The most recent articles from PC Magazine

Buffalo Airstation G54

Alex Arias — 2004-09-13T15:54:08.000Z

Alex Arias, PC Magazine, Monday 13 September 2004 at 15:54:08

An easy and secure way to share your broadband.

Sharing broadband connectivity over a wireless link continues to grow in popularity, and Buffalo's latest offering, the G54 AirStation, provides a good option for the home market.

Buffalo has concentrated on security, making it easy to implement and manage secure wireless home environments.

It offers a four-port switch and supports the 802.11g standard. Although it has a built-in router you'll require an Ethernet-based ADSL modem to get connected to the Internet.

If you've used older Buffalo products you'll notice some cosmetic changes to the management interface, which is easily accessed over a web browser. It's straightforward to navigate, with the more detailed settings for the unit located in its advanced section.

The basic wireless settings can be tweaked and it's possible to adjust the power settings or whether to broadcast the SSID, for example. It also it supports the Wireless Distribution System, so that it can act as a wireless bridge.

The stateful packet inspection firewall can filter at the packet level, allowing you to set up sophisticated rules to prevent unwanted users or applications from gaining access. However you need to have more than a basic understanding of networking to implement these successfully.

It's possible to set up intrusion alerts to be sent as an email or network broadcast to a particular PC on the network.

Buffalo's AOSS (AirStation One-touch Secure System) should help users to set up secure wireless connections to other AOSS-enabled devices.

At the rear of the unit a red button, which is a little fiddly to reach, activates the detection process when pressed for three seconds. Activating AOSS on a client seeks out the router and assesses its supported security protocols.

If both devices support TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol), the router generates a key based on random variables such as the time and date. The TKIP key is generated and passed through the router to the client.

When the key is activated, it re-associates with the router's randomly generated SSID. As you add additional devices, security is negotiated at the highest level possible for all devices on the network. However, it will automatically lower the security settings for itself and for other clients from TKIP to 128-bit WEP if devices that only support 128-bit WEP are added to the network. You can add non-AOSS devices by manually obtaining the SSID and WEP keys from the G54's management interface.

The AOSS technology can be downloaded on to existing Buffalo PC clients and some older equipment.

The system isn't foolproof, though, and as with all security devices you have to be cautious.

Packaged with a WLI-CB-G54 CardBus PC Card, the AirStation offers good value and security for the money.

Currently AOSS is proprietary to Buffalo, although this may change as Buffalo is trying to license the technology to other vendors.

Contact: Buffalo (01753) 555015

www.buffalotech.co.uk

Specifications:

Frequency band 2.4GHz spectrum
Wi-Fi Certified 802.11g/b
Management Web browser HTTP
Number of ports 4xLAN
10/100Base-TX
1xWAN 10/100Base-TX
Security WPA, WEP, Privacy separator, Intrusion detector, SPI firewall, AOSS
Warranty Two-years RTB

Proxim Orinoco AP-4000

Alex Arias — 2004-06-24T14:26:09.000Z

Alex Arias, PC Magazine, Thursday 24 June 2004 at 14:26:09

Access point goes three ways.

Proxim's AP-4000 tri-band wireless access point (supporting 802.11a, b and g) allows wireless users to connect regardless of the standard they use. It's aimed at the enterprise market, where multiple standards can cause real headaches.

This inconsequential-looking tiny white box certainly disguises a well featured access point. The necessary enterprise level tools are available, such as support for IEEE 802.3af Power-over- Ethernet for awkward deployments. The supplied Scan tool automatically locates the AP and let you set the IP address to match your network.

As with nearly all network appliances, it's managed over a secure Web browser, using the familiar Proxim interface, which you'll find clear and easy to navigate.

The network settings for both .11a and .11g can be set with ease, with granular control over user access. Ethernet protocol filtering on each interface can help to manage traffic over particular parts of the network.

It's possible to set security settings for multiple groups using a variety of methods. These can include security measures such as certified WPA for IEEE 802.1X mutual authentication. You also get dynamic per-user, per-session rotating keys, intra-cell blocking (designed to prevent client-toclient snooping) and the ability to create up to 16 VLANs per radio. There is also Radius accounting support, typically used for hotspot installations.

The AP will also exist happily in large, multiple access point environments with WDS (Wireless Distribution System) allowing AP-to-AP communication.

An external antenna connector lets you boost the coverage range if needed, and built-in rogue AP detection for both 802.11b/g and 802.11a access points should allow administrators to keep control over their networks.

For high uptime environments, there's automatic reconfiguration of network parameters, including security policies, in the event of power loss. Rollback of software or configuration changes allows you to recover from incorrect settings. It also supports the next generation encryption standard (AES), which should ensure a smooth upgrade to 802.11i when it becomes available.

