Linux Unwired

by Edd Dumbill, Brian Jepson, Roger Weeks, et al.

Book Overview

In Linux Unwired, you'll learn the basics of wireless computing, from the reasons why you'd want to go wireless in the first place, to setting up your wireless network or accessing wireless data services on the road. The book provides a complete introduction to all the wireless technologies supported by Linux. You'll learn how to install and configure a variety of wireless technologies to fit different scenarios, including an office or home...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0596005830
• ISBN13: 9780596005832
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media
• Length: 297 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

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!

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.

The cellular chapter is excellent

I didn't even originally realize this book had a chapter on cellular data until I found Brian Jepson's site, Jepstone.net, and began reading about using cellular phones and PCMCIA modem cards. This book's cellular chapter was just what the doctor ordered! There are instructions for Verizon, AT & T, Cingular and T-mobile, that make things more manageable even for advanced Linux users. Way to go, guys!

Excellent treatment of Linux and wireless networking

Based on postings to user forums it seems that one area of Linux where people tend to have a lot of problems getting it to work is wireless networking. With wireless finally coming into its own over the last couple of years "Linux Unwired" is a very timely and useful book. All the aspects of wireless in all of its current manifestations are covered including Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), Bluetooth, infrared, cellular networking, and global positioning system (GPS) devices.Before getting into the details of getting Linux to work with wireless the authors provide a thorough understanding of radio waves and how they act, hardware, and antenna types. Understanding these basic concepts is important if your system is to work the way you want. One of the really nice features of the book is the information on picking the right card so you have the fewest problems getting things up and running. The authors even name specific manufacturers and card models that work well with Linux and then they go through installing the driver and configuring the software to work with the device. Along the same lines they provide information on Linux friendly access point providers and even building your own access point.One you have your Linux system up and running on wireless there is a chapter on locating hotspots and using them to get onto the Internet. This chapter really only covers the basics of locating hotspots. If you are really interested in this area you might try another O'Reilly book just on this subject titled "WarDriving, Drive, Detect, Defend". Of course, if you are concerned about your wireless security (and you should be) it includes information on configuring Wired Equivalency Protocol (WEP) and Wireless Protected Access (WPA). If you are anticipating moving your Linux system to a wireless interface you can't go wrong with "Linux Unwired". The authors do an excellent job of providing all the information you need to get it done right. "Linux Unwired" is highly recommended for anyone interested in Linux wireless networks.

Coverage of all wireless options

While Windows users have no problem using all the wireless gear out there, not everything is supported in Linux. Add to this the command line tools for dealing with wireless, and you have a recipe for confusion. "Linux Unwired" demystifies the Linux Wireless system, and provides guidance for purchasers to make sure that they buy the most supported equipment possible.It should be noted early on that 802.11b is not the only thing covered in the book. The other variants (a and g) are there, in addition to IRDA (infrared), Bluetooth, and Data over Cellular. On the latter point, much of the content deals with US based providers, but it still provides a good backing on the subject for those of us outside the country.802.11b is the main focus, taking up around half the book. It starts with a discussion of the chipsets behind the cards, and how the map to Linux support. Here is where the reader gets advice on which card to buy, or at least what to look out for when buying a card. One thing I found interesting was the WLAN driver loader, which is an inexpensive product that lets Linux load binary WLAN modules. Some cards are not supported enough in Linux to do things like WEP security, which is where this product comes in. Again, the book leads the reader around the situations when this is necessary and when it isn't.In addition to WEP, other methods of authentication are covered such as 802.1x authentication and 802.11i, the successor to WEP. It's also a good example of the broad scope of the book and a focus on interoperability with existing systems, rather than assuming the reader is building everything from the ground up.Access points take up two chapters, the first looking at how to use them with Linux. Before reading this book, I was under the impression that access points all used web browsers or telnet for configuration, but apparently some need Windows software. There are situations where people have developed software to emulate this functionality, and pointers are provided. The second of the two chapters is on building your own access point, which is a fascinating look at using micro-linux distributions and mini-x86 hardware to build access points with rich functionality (for those less adventurous or well funded, the same can be done with any old hardware). There is also a look at soldering on a serial port to a popular Linksys router to allow command line access to the underlying Linux OS.Bluetooth and IRDA are less common uses of wireless that let computers speak to phones and PDAs. I was completely unaware of the level of support that existed in Linux until after I read these chapters. While the Bluetooth coverage was comprehensive, it went to a deeper level of detail than I thought necessary, such as a detailed breakdown of the Bluetooth stack of protocols. However, at the end, it is possible to use Bluetooth and IRDA to pull data from devices, and to connect to their resources (ie modems and databases) over the air.I should also mention t