Press releases

The Book of Wireless, 2nd Edition--New from No Starch Press: Getting the Most out of Wireless Networks

Press release: January 24, 2008

Wireless networking is ubiquitous, but how many people really know how it works, or what to do when it doesn't? You plug in the router and your home network is set up, right? You walk into a coffee shop, open your computer and you're online, easy as pie. Couldn't be simpler.

Well, not exactly. To give new and current users the background, knowledge, and technical savvy that they need to successfully make the most of wireless, No Starch Press is releasing The Book of Wireless, 2nd Edition (February 2008, 336 pp., ISBN 9781593271695, US $29.95). This is the completely revised follow-up to the best-selling Book of Wi-Fi, praised by the Sacramento Bee as "a bridge over troubled waters for those who want to go wireless but don't know where to start, what to buy or how to make it all work."

"John Ross knows what confused consumers want," said No Starch Press publisher, William Pollock. "This is a book for readers frustrated with unhelpful tech support. It's for people who want to get the most out of their wireless network, without the hassle."

This comprehensive and conversational guide, which "covers the issues without belaboring the details" according to DesktopEngineer.com, makes sense of configuring and using wireless networks for the average person.

Following an in-depth look at how wireless networks work, The Book of Wireless, 2nd Edition discusses hardware, setting up a home or office network and Wi-Fi clients for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Unix. And no Wi-Fi book would be complete without thorough coverage of security risks and the latest techniques for protecting your network, computer, and private data.

Readers learn how to:

  • Select and configure hardware and software for Wi-Fi networks
  • Secure your network using WPA encryption or a virtual private network{VPN)
  • Discover open networks and maintain privacy while surfing in public
  • Use VoIP over wireless to talk on the phone for next to nothing
  • Evaluate wireless data services based on cost, speed, and coverage
  • Extend their network to give their neighbors free wireless
  • Use broadband wireless and Wi-Fi with smartphones

With up-to-date information on wireless routers, network interface cards, antennas, security, software, and a troubleshooting section to help readers out of their wireless-related jams, The Book of Wireless, 2nd Edition, extolled as "practical and fluff-free" by IBM DeveloperWorks, will help everyone from home users to IT staff navigate the confusing wireless landscape. Armed with this book, anyone can be a wireless guru.

For a review copy or more information please email nostarchpr@oreilly.com. Please include your delivery address and contact information.

About the Author
John Ross has worked as a consultant on wired and wireless networking for several manufacturers, including Motorola and AT&T. He is the author of more than two dozen books, including Internet Power Tools (Random House), Connecting with Windows (Sybex), and It's Never Done That Before (No Starch Press)

Additional Resources
Table of contents overview
Detailed table of contents (PDF)
Index (PDF)
Chapter 2: Introduction to Wireless Networks (PDF)
Large cover image

The Book of Wireless
2nd Edition
John Ross
ISBN 9781593271695, 336 pages, $29.95 USD
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000

Available in fine bookstores everywhere, from www.oreilly.com/nostarch, or directly from No Starch Press (www.nostarch.com, orders@nostarch.com, 1-800-420-7240).

About No Starch Press
Founded in 1994, No Starch Press is one of the few remaining independent computer book publishers. We publish the finest in geek entertainment—unique books on technology, with a focus on Open Source, security, hacking, programming, alternative operating systems, and LEGO. Our titles have personality, our authors are passionate, and our books tackle topics that people care about. See www.nostarch.com for more information and our complete online catalog. (And most No Starch Press books use RepKover, a lay-flat binding that won’t snap shut.)

About O’Reilly

O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

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No Starch, O'Reilly, wireless