NETWORKING IN LAPTOPS

The need for networking:

Year 1992, Ella Jones, a sales representative of a reputed company lost a $3.5 million contract because she failed to get her manager’s approval on time. She was in London while her manager was in New York City. Ella could not email her proposal to her manager from the client’s site in the same format as she was used to in her office in New York.

Year 1991, John Smith lost his valuable presentation from his laptop and the only copy of it is in his office desktop thousands of miles away. How does he retrieve that?

Back in early 1990s for a travelling professional it was impossible to connect to their office system or send emails from office email accounts. As a result they faced huge problems. Lesser connectivity meant lesser updates. What if the client wanted to connect to your company’s network to upload or download data? Or may be you are working on your laptop in the garden and need a print-out urgently although the printer is connected to the desktop in your study – how do you do that?

What is networking in laptops?

Networking in laptops essentially refers to the technology by means of which a laptop stays connected to a certain network. This network could be an office network, a home network, a personal area network, wide area network, etc. So simply put a laptop with networking enables it to communicate with other computers. In a world of frequent travels and fast changes, networking in laptops seems to be an absolute necessity to stay up-to-date.

If your laptop is enabled to connect to a network then you will be able to share and use amongst the computers connected to the network (subject to the system authorisation), the following:
• Files and documents
• Printer and scanners
• Internet and email account
• Games, etc.

How does it work?

For any network to function irrespective of the type of computer/laptop, it needs the following essential components:
• More than one computer/laptop.
• Hardware like a router.
• Software that enable the operating system to connect to the network.
• A device or path that helps in exchange of information between two computers. This could be through wires or wireless.

A server generally manages all the resources in a network. Thus a server can manage all the files in a network, all the printers in a network and so on and so forth.

Types of networking available for laptops:

You can put your laptop in a network in different ways. Some of these are:

• Using Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP). This option is cheaper but has a low data transmission rate.
• Using a docking station to plug in ISA Ethernet cards for older laptops.
• Connecting the network cable to your laptop’s USB port.
• Using radio waves to connect wireless. For this your laptop must have a wireless adaptor that connects to the wireless router.
• Attaching a Bluetooth device to your laptop (if it is not already Bluetooth-enabled).
• Using Infrared transmission systems.

NETWORKING VIA BLUETOOTH IN LAPTOPS

Bluetooth is a form of automatic wireless connection that enables a laptop or other Bluetooth enabled devices to communicate with other computers, devices like mobile phones, digital cameras or laptops within that particular personal area network.
Founded in 1998, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group oversees the research and development of Bluetooth. The device is named after Herald Bluetooth, king of Denmark in the late 900s.

Some quick facts on Bluetooth:

• The range of Bluetooth is between one to hundred metres.

• Bluetooth can connect up to eight devices simultaneously. Imagine your laptop to be connected to your home desktop, your mobile phone, the home telephone, your printer and even your digital camera. This is networking.

• A Bluetooth dongle can be externally connected to your laptop through a USB port to enable it to connect to a Bluetooth enabled network.

• The Operating System of your laptop should also support Bluetooth. Otherwise you may require installing a Bluetooth drive.

• If your laptop is already Bluetooth enabled then all you need to do is press the Bluetooth button and your laptop will find out compatible devices within the range.

How does Bluetooth work?

Bluetooth networking uses radio waves to transmit data. It operates in a specific radio wave frequency that is set aside by international agreement for scientific, medical and industrial use. The technique used by Bluetooth to transmit data is called spread spectrum frequency hopping wherein it randomly selects 79 individual frequencies within the designated range to transmit.

So when a Bluetooth enabled laptop comes within the range of another Bluetooth enabled device, the two automatically communicate to establish a personal area network and then hop the frequencies in unison to stay connected.

Is Bluetooth connectivity secure enough?

Security is a big concern for any networking setup that is wireless. Bluetooth is thus very much susceptible to spying and unauthorised access. Generally security is ensured in both device level and service level. You can change your laptop settings in such a way that any Bluetooth enabled device that is not in your ‘trusted devices’ group would require authorisation and permission before transferring data.

However with each technological development come the associated pitfalls. Different companies are now engaging themselves on how to make Bluetooth networking more secure. The latest Bluetooth specification 2.1 offers an array of features to reduce the security concerns.

The most important security measure that you can take is to switch-on the Bluetooth of your laptop only when you need to transfer or receive data.



When do you need Bluetooth networking?

If you want to have networking in your laptop predominantly for the purpose of transferring or receiving data on a small scale and within a small personal area network, then you can go for a laptop using networking via Bluetooth. For example staying connected to your home network when you are at home or to the study group when you are in the college.

However if you want to stay connected to a bigger network, e.g. your office and require high-speed transfer of data, then only a Bluetooth will not fulfil your networking needs.

Latest Bluetooth enabled laptops:

These days most laptops and notebooks are Bluetooth enabled. The SZ series from Sony, Inspiron from Dell, MacBooks from Apple, Aspire series from Acer all come with Bluetooth 2.0 and above specification.

WIRELESS NETWORKING IN LAPTOPS

Wireless network uses radio signal to communicate with wireless enabled computers and laptops. There is a transmitter and a number of receiver points. If you are within 300-800 feet radius of a receiver then your wireless enabled laptop will login to the network and communicate. A wireless network gives you maximum portability for your laptop.

Most laptops come with preinstalled wireless drivers. If you do not have a wireless enabled laptop then you would need to buy a wireless card. The card has a driver and you need to install that in your laptop. A wireless card costs around $90-$150. Both Macintosh and Windows platform support wireless card. Once it is installed you need to register to the network. If you want to connect to your office network your IT department will help you in registering your laptop to the network.

Following are some points to keep in mind while networking via wireless in your laptop:

• A wireless network costs less than a wired network.
• The speed of wireless network is lesser than wired networks.
• Wireless signals are disrupted if you are near a tree or a metal object.
• A wireless card uses battery power from your laptop.
• Wireless network also restricts accessibility to a certain number of users.

What is Wi-Fi?

You must have come across the terms Wi-Fi zone or Wi-Fi hotspot. Wi-Fi is a brand owned by the Wi-Fi Alliance. It uses wireless technology to provide Internet services to users connected to a wireless local network in a Wi-Fi Zone or hotspot. Hotspots are commercial access zones and the Internet service is free. If your laptop has a 802.11b wireless capability then you will be able to connect to your nearby Wi-Fi zone for example in your local coffee shop if it is a Wi-Fi hotspot.

If you are using a public hotspot remember that these are not secure. You must enable your Internet Firewall and avoid working on sensitive information while accessing Internet through a Wi-Fi hotspot.

What is Infrared?

You can enable wireless networking in your laptop by using Infrared devices as well. However it can be used only for short-range data transfer and you can exchange data only with an Infrared enabled device. In order to use Infrared your laptop must have an IRDA (Infrared Data Association) wireless port. To use Infrared for data transmission you will need line of sight with the other device. If your laptop does not come with an Infrared port then you can add an Infrared port device on an USB port of your laptop.

You can use Infrared to connect to your laptop with your Infrared compatible mobile phone, PDA, mouse, keyboard or printer. You can also connect a Network Interface card to your Infrared and access your home or office network.

Wireless networking has given users ultimate portability for their laptops. Move from one room to another, from the college library to the classroom while staying connected to the network. It saves time and reduces the hassles of plugging and unplugging a number of cords. Make the best use of the wireless networking facilities of your laptop but do ensure that you have taken proper security measures.