[Techtalk] Extending the network

[Carla Schroder]

On Monday 26 April 2004 9:39 am, Dan Richter wrote:
> Hi everyone.
> 
> My in-laws run a small business that's grown beyond the space that's 
> immediately available to them. They want to put an employee in a 
> building across the street, and they want that employee to have access 
> to the corporate network.
> 
> I assume that Wifi is too loose on security. 

Please allow me to insert YES IT IS here. :) Plus there are performance 
problems, such as slow speeds and dropped packets. You'll spend more time 
babysitting it than using it.

> It may 
> also be possible to set up a VPN (Virtual Private Network) operating 
> across the Internet.

That's what I would do, and Linux has all the tools you need for this. Your 
costs will be the monthly ISP fee, and the initial setup. 

A good ready-made option is the Snapgear router/firewall/VPN etc etc. This is 
a great appliance, and it has all the flexibility of a homegrown Linux  
router/firewall/VPN etc, with greater ease of use, and it's a nice quiet 
little thing that does not take up a lot of space, or use a lot of power. The 
bottom of the line box is around $200, and you can probably find a Snapgear 
reseller who will give you a better deal on the box, and set it up for you. 

Whatever you do, don't go cheap and use something like the little Linksys 
broadband routers for home users! The Snapgear is a much superior product for 
not much more money.

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Carla Schroder
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