Proxim's Orinoco 11a/b/g Gold PCMCIA ComboCard can be used to connect to the access point although, disappointingly, only Windows drivers are supported. It's straightforward to install and simple to manage.

The range of advanced features makes the Proxim Orinoco AP4000 an attractive enterpriselevel product, although it could be used in any areas where 802.11a installations co-exist with the more popular 802.11g standard.

Contact: Proxim

www.proxim.com

Specifications:

Processor: 220MHz MIPS 4000
Memory: 16MB RAM, 8MB Flash
Dimensions: 198x121x25mm
Frequency band: 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums
Wi-Fi standards: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g
Management Web browser: Telnet, CLI, Proxims WNM, SNMP, MIB-II
Number of ports: 1 x serial port; 1 x 10/100-Base-Tx
Warranty: Access point - one year RTB; ComboCard - three years RTB

Price details:

AP-600 £549 (ex VAT)

ComboCard £70 (ex VAT)

Inexq ISW054U

Alex Arias — 2004-06-23T12:05:07.000Z

Alex Arias, PC Magazine, Wednesday 23 June 2004 at 12:05:07

SoHo wireless router.

As broadband continues to grow in popularity, the combination of a high-speed Internet connection and wireless networking becomes even more appealing. Inexq meets this need with the ISW054u, designed for the home or small office with a cable or Ethernet-based ADSL modem.

Its silver casing includes a NAT firewall, a four-port auto MDI/MDIX switch and a USB printer port. The wireless access point is based on the 802.11g standard.

Installing the device is fairly straightforward. The manual gives you the default IP address, which can then be used to connect to the browser-based management interface.

The interface won?t win any awards for design, but it is easy enough to navigate to the appropriate configuration pages with a mouse click or two. The basic wizards get you on to the Internet but they won?t help you set up the wireless LAN.

A built in DHCP server automatically allocates IP address to both wired and wireless clients. IP filtering allows you to manage traffic based on IP addresses. Basic URL filtering can be applied, but there?s no anti-virus option.

Wireless security is based on MAC address filtering and the ability to prevent the broadcast of SSID. Standard WEP encryption is supported up to 128-bit. WDS (wireless distribution system) can be used to aggregate additional access points.

It?s a solid product, and its combination of core functionality and price make it an attractive entry-level product.

Contact: Inexq

www.inexq.com

Specifications:

Firewall: NAT
Protocols supported: DHCP, PPoE, TCP/IP, VPN pass-through
Printing protocols: TCP/IP Windows LPD
Ports: Four 10/100Mbit/s auto switching; one WAN port
USB connection: USB 1.1 printer port
Wireless standard: 802.11G, 2.4GHz
Warranty: One year RTB

Wireless hits a speed bump

Guy Kewney — 2004-03-24T11:16:00.000Z

Guy Kewney, PC Magazine, Wednesday 24 March 2004 at 11:16:00

Knowledge and experience gained with wired networking won't necessarily hold true in the unwired world

Nasty incident in the lab the other day. We had an 'expert' in. My experience of experts was uniformly wonderful (no, really!) until about 20 years ago, when my innocence was stripped away from me by the British Standards Institute.

The lads from the BSI pointed out that our benchmark was a set of Basic programs. In other words, we were testing not the personal computer, but the built-in Basic interpreter (20 years ago, they all had one).

They went away and designed a new benchmark that tested the memory access speed of the machine. It used 'machine code' to read the memory chips. The machine code, it turned out, was done by PEEK and POKE commands. In Basic.

This time, our expert was setting up a test of wireless local area network (Lan) equipment. I suspect his tests will turn out to be useful, because they're designed to spot compatibility failures, but in the end he got so cross with us that he decided not to let us print this data.

Why did he get so cross? He mentioned, in passing, that he had set up a wireless link that was 'only' running at 10Mbps. He suggested that it should, obviously, have a throughput of 54Mbps, because it was an 802.11g link.

It turns out that experience of wired networking, however great, is not a good guide to how wireless runs. It's hard enough to test wired Ethernet Lans, but when it comes to wireless Lans, it's even worse.

The problem is that wireless Ethernet is a standard based on 802.11b, which dates back to a time when the fastest cards ran at 1Mbps. I won't bore you with all the tedious details, but the result is that there is a preamble built into every data frame, which has to be transmitted at 1Mbps.

At 1Mbps, it's a very small part of the transmission. At 11Mbps, the preamble takes up nearly half the transmission. Connect two Windows PCs over a 100Mbps Lan and send a long file (say, 100MB), and you'll discover you are dealing with an apparent transmission speed of less than half that.

