Book details of 'Wireless Hacks'

Title	Wireless Hacks
Author(s)	Rob Flickenger
ISBN	0596005598
Language	English
Published	September 2003
Publisher	O'Reilly & Associates

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Amazon.com info for Wireless Hacks

Score:

virtualbookcase.com score: 4.5   Vote for this book

The Virtual Bookcase Reviews of 'Wireless Hacks':

Reviewer Koos van den Hout wrote:
Another of the O'Reilly "hacks" series, where the word "hack" is used in the original sense meaning clever trick or use not thought of by the original designer. This book goes into the technical details behind wireless networks and the 802.11 family of standards. One of the primary uses of this book is gaining a lot of insight into technical backgrounds behind wireless networks. Where other publications usually skip technical details, maybe assuming the reader knows stuff or not wanting to alienate the reader with lots of details, this book tells it as it is, up to the frequencies and signal processing. Developments go at lightning speed, and a lot has happened in the wireless world since this book was printed in 2003. Part of the technical information is getting really dated, new standards have emerged. The book does describe historic wireless standards which can also be seen as a good reference of the history. The book also has in my opinion a strong bias towards US standards and US implementations. Regulations and availability of wireless differs throughout the world. All in all a mixed bag. If you want to know more about the technical side of wireless networks, mainly including information about antennas, a useful reference.
Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
Unlike most pieces that simply list the various wireless standards, chapter one provides excellent coverage of both regulations and protocols, giving clear and practical explanations of the benefits and drawbacks of the various conventions, and recommending the best one for any particular purpose. This sets the tone for the book as a whole, providing advice and information that far exceeds details and suggestions found in other wireless works. (I must say, though, that the exegesis of Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum is still lacking.) Chapter two shows how to use Bluetooth (mostly with cell phones, Mac OS X, and Linux) for some amazing applications. Descriptions of many monitoring tools are furnished in chapter three, starting with system utilities. There is solid guidance on using these instruments in combination for best effect. Antennae, cables, and the use of minimalist equipment as routers and infrastructure is covered in chapter four. Five deals with antennae in more detail. Long distance point-to-point links are examined in chapter six. Wireless security, in chapter seven, discusses the usual WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) cracks and SSID (Station Set IDentifier) issues, but also reviews SSH (Secure SHell) and tunnelling. For anyone dealing seriously with wireless networks, there is a wealth of information collected here that you will only find elsewhere after prolonged searching. copyright Robert M. Slade, 2003
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Book description:

As with any new technology, buying your gear is only the first step. Understanding how to make the best use of it is another story. Wireless Hacks offers 100 industrial-strength tips about wireless networking, contributed by experts who apply what they know in the real world every day. Each Hack can be read in just a few minutes, but can save you hours of research. Inside, you will find a wealth of useful techniques for making the most out of wireless technology, including:Making sense of the alphabet soup of the 802.11 standards, and understanding which technology makes sense for your solving particular problemUsing Bluetooth, mobile radios, mobile data networks, and other exotic methods to keep you connected, no matter where you arePractical methods for detecting, analyzing, and monitoring wireless networksExtending the range of your network, and making the best possible use of the available radio spectrumDesigning and building your own antennasEngineering long distance network links that span several milesUnderstanding the security issues of wireless networking, and protecting yourself and your users from unauthorized access and eavesdropping