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Home Networking Simplified
When reviewing this book, the first argument you might have with the authors is exactly where to start. The authors have decided to start earlier than I feel necessary, with hooking your computer up with a dial-up ISP, something most ISPs already provide with more specific detail than can be given in this volume. There are strong arguments for having it all in one place, though, and I have to allow for that in this review.
That said, there are some simplifications and throwaway lines toward the book's beginning that I did feel were unnecessary. A good example is the discussion of bits, bytes, megabytes and gigabytes. Having defined a kilobyte as 1024 bytes, the authors then define a megabyte as 1000 kilobytes. They also claim not to understand why it is 1024 rather than 1000. Either our authors are lying, attempting a poor joke, or they are betraying an unforgivable ignorance of the binary number system. In any case it is a poor choice of throwaway line.
Once over that, there is a lot to like about this book. While it is entirely Windows-centered, so middle of the road it might well be the white line, and reliant on such routine applications as Outlook Express for its examples, it is incredibly detailed on not just what to do but why you do it.
It also has a huge number of screenshots, mainly showing the various dialog boxes and the options you need to set. Given the overabundance of dialogs in most Windows wizards, the screenshot barrage is probably overkill for many readers. Taken together with the highly approachable language and writing style, though, this makes for a book that is perfect for the absolute beginner to networking.
The drawback of the routine, middle-of-the-road approach is that the average person will quickly outgrow this book. Once you decide to use Firefox instead of Explorer and Eudora instead of Outlook, or perhaps integrate a Linux box or Mac into your home network, then this book is much less helpful.
Within its own limits though, it does cover all the bases in home networking, from connecting via dial-up or through broadband connections to building a wireless home network with shared files and printers. The authors do it in a slow, methodical manner with lots of screen shots and a great deal of explanation.
Part I covers the basics; terminology and connecting to the net. Part II covers a simple home network and file and printer sharing before finishing with broadband connections. Part III takes the network wireless. Part IV covers network security, before the final part covers more esoteric network issues such as IP telephony, media nets and gaming.
The book features frequent interjections from the computer help guys at Geek Squad. While most of these are simplistic, they often contain good advice for the uninitiated. This is a pretty good idea; it allows for some external expertise and works well quite a lot of the time, though some of the interjections came across as a little trite.
If you go to the book page at Cisco Press (which isn't, by the way, at the URL the authors give in the Introduction of the book) you can see a table of contents and an example chapter. The authors have also provided four appendices online; one devoted to binary and hexadecimal numbers, one on MAC address locking for wireless, a shameless plug for the Linksys product line, and a final one devoted to some fairly useless prognostication called "Future Stuff." All in all, I'm not sure they are a totally worthwhile addition to the book; the second on MAC address locking could have been easily added to the book if the editing had been a little tighter.
This is an almost perfect book on home networking for the person who has a Windows computer or two (and nothing else) and knows nothing. It pains me to admit that I have a number of friends who fall into this category and I would have no hesitation in lending them a copy of this book. Given the cost, I'm not sure I'd recommend this book to everyone, but I do feel that it is the perfect volume for the local library; borrowing it for two weeks while setting up the home net would be the ideal solution for people like my mate Tim, who (while a pediatric specialist) has trouble hooking up a router, or the neighbours downstairs who can't properly secure a wireless network.
I give this book a nine out of ten for its target audience, the absolute newcomer, but take off two points for the error in the URL given in the introduction and the middle-of-the-road outlook.
You can purchase Home Networking Simplified from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Home lusers dont need a 'home network' anyway.
Actually, they dont need a computer either and only serve to screw things up for the rest of us that already know what to do.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
They should change their name to Retarded Squad. Seems more appropriate. S>
Instead of buying a book, trying to do your own network, buying the wrong crap that you don't need, and getting no where, pay someone from slashdot to do it. How much simpler can it get?
Scott Swezey
Linksys make great routers, they run linux, you can flash them and use them for a variety of things. Likewise I also love Cisco products, very reliable, always great performance. To hear that they put out a book on home networking makes me want to go buy a copy to stick on my shelf, just to show a little support for their book, and to lend out to people who need a little help setting it up.
