This tutorial presents enhancements to an open-source wireless network discussed in the June 2007 issue of ITAL that should reduce its administrative burden. In addition, it will demonstrate an open-source monitoring script written for the wireless network. As it has become increasingly important to provide wireless Internet access for their patrons, libraries and colleges are almost expected to offer this service. Inexpensive methods of providing wireless access-such as adding a commodity wireless access point to an existing network-can suffer from security issues, access by external entities, and bandwidth abuses. Designs that address these issues often involve more costly proprietary hardware as well as expertise and effort that are often not readily available. A wireless network built with open-source software and commodity hardware that addressed the cost, security, and equal access issues mentioned above was presented in the June 2007 issue of ITAL. This tutorial highlights enhancements to the previous design that help to explain the technical hurdles in implementation, and includes a program that monitors the status of the various software and hardware components, helping to reduce the time required to administer the network.
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