Make it a shorter file, and it will appear to take far longer, strolling past the tape at an apparent 15Mbps. Ask the system to move 20 short files, writing all the data to disk in between files, and you'll be down into single figures.

Now move to wireless. Try it on a 11Mbps (nominal) wireless 802.11b link, and you will be astonished to find that you are getting about 3Mbps across the network, even if you're the only user.

The newest Broadcom chips can do rather better, using streamlined protocols to talk to each other, and can take 802.11g to 30Mbps, or even maximum throughput for a sole user.

Even so, with people advertising these things as 100Mbps technology, there are going to be a lot of disappointed users.

And some of these are experts. I'm not saying a general purpose IT sysadmin type should be an expert on the finer details of wireless Lan - indeed, quite the opposite.

But there are people scratching their heads about 'faulty' wireless cards who are not using duff gear - they're simply making false assumptions about 'real world' throughput, based on their 100Mbps wired Ethernet experience.

It's not that the makers are lying. It's just that they all want to be measured by the same tape; and the tape has been stretched by over-use. Oh, and don't believe what they tell you about battery life, either.

Proxim Orinoco AP-600 Access Point

Alex Arias — 2004-02-04T10:53:41.000Z

Alex Arias, PC Magazine, Wednesday 4 February 2004 at 10:53:41

Enterprise features at a lower price.

Proxim, an established wireless networking company, has released a single radio access point available as an 802.11a, 802.11b or 802.11g product. Crucially, the enterprise-level features at lower price points - ideal for smaller businesses - should make this an attractive product.

It incorporates features such as support for 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE), bridging and a range of monitoring capabilities, such as SNMP and MIB support, that are not usually found in this price range.

The unit is well constructed and can be wall mounted or free standing, although it's a bit fiddly to remove the plastic outer shell that houses the robust metal casing. This allows you to reach both the single Ethernet port and the power connector.

The customary Web based management interface is easily accessed using the supplied utility. Wizards help you to configure the access point, and the interface has been well laid out with all the necessary wireless functionality to hand.

Security can be based on WEP and supports 802.1x auto keying and RADIUS-based authentication. Additionally there are RADIUS accounting features for use in public hotspots.

The upgrade possibilities are a little confusing. The AP-600 can be field upgraded from 802.11b to 802.11g for £81 (ex. VAT), and early in 2004 to a single radio 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g for £130 (ex. VAT). However the device doesn't have simultaneous dual frequency support.

Its range of features makes the Proxim Orinoco AP-600 attractive for multiple installation environments or hot spots, particularly where management is important. However, you should pay attention to the fine print because not all the features are supported across all the wireless standards.

Contact: Proxim (01234) 262390

www.proxim.com

Specifications:

Processor: Motorola 8241 - 166MHz
Dimensions 215x175x40mm
Frequency band: 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums (model dependent)
Management Web browser: Telnet, CLI, Proxim WNM, SNMP, MIB-II
Number of ports: 1 LAN 10/100Base-TX, 1 serial port
Feature restrictions: Load balancing, WDS, Remote link test, AP density optimisation (802.11b), 802.1x peruser per session encryption (802.11a)
Warranty: One year RTB
Price: 802.11b £299; 802.11g £349; 802.11a £379 (ex. VAT)

Watchguard Firebox Soho and Wireless

Alexander Arias. — 2004-01-23T14:58:54.000Z

Alexander Arias., PC Magazine, Friday 23 January 2004 at 14:58:54

Provide your network with extra protection using watchguard's wireless firewall.

WatchGuard has recently released its latest firewall offering, the Firebox SOHO 6 Wireless. As its name implies, it's designed specifically for protecting 802.11b wireless environments. Primarily intended for small to medium-sized businesses or remote offices, it's an easytouse and secure solution.

Inside the distinctive red metal case you'll find a Brecis 150MHz MSP 2000 processor with 16MB of RAM. This provides the processing power required for the ICSA-certified stateful packet inspection and up to 3DES encryption. The number of users supported 'out of the box' is ten concurrent WAN users, but this can be upgraded up to 50-users for £194 (ex.VAT).

Also included is a four-port 10/100 switch with a full complement of clearly visible status lights. Unfortunately, the unit isn't wall mountable, and the lack of Power over Ethernet (PoE) capability means that it will be trickier to install the device in the best location for wireless coverage. However, it's easy-to-manage and has a good set-up guide that enables you to rapidly access the browserbased management interface.

