terms and disconnected ideas. This book would have been much better if it lived up to its title and had chapters that dealt with different end-user needs (different kinds of networks), and how each of these problems would be solved, providing answers to the requirements I listed above in my first paragraph. I give this book not one star, but two because it does provide some terminology that serves as a starting point with wireless vendors for the discussion of actually building a wireless community network. Summary:

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Hotspot Networks : WiFi for Public Access Locations (Professional Telecom)

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional
Authors: Daniel Minoli

ISBN: 0071409785
List Price: $59.95
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: Great book for businesses considering WLANs
If you are considering a wireless network for clients in your restaurant, coffee shop, or bookstore, this is a great reference. The book clearly presents a picture of how cellular and wireless LAN technology will work together to form an infrastructure of hotspot networks.

The author emphasizes security and the use of the IEEE 802.11b networks. He is very thorough in his description of the practical use of the technology.

Summary: Great Book!
Not sure what book the person from Hilliard read, but this book is great!! Please, don't take someone elses word for it, read it yourself!

Summary: Excellent Book! A must have!!!
A great book. A must have on the shelf of any professional. This book is a very comprehensive tool for learning any aspect of hotspot networks. It is an excellent reference source for anyone who is involved in the business and technology of today's hot spots networks.

I cannot say enough good things about Minoli, he covers his bases really well. I would suggest this book to anyone looking to gain some in-depth knowledge on hotspot networks.

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Windows XP Unwired

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Authors: Wei Meng Lee

ISBN: 0596005369
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Summary: Wireless network made easy
Windows XP has one of the best fetures, i.e "native support" for LANs. Wireless support in XP makes upgrading to the new OS more appealing for all types of users who wants wireless connection availabe always. Users no longer need to worry about technical details of configuring wireless network, it is always available.

Windows XP Unwired explains what is wireless network and how to use wireless network in Windows XP. Author explained very well from the very basics about network, what is a network, uses. After that he explains about what are the advantages, challenges about wireless network, how to secure a wireless network, how to setup your own wireless network at home. Once you complete this book, you will be able to setup your own network without any expert help.

First it explains the fundamentals of network, like what is a TCP/IP, how it works, then radio waves. Then it explains what is Wi-Fi network, 802.11 Wirless standards, how to use 802.11 wireless on the road, wireless hotspots, how to find wireless hotspots. How to use Infrared port on your Palm / Pocket PC, Bluetooth technology, GPS, and Cellular Networking.

The entire book is organized to explain you about What a specific Technology is (for example Blue Tooth), what are the current standards, how to use that technology, advantages and disadvantages (if any), limitations, and how XP supports that technology.

The best part about this book is, though it says Windows XP unwired, it explains about wireless adapters, NIC. It has case studies on how to setup Home Network.

Other topics conved in this book includes, XP default firewall, Virtual Private Network (VPN), Remote Desktop. It is like a complete reference for wirelss networking technology.

I strongly recommend this book to everyone who wants to understand wirless networking.

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Linux Unwired

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Authors: Roger Weeks Edd Dumbill Brian Jepson

ISBN: 0596005830
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Summary: Good Geek Book
Although slightly dated, this book is an excellent resource for wireless communcations with Linux. It also covers a lot of information about wireless computer communications in general. Want to build your own access point? The info is in this book! There are lots of ideas to build from in here!

Summary: Solid and focused resource for client and server networking
I was impressed with this book. It's short and focused. It strays a little on the non 802.11 chapters, but that seems to be the way with all of the O'Reilly wireless books. Here is the blow by blow:

Chapter one is WiFi basics, it's short and solid. Chapter two is about the hardware and it's quite in depth in terms of getting the interface card installed and configured. Chapter three is about connecting to the network it's a little short and basic, some more effort could have been spent there. Chapters five and six are about the server side of the equation. Chapter six is a bit long, it's about building the server and covers the entire setup from hardware to software configuration. Chapters seven through nine are about non 802.11 networking through bluetooth, infrared and cellular. These chapters are a little skimpy and graphics heavy, but you probably won't be getting the book for them. Chapter ten is a brief introduction to GPS.

I would recommend this book to anyone with issues around Linux wireless network. Linux documentation can be a morass and it's worth your time and money to plunk down a book that walks you through the process.

Summary: Pulls together a lot of information
This is a valuable book for two reasons.

First of all, and most significantly for a Linux book, it's hard to get a handle on the subject from the free information available on the web. I'm sure all of the information in this book is out there, but it's scattered far and wide, and this book is clearly a big time saver.

Second of all, the authors know their subject inside and out, and they have organized it pretty well. I have an Orinoco card, and the explanations of the differences in the various drivers for the card have been extremely helpful to me. Some drivers will let you scan for wireless networks, and others won't -- that's the sort of thing that would burn hours and hours of troubleshooting time, but it's all explained clearly here.

I bought this book so I could get a wireless connection going on a Linux From Scratch laptop, but after reading the book, I'd like to build my own access point with Linux.

