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CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

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the Internet. Wireless access points (WAPs) designed to serve the public

abound in coffee shops, airports, fast-food chains, and bars. Even some cities

provide partial to full Wi-Fi coverage.

NOTE An 802.11 network that covers a single city is an excellent example

of a metropolitan area network (MAN).

We covered 802.11 in detail in Chapter 20, “Wireless Networking,” so

there’s no reason to repeat the process of connecting to a hotspot. Do

remember that most open hotspots do not provide any level of encryption,

meaning it’s easy for a bad guy to monitor your connection and read

everything you send or receive.

CAUTION Secure your public hotspot Web browsing using HTTPSsecured

sites. It’s surprisingly easy to do. Instead of typing

www.facebook.com, for example, type in https://www.facebook.com or use a

browser extension like the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s HTTPS

Everywhere.

Line-of-Sight Wireless

Wi-Fi works well as an Internet access option for densely populated areas,

but Wi-Fi’s short range makes it impractical in areas where it’s not easy to

place new access points. In certain circumstances, you can address the range

issue by using high-powered, directional antennas and Ethernet bridge

devices. These can give you a line-of-sight wireless Internet connection up to

eight miles or more. These work great in places such as ski resorts, where

you want to connect the restaurant halfway up the mountain to the main

lodge, or lake cottages, where you want to connect a boathouse to the main

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