Linux Unwired review

ISBN 0596005830

Pages 240

Today, several communications technologies promise to free us from wires and provide us with information on the move. This book attempts to cover a lot of ground, ranging from WiFi to GPS.

It starts with a tutorial about radio waves and how they bounce around the environment. It goes on to give a brief overview of the various radio technologies and their distinguishing features, the different standards involved and how antennas work. This is interesting, but most readers will probably skip to the section on WiFi.

Not all wireless LAN cards are the same. Linux Unwired describes the various chipsets and cards in depth, and explains that it's not as simple as finding a good price on a generic card. This shouldn't put off potential users, though. The section on using Windows drivers under Linux should have you up and running in no time.

A detailed exploration of WiFi configuration and security follows, and manages to pack in a thorough description of the process, including how to build a kernel. There is a chapter on finding both commercial and open WiFi hotspots, and how to access them. This covers several third-party scanning tools and techniques. The book uses American examples of hotspot providers as its source, but the techniques should be applicable to the UK, too.

As a Linux user you are encouraged to do it yourself, and this book covers making your own Linux-based WiFi access point from recycled hardware. This is great for hobbyists and shows how easy it is to create a network from scratch.

Several newer Linux distributions support Bluetooth devices. Chapter seven looks at the basic operation of Bluetooth, plus how to configure it and the tools available. After a few examples, the chapter mentions some excellent Bluetooth tricks, such as automatically activating a screensaver when you walk away from your desk.

Communicating via infrared is fast becoming obsolete and the section on this is short, but still packed with useful information. Much of this involves using a Palm personal digital assistant (PDA) to transfer files and connect to the internet as if over a serial line. This has a hobbyist feel, as does the chapter on using cellular networks, which assumes you have a laptop with a cellular PCMCIA card to transmit files and messages to and from other mobile phone users.

Finally there is a section on setting up a global positioning system (GPS) card and how to use geographical information. This chapter, which ties in nicely with the WiFi section of the book, shows you how to map hotspots using open-source software.

Linux Unwired covers a lot of ground in a short space and it manages to do it well. The later sections on infrared and cellular networking may be overlooked by most, but for the Linux WiFi enthusiast this book could become a constant reference.