Watch for Penguins, they eat Apples and throw rocks at Windows.
"It also has a huge number of screenshots" ... pfew, that's a relief.
Great... my mom will read this, set up a home network, and then I'll have to support it. Does the madness ever end?!
It's nice to see they care about newcomers, but I'd rather they invested more time and effort in their wireless products. They were a nightmare to get to work, at least they were when I tried to integrate a few notebooks into an existing WLAN using Linksys wireless cards awhile ago. Has anyone else had problems with Linksys? Back then I vowed never to use Linksys products again, but maybe they have improved in the meantime. Can anyone comment?
"Buy Netgear." It's that simple. I've had more headaches with Linksys than I care to share. From faulty power connectors to lengthy manuals. Let's face it nobody bothers to RTFM!!! I want a 1 page picture.
"Simplify, simplify, simplify!" Thoreau
Anything with the word 'work' in it has to be something to be avoided at all costs. Sure make it sound like fun adding the word 'net' to anyone. Do we always have to learn something new all the time. Can't we blunder blindly through life. It's more fun.
Another thing, why do they always leave their wireless access points WIDE OPEN for the world to take? They should put some sort of random initial password on the installation documents.
"Simplify, simplify, simplify!" Thoreau
... and I could not resist picking it up. From what I saw / read, it seems to be a very good book for beginners - much better than the "Dummys" series. It has some well thought out text and explanations, as well as plenty of colorful diagrams to help the novice visualize the way networking works. I think I'll buy a copy for my father (who is a little more geeky than he is willing to admit ;)).
"Teleporting Rodents with D-Cell Battery Displacement" theory -- IgnoramusMaximus (692000)
For a wireless network you run into a lot of problems depending on if you are using 802.11b or 'g'. A section on testing what wireless networks you will be interfereing with by putting up a wireless hub would be nice. eg. wireless remotes, phones, other APs.
Or if setting up a wired network, a good chapter on wiring etiquette.
CS: It is all sink or swim...oh and did I mention there are sharks in that water?
I fully concur.
Their wireless print servers won't work with "multi-function" printers of any kind. I had to get escalated up to a supervisor somewhere on the sub-continent to be informed of that delightful piece of info.
And their wireless setup utility that comes with their wireless routers is a piece of crap that doens't even find their own AP's. The one that ships with D-Link WAPs is much better, except you have to be local admin for it to work on Windows.
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
I remember an MCSE's job I took over, once upon a time. He installed a server at the office without plugging it into the switch. He thought that you needed a server to do peer to peer networking. An MCSE should know better. A home user has no chance.
To my point:
You either get networking or you don't. My beer-drinking brother is still too amazed by the whole "wireless" thing to understand it. My mother will never understand what the word "network" means.
Unless it plugs in and works by itself, it's too hard for grandma.
There's been a "Linksys Networks: The Official Guide" since 2000 or so. First written by Kathy Ivens and Larry Seltzer, with the most recent paperback earlier this year edited by Walter Glenn.
Here: Home Networking Simplified
So you used an unspecified Linksys wireless product at an unspecified time in the past and had problems with it integrating with a WLAN of unspecified origin, after which you've never used their products again.
Please explain to me why anyone should give a shit?
This is a totally useless feature that I wish would be ended. MAC spoofing is trivial, all it does is give people a false sense of security.
1. Buy a 802.11b card
2. Find a neighbor with an open wap
3. Profit!
Hey, whattya know, I solved the mystery of #2.
I would love to find a good book on this. Not something for the beginner necessarily, but something for those who aren't a hard core network guy. I've had a home network since 10BaseT, mixed Unix and PC, Samba, etc but everytime I want to add something, I have to do a ton of research. VPN Server setup via secured access still isn't working, for instance. Thoughts?
On my home network, I have 3 wireless routers and 1 DSL modem.
There are always 6 devices connected with cables, and occationally
8 additional devices connected wirelessly. Imagine how they look
like without rack mount feature. It's quite spagetti-c.
Oh, well, Ain't this book about simplifing network? No?
