Section 13. Easier Wireless Networking

13. Easier Wireless Networking

Remember when connecting to the Internet required installing a modem, untangling a cord, unplugging the phone, plugging into the outlet, looking up a dial-up number, and wrestling with modem configuration files?

High speed wireless connections (or WiFi, for short) have changed all that, thank goodness. My Windows-based friends all have WiFi-enabled computers, but they spend more time fussing with their WiFi connection than I do. "What's the hexadecimal equivalent of that ASCII password? Is that WAP or WEP? Where do I tweak my network properties settings?"

My Mac makes wireless networking simple. I open my laptop, I choose a network, I enter my password, and I'm online.