5
4
Introduction
5
4
Introduction
4. Choose the “quietest” channel for your wireless network
In locations where homes or offices are close together, such as
apartment buildings or office complexes, there may be wireless
networks nearby that can conflict with yours. Use the Site Survey
capabilities of your Wireless LAN Utility to locate any other wireless
networks, and move your Wireless Router (or Access Point) and
computers to a channel as far away from other networks as possible.
Experiment with more than one of the available channels, in order to
find the clearest connection and avoid interference from neighboring
cordless phones or other wireless devices.
Use the detailed Site Survey and wireless channel information
included in your User Guide for more information.
5. Secure connections, VPNs, and AOL
Secure connections are connections that typically require a user name
and password, and are used where security is important. Secure
connections include:
• Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections, often used to connect
remotely to an office network
• The “Bring Your Own Access” program from America Online
(AOL), which lets you use AOL through broadband provided by
another cable or DSL service
• Most on-line banking websites
• Many commercial websites which require a username and
password to access your account
Secure connections can be interrupted by a computer’s power
management setting, which causes it to “go to sleep.” The simplest
solution to avoid this is to simply reconnect by re-running the VPN or
AOL software, or by re-logging into the secure web site.
A second alternative is to change your computer’s power management
settings so it does not go to sleep; however, this may not be appropriate
for portable computers. To change your power management setting
under Windows, see the “Power Options” item in the Control Panel.