*sigh*
I was wondering, talking about the cisco acquisition of Linksys... Has anyone else noticed that the newest revision of the wap11 bridges seem to be weaker and more prone to overheating and dying in strange hard to understand patterns of eletronic insanity? I was wondering if anyone else noticed this, or if I was working with the Wap11 batch of doom.
I got confused when they talked about 1024 vs 1000 for a kilobyte. I think I'll stick with the Networking for Dummies book for now.
I disagree. Everything I've bought by Linksys has sucked ass. Every single goddamn router, whether it's a regular router, a wireless router, or a VOIP router have all been flaky, and they *all* need to be rebooted every week or so. I will not buy any Linksys products, either at home, or for my business. Instead, the last few I've bought have been generic, and they've worked *much* better than the Linksys.
I don't respond to AC's.
1. Buy a 802.11b card
2. Find a neighbor with a greasy wap
3. Profit!
Hey, whattya know, I solved the mystery of #2.
From the review: "Having defined a kilobyte as 1024 bytes, the authors then define a megabyte as 1000 kilobytes. They also claim not to understand why it is 1024 rather than 1000."
The authors don't understand that both 1024 and 1000 are used, but never (by knowledgeable people), and claim not to understand why 1024?
The reviewer also noted that the URL given in the intro isn't accurate.
To check a little on my own, I clicked on the link to Cisco Press and skimmed through the sample chapter. They mentioned http://www.scopes.com/ as a urban legend debunking site. (instead of http://www.snopes.com/)
Not only would I not check it out of the library, but if they mailed me a free copy I'd probably chuck it in the trash.
Exam 4/C again. Maybe I'll do better this time.
dhcpd, iptables, ipmasq, multiple-nic's, etc.
r /irc.server/etc/etc
Build a linux Firewall/NAT/Router, Buy a switch, and then plugin all your windows machines to the switch.
You know have a homemade (Stealth?) linux firewall/router/nat/fileserver/webserver/db.serve
the only permanence in existence, is the impermanence of existence.
While this is slightly off topic, is there a cheap consumer router that will route between private IP ranges? I have a linksys befsr11 that just refuses to route 192.168.x.x to 172.16.x.x
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
so middle of the road it might well be the white line
Huh, where are you driving?!
-b
myselfmusic
I keep seeing references to "honstepuck" (pronounced: Hon-steh-puk) all over Slashdot but I can find no definition of this word on the internets. It sounds vaguely disturbing. Like a word to describe what is left over after you mix a vat full of organic fluids with some unsavory smelling sauce. Or maybe it's some kind of swedish erotica sex toy? I can hear it now, "Pleasure your lady with the delightful honstepuck wand. Available in three neon gayglow colors and flavours!' Does anyone care to elaborate on the meaning of this word? I've asked nearly a million times now, so I asking a million-and-one in the hopes that someone will eventually decide to "do the right thing" and help a brother out. Thanks.
Step 1. Buy new Linksys router from best buy. Step 2. Attempt to get the piece of sh*t working for 2 weeks. Step 3. Throw the piece of sh*t linksys in the trash and buy some other piece of shit that has a 50/50 chance of working.
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. -Confucius
Go to store
ask person who work at store for these things
-Network cable
-Router
Buy things
Go home
call phone company
ask for DSL
get box from Phone company
trash everything but small plastic box
plug in small plastic box
plug phone cord into small hole on small plastic box
plug yellow cable into big hole on small plastic box
take yellow wire
plug yellow wire into big hole on small plastic box
plug other end of yellow wire into router
plug network cable (look like yellow cable) into computer (look like big hole on small plastic box)
plug netowrk cable into big hole on route
turn things on
you can access netork now
maybe yoyu should look at interweb
interweb is fun
Cisco are now the proud owners of Linksys
I used to be the owner of a linksys cable modem, and I find it disturbing that anyone takes pride in owning the corporation that manufactured that POS.
"We have to go forth and crush every world view that doesn't believe in tolerance and free speech." - David Brin
Sorry, broke the link:t =343331
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?
Step 1, get a Mac.
Step 2, get an airport express.
Step 3, well there is no step 3.
I'll never go back. Yes, there's no zealot like a convert.