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	Designing Ubiquitous Information Environments: Socio-Technical Issues and Challenges: IFIP TC8 WG 8.2 International Working Conference, August 1-3, 2005, ... Federation for Information Processing) Publisher: Springer Authors: Carsten S�rensen Youngjin Yoo Kalle Lyytinen Janice I. DeGross
ISBN: 0387275606 List Price: $149.00 Amazon Price: $126.98 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: Reviews: Summary:

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Mac OS X Unwired: A Guide for Home, Office, and the Road

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Authors: Tom Negrino Dori Smith

ISBN: 0596005083
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 3
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Summary: Adequate with Some Meritable Parts
I love the Mac, using it since System 4 (1989), and I wanted a good technical book on wireless technologies on Mac OS X. Naturally, I encountered this book seem to be the book that I needed. And I must say it does an adequate job, but I just don't find it all that exciting and I don't feel there's much value beyond basic information. I browsed Windows and Linux equivelent Unwired books, and those books are much more in-depth.

For getting a sense of what Wi-Fi products are available, this book is not enough. It mostly focuses on only Apple's wireless solutions, and not enough on third-party products that support the Mac. For example, there are 29 pages covering Airport Base Station, but a measely 3 pages for non-Apple wireless offerings. I was sorely disapointed in that.

For general Wi-Fi technologies and security (CHAP3 to CHAP5), it does a decent job. I like the security section, but I still felt there neaded to be more; for example, I wanted to know authentication protocols for WPA that Apple supports. This is useful in determining what products work with the Mac OS X, and also what OSes can work with the Airport BaseStation in regards to WPA features. In contrast, the Windows Unwired book even covers configuring a Radius server for use with WPA..., while the Linux Unwired has better nuts 'n bolts technical coverage of Airport Base station. Why can't Mac readers get the same coverage?

The blue-tooth chapter (CHAP6) was more exciting, and I felt they did a decent job covering cellphone synchronization and general Apple Bluetooth technologies. I do wish though they had more coverage of Bluetooth PDAs like Palm and PocketPC, with third party tools like MissingSync and PocketMac. More in-depth coverage of Bluetooth would be nice, e.g. file transfers especially with photos on the PDA, wireless headsets with the Mac, etc. The security coverage for Bluetooth was roughly a single page. I know there's more info. out there on this...

The other chapters (CHAP 7 to CHAP 9) I did not feel were much of value. Perhaps it is just my personal perference, but I am not much excited about RF and Infrared, or general cell phone technology. Maybe If my laptop could be a remote, that would be fun, but no such luck here...

There was a chapter on Rendezvous (CHAP 8), which is applicable to general networking technologies, but in the context of wireless, I did not feel this should have been in the book. I would have rather had the book focus more on core wireless technologies.

Lastly, I know it is hard to have a book that is technical enough, but doesn't scare away button-clicking users. My review is oriented toward expecting more advanced material for businesses, IT oriented people, or just advanced powerusers. This is what I felt the other Unwired books offered, and this book doesn't seem to keep pace with those.

Summary: Solid end-user based introduction to WiFi and Bluetooth
This is a fairly comprehensive, if brief, book on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for Mac OS X. RF stuff is covered in an appendix at the end. From my read it's meant primarily for end-users. Advanced folks will probably get a tip here and there, but not much more.

Chapter by chapter; Chapter one is basic terminology and an overview. Chapter two covers Wi-Fi hardware. It does have a nifty fix for the Wi-Fi problems on the 15" TiBook. Chapter three covers base stations and antenas. Chapter four is a very brief look at Wi-Fi access from external sources, like Starbucks. The fifth, and last chapter on Wi-Fi, covers the basic protocol layer tools like SSH.

Chapter six covers Bluetooth, it's a good introduction but it's a little screenshot heavy. Chapter seven is on cell-phone connectivity, which is pretty cool new material. If you are serious about that you should get this book. Chapter eight is on rendevous and it's a nice, but short, introduction.

If you are just getting into Wi-Fi on Macintosh you should probably take a look at this book.

Summary: Not good enough
My purpose in buying and reading this book was to troubleshoot a Mac wireless problem: a Mac desktop G4 on a multiplatform home network (Mac, W2K, Red Hat Linux 9.0) that does not retain either the SSID or the WEP key in its wireless settings and therefore has to be reconfigured nearly every time it is booted. I am a network administrator by trade and support all three operating systems at work, but the Macs are work are on a wired network. No help there...and no help from this book, either. The book devotes all of three pages to non-Apple access points (mine is a Netgear ProSafe a/b/g firewall/switch/router on a 1.5 Mbps DSL connection) and offers no troubleshooting assistance for Macs trying to connect to such a device. In fact, the book is almost devoid of troubleshooting assistance. All does not always go well with wireless connectivity, even with Macs, and these authors seem unable or unwilling to admit that and deal with it. For an O'Reilly book, this one is a disappointment. It's not good enough if anything goes wrong.

A few months later: another problem with another Mac on the same protected wireless network. This time a brand-new PowerBook's built-in Airport Extreme could not connect to the router--couldn't even see it. This book was the first resource I turned to for troubleshooting, and again it was useless. One sentence in a newsgroup discussion provided the very simple answer, and both Macs are fine now.

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