Technology Services provides an 802.11b standard wireless network access to students, faculty and staff free of charge. This network may be used to access the Internet or other network services from locations on the Commerce campus. Due to the nature of 802.11b and unlicensed radio systems in general freedom from RF interference/range/performance cannot be guaranteed.

What is 802.11b? How does it work?

802.11b is a networking standard for the wireless transmission of Ethernet. It is also sometimes referred to as "WiFi". It allows for a maximum speed of 11Mb/s but actual performance is usually significantly lower. Access points connected to the wired network are placed at strategic locations to allow laptops and/or other devices equipped with an 802.11b card to communicate with the rest of the network from any location within the range of the AP's.

Currently A&M-Commerce has AP's covering the Business Administration building, the Memorial Student Center, the Ag/IT building, the Performing Arts Center, and Gee Library. Coverage is fairly comprehensive within these structures but users may encounter unavoidable dead spots. These are found in areas where large concentrations of metal (stairwells, elevator shafts) or water (trees, people) come between the client computer and an access point. Also interference can be generated by microwave ovens, cordless telephones, rogue access points or any other device that radiates RF at 2.4Ghz. CTIS has conducted extensive site surveys to determine the best location for each AP but 100% coverage in all areas is not possible as no two AP's operate on the same channel and there are only 3 channels available in 802.11b. Coupled with the range limitations and environmental interference this makes wireless difficult to implement in a comprehensive fashion.

Requirements

Users wishing to connect to the wireless LAN will need the following:
1. A laptop or PDA which accepts PC cards.
2. An 802.11b PC card (see FAQ for brands and types)
3. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) account (see VPN User's Guide)

Using the Wireless Network

Accessing the Wireless LAN (WLAN) is simple:

1. Install the PC card and driver according to the instructions provided with the device.
2. Configure the wireless client software (this varies between manufacturer - consult your card's documentation) to: Run in infrastructure mode (as opposed to ad-hoc if this option is available) Run with WEP (encryption) disabled Use the following SSID(case sensitive): tamu-commerce

Wireless setup dialog box in WindowsXP - other versions use vendor-supplied setup tools and vary in appearance.

3. Test your connection by placing the device within range of an AP (access point) and checking any link status or other indicator that comes with the product.
4. Verify network connectivity by opening a command prompt and typing ipconfig <enter> (winipcfg <enter> for windows 98 systems). You should see an IP address assigned to your adapter as follows: 10.15.X.X (where X refers to any number between 0 and 255).
5. Install and test the VPN client (see VPN user's guide). Contact CTIS at 903-468-6000 if you have problems with any of these steps.

FAQ

What kind of wireless card do I need?

You need a PC card that is 802.11b compliant. As WEP is not being used it does not matter what level of encryption it supports. Technology Services has successfully tested the following brands:
Cisco Aironet 350 series – this card has the best range and client utilities
Lucent/Orinoco/Agere – this card works well and is lower in cost
Linksys - lower cost - lower range
NetGear - see Linksys above.

Why is the VPN required for wireless access?

VPN access is being used as an authentication, encryption and accounting mechanism instead of those built into 802.11b because it is much more effective and scales well to a larger number of users. It is also much easier to configure at the client end than the alternatives and allows the use of any wireless card that can link to the AP instead of limiting users to certain brands or models.

What is WEP? Why aren’t you using it?

WEP or Wired Equivalent Privacy is the built-in encryption scheme used with 802.11b. It has two shortcomings. The first is that the keys are static (fixed) and must be set up in the AP and each client. These keys must match each other – if the one in the AP ever changes all of the clients must be altered to match it. The second is that WEP is easily broken (see above). Also, as an access control it is unacceptable – since it cannot be changed without affecting every client and every user would have access to it the number of unauthorized (non-student etc) users would quickly increase.

Why is it so important to control who uses the wireless network?

Any user gaining access to an unprotected network is able to use that network for a variety of activities--at the very least consuming bandwidth and at the worst being criminal in nature. (breaking into other systems, sending spam, downloading or distributing child porn…) Such users would be virtually untraceable and the University could be held liable for actions initiated from its network.

Why can’t I share files directly between two client computers?

Inter-client traffic is disabled at each AP for security reasons.

Why does my connection flake out at some location inside building “X” but works well beyond the outside of that building in another direction?

See “How does it work?” at the top of this document.

Why can’t I use certain applications or games on the wireless network?

On the wireless network you pass through two different NAT (network address translation) systems on the way to the Internet. This may affect some peer-to-peer applications and games.
 

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