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Get Good Wi-Fi While You're Away
Power Trip · March 21, 2004

Before a recent JetBlue Airways transcontinental flight, I sat in the Long Beach, Calif., airport and waited. And waited. And waited.

Not so much for the flight to take me back to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., mind you, but for that reassuring "Wireless Network Connection" message to pop up above the taskbar on my laptop PC.

The posters on the wall promoting free in-terminal Wi-Fi access — JetBlue calls them "Hot Zones" — promised a connection as effortless as a Bar-headed Goose coasting with the jet stream.

Sure enough, finally, there was the message. Or so I thought.

My computer "saw" the network, but it wouldn't connect. For another 10 agonizing minutes, I tried to get into the zone, but was denied at every click. I asked a gate agent for help, and she offered to phone a tech-support line. No one answered. I asked several airport employees what to do. No one had a clue.

My search for wireless access had stalled, and with my battery running down, I put my PC away for the flight.

What's the hold up?

Connecting to a Wi-Fi network while you're away may seem easy, especially if you have the wireless "sniffer" that comes with Windows XP. But don't count on it. As with any emerging technology, there can be complications. The wireless access point may not be compatible with your system, or vice versa. Your laptop might not be configured correctly. The hotspot could require some kind of authentication (usually a credit card), or, worse still, you might not be welcome on the network, because it's private.

So the "Wireless Network Connection" message lingers on your screen. It taunts you.

I'm hardly alone. "A significant number of Wi-Fi users would like to gain access in various locations, but can't connect due to hardware limitations," says Jeff Parker, the chief executive of ParkerVision, a wireless technology company based in Jacksonville, Fla. Although no formal studies have been conducted on these missed connections, wireless access providers do keep data on failure rates — it's highly confidential, for obvious reasons — but they know we know it's a problem.

What to do about it? Here's what I've learned:

Go beyond the XP sniffer, if necessary. Having Windows XP is a good start, but if you don't — or if, as a business traveler, your trips take you to places with some unusual Wi-Fi networks — you might want to consider extending your sniffing capabilities. Other applications are available that can help you find and connect to a network, says Dick Snyder, a senior vice president for Concourse Communications, a wireless network operator in Chicago. Among his favorites: a shareware application called WiNC by Cirond that offers data about the network, including security and signal strength. "If you are talking about a public hotspot, there should be no need to 'hack' into it," he says.

A sniffer can't tell you everything. But you can always try a "ping." If you "see" a wireless network, go into a command prompt on Windows (click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt) and type "cmd" and Return. Then type "ping" and the name of your favorite Web site. If the connection times out, it means your wireless connection works but the back-end wireless service — the connection between the access point and the Internet itself — is down.

Get an 802.11g card. As I pointed out in a prior column, when it comes to 802.11, the only thing you need to know, for now at least, is "g" — as in 802.11g. It offers connection speeds of up to 54 Mbps, which is five times faster than 802.11b, plus it's designed to be more secure. Most important, it works with earlier Wi-Fi versions, so that you can easily use an 802.11b network. "If you are just getting a card, you should go for 'g'," says Biju Nair, a vice president of wireless products at PCTEL, a wireless communications company based in Chicago. That's because if you stumble across a "g" network, you'll be able to take advantage of its mind-bending speed, stability and safety, but still work with previous wireless protocols. Put differently, it's the most "connectable" of the cards.

Don't expect too much from your "g" card — at least not yet. Remember, 802.11g's speeds are from your card to the hotspot. But you might experience bottlenecks between the hotspot and the modem, which may not be able to operate 54 Mbps. So if you think your network is running slow, that may be your problem.

Get to know the warchalk. Wi-Fi enthusiasts mark areas where there's a free hotspot in chalk, and learning what they look like can be very useful. Most markings contain four components: a password at the top, a Web site on the left, the protocol on the right, and the connection speed on the bottom. Knowing what goes where could help you log on to the Wi-Fi network of your choice. Two very helpful sites are Warchalking.org, which offers a good tutorial on the markings, and Wififreespot.com, which tells you where to find the free access points.

In many cases, opening a browser is enough to log on to a hotspot. "Free networks will generally let you know somehow that it is sponsored by the venue host. Typically they will advertise it, or redirect your homepage to a splash screen, gaining branding visibility in exchange for free access," says Jeff Manning, a marketing manager for Enterasys Networks, a networking company based in Andover, Mass.

Get safe — and savvy. Balancing the need for security with the need for a connection can, at times, be a challenge. I won't sugarcoat the truth: Your laptop is vulnerable to all kinds of attacks when you're on a wireless network, just as it's susceptible to problems on a wired Internet connection. Protect yourself with personal firewall software. (Windows XP comes with a basic firewall protection, and there's a free version of ZoneAlarm that comes highly recommended.) But don't let the fear of what's out there interfere with your connectivity — which is to say, don't hold back when it comes to trying to make a connection to a Wi-Fi network.

So how do you get savvy about a wireless connection? If you know the network you're on is meant for common use (more on that in a moment), but you're having trouble using it, here are a few tips. Go to "View Available Wireless Networks" in your taskbar. If you can see it but can't connect, it means you're associated but not authenticated. Check to see if you have 802.1X enabled. If so, uncheck it and try again. If that doesn't work, check the box that says "allow me to connect to this network even though it may be insecure." If all else fails, try to guess the password.

OK, so you've got the best sniffer, an 802.11g card, and security software, and you're pretty adept at getting into a network. The only question that remains is: Can you?

That's what I wondered a few months ago when, at an Internet conference, I saw that familiar "Wireless Network Connection" message and thought to myself, "Here's a chance to finally get some work done."

But with my admittedly limited Wi-Fi abilities, I couldn't make a connection. Finally I asked one of the conference organizers for a password. "No can do," she said. "That network if for our use only."

So take it from this frustrated wireless aficionado. Sometimes you just aren't meant to connect.

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator based in Key Largo, Fla. All e-mailed questions may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion.

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