Pearls

Wireless Internet 101

Author and Disclosure Information

Thinking about applying ‘Wi-Fi’ to your practice? Here’s a quick primer on how to get connected.


 

References

Wireless fidelity, or “Wi-Fi,” is gaining popularity in the medical profession and elsewhere. Some medical professionals are using Wi-Fi’s anytime, anywhere Internet connectivity to access electronic medical information during hospital rounds and to immediately enter demographic information when admitting patients.

What it is-and how it works

Wi-Fi is a certification given by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a nonprofit international trade organization that tests 802.11-based wireless Internet products. The “Wi-Fi Certified” logo signals to purchasers that the product has met rigorous interoperability testing requirements and is compatible with products from different vendors.

Today, the term “Wi-Fi” also commonly describes wireless Internet. Technically speaking, Wi-Fi is the use of radio technology to provide Ethernet connectivity in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio frequencies. By contrast, Internet access provided by wireless modems is based on technology used in cellular phones.

802.11 is the standard protocol ratified by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. 802.11b is the most commonly used standard; 802.11a and 802.11g are other options (Table).

Why Wi-Fi?

Wireless Internet access via the 802.11 protocol offers:

  • freedom to surf the Internet in your office, back yard, or elsewhere
  • the ability to avoid using unsightly wires to connect computers in a local area network (LAN)
  • significantly faster access than wireless modems and higher connection speeds than are available via telephone lines or electrical outlets.

Hitting the hot spots

Aside from office and home, Wi-Fi can be used at “hot spots”-public access points at cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, airports, downtown business districts, malls, and retail stores. Some retailers provide free access to attract business,1 while others pay to partner with wireless Internet service providers such as T-Mobile 2 and Boingo.3

It helps to check online for hot spots before heading out (visit the T- Mobile or Boingo sites or try the Wi-Fi FreeSpot Directory or other Web site guide). Because most network connections are automatic, however, you can turn on your notebook computer anytime and find out in seconds if a wireless Internet service is available. An indication usually appears on the screen if you are connected to a wireless LAN with Windows XP or Mac OS X, but older operating systems may require additional software. A Wi-Fi signal does not guarantee Internet access because many Wi-Fi providers require the user to log in.

An alternative is to look for ‘warchalking’-a series of sidewalk symbols that appear on your screen to indicate nearby wireless access4 (click here to view warchalking symbols). Warchalking has raised legal and moral issues, though to my knowledge this tracking method is seldom used.

Getting started

Several components are necessary for wireless Internet in the home or office. First, broadband Internet access via a cable modem, digital subscriber line (DSL), or satellite must be established. Connecting via a dial-up modem is another option, but its connection rate is too slow to be shared among several computers.

A wireless access point, which serves as the ‘base station,’ is then connected to the modem. Access points often are sold in combination with a built-in router, which delivers network information to the appropriate destination.

Each computer connecting to the access point must have a wireless network adapter. For desktop computers, this can either be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) card or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device. Many notebook computers come with a built-in wireless network adapter but can also use a PCI card or USB device.

Once these devices are installed, the wireless network must be set up so that each device can communicate. Most network setups are automatically established and require little user intervention; however, the user must decide which wireless channel to use and whether a security key is required.

Security risks

Wireless network use poses one major drawback: lack of security.

All wireless LANs have built-in wired equivalent privacy security, which uses a security key to limit access. In 2001, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley discovered flaws in the encryption algorithm designed to protect wireless LANs.5 Software has since been designed to exploit this flaw and identify the security key in the wireless traffic, rendering this level of security useless.6

In health care, this risk raises the issue of whether wireless networking is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Medical Records Institute Executive Director C. Peter Waegeman n indicates that access via 802.11b is clearly not HIPAA-compliant7 and that other standards such as 802.11a or 802.11g should be used. Most healthcare systems, however, continue to use 802.11b because it is widely available and economical.

Pages

Recommended Reading

Wanted: ‘Digitalis for the mind’
MDedge Psychiatry
Fee policies: the ‘write’ way to prevent payment disputes
MDedge Psychiatry
Handhelds: A cure for illegible prescriptions?
MDedge Psychiatry
Speeding up your Web Search
MDedge Psychiatry
Writing in the palm of your hand
MDedge Psychiatry
Cyber self-help
MDedge Psychiatry
Prescribing information: Scroll with the changes
MDedge Psychiatry
Spam: Lower your intake
MDedge Psychiatry
Return phone calls, remain calm, and invest in good billing software
MDedge Psychiatry
Scheduling: Time to take control
MDedge Psychiatry