Anyone familiar with WatchGuard products will find the management interface and configuration options similar to those in the existing range. It's relatively simple with the basic features you'd find in a conventional access point, including disabling SSID, WEP up to 128-bit and access control.

VPN support is based on Mobile User VPN (MUVPN), using IPsec to establish a secure connection that can also be enforced for internal wireless users. You're only provided with a single MUVPN license, although additional licenses can be bought in bundles of five.

A one-year subscription to McAfee VirusScan for a single desktop, plus a 90-day renewable subscription to WatchGuard's LiveSecurity Services are included in the purchase price. Furthermore you can upgrade to include branch office VPN seats - these are standard on another family member, the SOHO 6tc Wireless. Although this is less expensive than its competitors, the cost of both subscriptions and additional VPN clients should not be overlooked.

WatchGuard has joined a number of other firewall manufactures who've responded to the business requirement for extra security in WLAN environments. As such the SOHO 6 Wireless should meet most users' security needs, although with the current volatile nature of the wireless marketplace, standardising on 802.11b could restrict your future wireless plans.

It's an attractive solution for a small business wireless network, and its ease of configuration makes it well worth investigating if you're worried about security.

Contact: WatchGuard

www.watchguard.com

Specifications:

Wireless interface: 802.11b
Wired interfaces: WAN - 1x10/100Base-T; LAN - 4x10/100Base-T
Security Standards: IPSec, PPTP, L2TP, WEP, IKE, PPPoE
Protocols supported: DHCP, NAT, TCP/IP, SNMP, DynamicDNS
Maximum number of clients: 11 concurrent MUVPN connections
Warranty: One year RTB

Linksys WMA11B Wireless-B Media Adapter

Manek Dubash — 2004-01-22T15:27:33.000Z

Manek Dubash, PC Magazine, Thursday 22 January 2004 at 15:27:33

Home multimedia Wi-Fi solution.

There's no longer a need to clutter your living room with a noisy PC. Instead, you can plug the Linksys WMA11B Wireless-B Media Adapter into your stereo and TV, add its remote to your collection and it will download pictures and music across your home wireless network. The device plays MP3 and WMA files using ASX and M3U playlists, and displays JPG, GIF, TIF or BMP files on the TV. It's an elegant and potent combination.

It's easy-to-use, the most complex part being the setup, and even that's pretty simple. Linksys includes a program that automates this process, though if you're running a firewall, you may have to disable it while setting up.

If you've got an 11Mbit/s Wi-Fi wireless network already, it's just a matter of entering the SSID or network name, plus the WEP encryption key if used. The device can be used in ad hoc mode or via an access point. There's also a wired 10/100 Ethernet port. As an alternative, you could set it up when connected to the TV, though it's tiresome entering keystrokes on a TV screen.

Once installed, all you do is tell the Media Folder Manager (MFM) server program where music and picture files are stored, although if you've put them in Windows' default folders even this won't be necessary. The MFM will then push out files requested by the remote Media Adapter. One peculiarity is if you keep files on a local network server, the MFM will not make use of it.

Down in the living room, we plugged the S-Video cable supplied into the TV and the RCA jacks into the hi-fi amp. There's a composite video cable supplied too. On activating the Media Adapter with the remote, we were presented with a simple menu, offering a choice of music or pictures. You select by scrolling through the folders that are configured within the server program. Choosing music first, we discovered that we could also look at pictures. We also found that the wireless network was not so loaded we couldn't surf the Internet using a 54Mbit/s, wireless equipped notebook PC in the same room.

The adapter is very living room friendly, with a brushed aluminium appearance and a cable tidy, though the cables are short at barely 2m - twice as long would be much better. The layout of the remote could also be improved, since some major control buttons are buried towards the bottom of the device and the white on light-grey legends weren't very readable in poor light. Overall, though it was fairly easy-to-use.

Documentation is good, with a simple, easy-tofollow fold-out card supplied in hardcopy and a full manual on the accompanying CD. This is a simple concept that's been a long time coming, but only now is the technology affordable. The addition of a faster 802.11g interface and video capability would make it almost perfect - but until then it's still a great addition to any home wireless network.

Contact: Linksys (0870) 739 3939

www.linksys.com

Specifications:

Dimensions: 16x19x5cm
Weight: 0.37kg
OS: Windows XP/2000
Network interface: 802.11b, 13 channels
Power: External, 5V DC, 2.0 A
Software: Media Folder Manager
Supported file formats: Audio - MP3, WMA Image - JPG, GIF, TIF, BMP
I/O Ports: S-Video, composite video, RCA audio jacks, 10/100Base-T
LED indicators: Ready, wirelesss, Ethernet
Warranty: 1 year RTB