The author of this post made one mistake many tech savvy people do. Those of us that work in the fields of information or computer technology, work with and around technology constantly. Being around technology all the time can create a false sense that some of what you know is "common knowledge." However, there is still a large portion of the masses who are computer illiterate. It sounds like Dohtery and Anderson aimed this book at complete "newbies." Thus, "simplicity" in this case is justified. While the number of people who own and operate a PC at home is relatively large, I'm betting few run a home network. In fact, many of the people I am alluding to never heard of /. ;-)
"When you put on your coon skin hat, you should expect ambushes!" Ramowl
i tend to agree... but maybe i should get the manual anyway, to tell me why my linksys doesnt turn on anymore.
D link is no better though -- i guess netgear wins by default... i feel like no one gets it right here except for Apple, and they are expensive (unless you buy refreshed i guess)
Mike
I heart the RIAA & MPAA, im sure its mutual...
"Linksys make great routers", so i've heard ...
... how come? :) ah, here ya go anyway: http://www.linksys.com/international/product.asp?c oid=6&ipid=371
... It has an ADSL model, a firewall, a router, a couple of wired ethernet ports, and a nice little antenna for the wireless LAN part.
... The wireless connection stays up for at most 4 hours (mostly it's only half an hour or so) with the only solution for more internet time is to power it off and on again.
... if it wants to boot on power up. If you're lucky ... very lucky, it might boot right away. If you're a bit less lucky, you might need to try 10 times. If you're having a bad day, it won't boot at all.
... you guessed that right ... power off, power on. oh wait, it doesn't boot ... power off, power on and repeat that a couple of times.
Except for the WAG54G (I would have post a link here, but their site seems to be broken atm
In theory, it's a fine piece of hardware in one box
Except that it doesn't work
That is
Fine piece of hardware huh?
Other times, the wireless connection stays up, but the DSL connection goes down. Again the only solution to be
Update the firmware you say? Well, they do make new firmware though, but they never release it. The latest official firmware is 1.02.1 which is more than a year old and produces this crap. Once they released 1.02.5, only to pull it off their website very soon after. Their developpers seem to have made it to 1.02.7 and beyond, but it never got anywhere stable.
Yeah, Linksys produces fine hardware. Or so I've heard.
Tristan.
Last time I was in the US, I could always get free internet access from any one of a list of "linksys" wifi networks. Awesome! Thanks for the free internet access linksys!
That's why they say that they 'Must Consult Someone Experienced'.
That's not funny! A few months ago, my mom called me at night just to ask me if she did the right thing than she ordered a wifi router. She had no clue about networks, but because a colleague of her, who bought a wifi router himself, persuade her that wifi is a must have.
Sorry. I meant to say:
The authors don't understand that both 1024 and 1000 are used, but never -- by knowledgeable people -- in the same context at the same time. The authors also claim not to understand why 1024 is used.
If you completely discard my first post because of that egregious error, I think you're entirely justified.
Disclaimer: I had no editor, nor proofreader, nor co-author to check my preview, and I'm not charging $20 either. My posts are not a parallel analogy to book publishing.
Exam 4/C again. Maybe I'll do better this time.
I'd be pretty ashamed, Linksys are hardly known for their quality produce, almost (but no quite) as bad as NetGear....
If it were just a few minor errors I wouldn't worry about it.
However:
The URL errors (extremely easy to check, very likely to be checked by purchasers of the book, and in widely separate places in the book) suggest that fact-checking wasn't important in the production of the book.
The fact that the authors claim not to know why 1024 is a KB means that they claim a lack of fundamental understanding of computers and suggests that it would be foolish to take computer advice from them.
Moreover, these are errors that I know without even reading a full chapter of the book!
Exam 4/C again. Maybe I'll do better this time.
Make sure to set up VNC so that you don't have to leave her basement.
What actually delineate types of matter? What constitutes a new form? Is there a standard definition? If so does it allow for the weird ones like glass (which is a fluid, not a solid) and ketchup (which is that weird form in between solid and liquid, but I forget its name)?
Anonymous Cowards suck.
Ahh. An entire book to say "Don't do it yourself"