WSP Wireless Network

WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS AT THE WSP

Please click on the following link to read our guidelines for using the wireless internet systems at the Winter Star Party.

WSP Wireless Usage Guidelines

Please Note: AstroGizmos will be providing free " limited" (with certain web sites blocked to reduce bandwidth congestion) access to the internet through their company owned broadband (cellular) internet provider. AstroGizmos reserves the right to restrict access to certain web sites that consume too much bandwidth! The WSP uses a satellite based (HughesNet) system to access the internet with VERY limited bandwidth (only 250MB per day allowed) available. Please follow all the guidelines in the "WSP Wireless Usage Guidelines" link above for using both systems.

How It All Works!

We plan to have a wireless 802.11g (See Note at Bottom of Page on "Wireless B & G Standards") network (SSID = WSP2010) setup and operational for the 2010 WSP. The wireless network will be unencrypted and free for all WSP attendees to use. The network will access the Internet through a broadband (up to 700 Kbps downlink / 128 Kbps uplink) Hughes Net Satellite Dish located next to the camp caretakers' home. The main wireless Linksys WRT54G Access Point will be co-located with the satellite dish, connected to two wireless broadcast antennas mounted on a tripod next to the caretakers' home.

The main wireless network antenna on the top of the tripod is a Hawking 9db Omni-Directional Antenna with a in-line Hawking HSB2 Signal Booster for wide area 360 degree coverage in the center of the camp. The second antenna mounted on the tripod is a Hawking 14db Directional Antenna (30 degree conical beam) with a in-line Hawking HSB2 Signal Booster to provide a strong signal down to the Wheelhouse at the east end of the camp (approx 1000 ft away). At the Wheelhouse, we are using a wireless Linksys WAP54G Wireless Access Point in "repeater mode" to provide both wireless and wired (through a 10 / 100 mbps Hub) access on the second floor of the Wheelhouse in support of the presentations. The WAP54G Wireless Access Point is connected to another Hawking 14db directional antenna with an in-line Hawking signal booster pointed to the west back towards the main access point at the caretakers' home. One or more Linksys WRE54G Range Extender (Repeater) units will be used on the field (probably at the stage/fire pit and on the west side of the old Galley building) to help boost signal strength in blind spots.

How Do I Use The Wireless Network (or what can you do prior to arrival at the WSP to make your wireless experience more enjoyable) ?

To access the wireless network (SSID = WSP2010), you must preconfigure your wireless computer to detect and use a "non-broadcasting" wireless network. If you do not know how to setup your computer to use a non-broadcasting wireless network, please download the instructions for Windows XP and Windows Vista from our WSP Forms Download Section web page. Instructions for a MAC are not presently available. IF we decide to implement a password as an additional security measure, we will only give that password out at the WSP. Please ask the WSP Registrars or any Staff Member for the password (if required).

Please be aware that older model laptops and PC's (probably built prior to 2003) equipped with internal wireless antenna's may not have the transmitter power to connect to a wireless network over long distance. If you need to boost your wireless signal strength for your laptop or PC, please consider buying a newer wireless antenna (USB, PCI, etc.) that will allow you to connect over greater distances. All this requires is that you disable your internet wireless antenna/card and install a newer antenna/card that will improve your connectivity.

The wireless network is available to all on a "first-come, first-served" basis. There will only be 200 IP addresses available for "lease" (ala "checkout") and the lease time will be limited to 120 minutes or less (to insure the available pool of IP addresses are recycled quickly and not allowed to go unused for a longer period of time). Please be aware that the available bandwidth is not as great as you might have at home to use, and you are sharing it with many other users.

To avoid problems using the wireless networks while at the WSP, PLEASE TURN OFF ANY SOFTWARE FEATURES ON YOUR LAPTOP / PC THAT AUTOMATICALLY RETRIEVE UPDATES OVER THE INTERNET! This includes Microsoft Windows XP & Vista(See your "Control Panel"), and virus software such as Microsoft One Care, McAfee or Norton Anti-Virus. This will help to prevent the available bandwidth from being "clogged" with unnecessary software updates for several users at the same time. Microsoft typically releases updates to its products on Tuesday. Anti-virus software updates can happen at anytime. Please get your software updates before you arrive at the WSP!

PLEASE DO NOT STREAM AUDIO OR VIDEO ACROSS THE WSP WIRELESS NETWORKS! There is a very good reason why we ask you NOT to stream audio or video from the INTERNET. It quickly uses up our available bandwidth and forces the satellite service provider (Hughes Net) to severely restrict our INTERNET access for up to 24 hours from the time we overuse our satellite system bandwidth. This means everyone suffers from much slower access to the INTERNET. The bandwidth is equivalent to a slow phone modem connection at 50KBPS or less........remember the days when you did not have a faster cable modem or DSL service and all you had was a dialup modem on your PC?....that is how slow the satellite INTERNET systems get when we get slammed with the Hughes Net "Fair Access Policy" restrictions. All it takes is for one wireless INTERNET user at the WSP to disregard this notice and everyone suffers!

How Do I Get My Email While At The WSP?

To access your email away from home, you will need to use a web page "portal" provided by your Internet Service Provider (contact your service provider for more information on how to access their web page "portal" to access your email). Using a program like Microsoft Outlook to send an email while away from home (outside your home network) may not work for legal and security reasons. Your internet service provider may not allow you to send email from outside their network (or firewall) through an email server inside their network to a recipient inside or outside their network.

Another way to get around the problem described above is to use a third party email provider such as Yahoo or MSN "Hotmail" to get your email while away from home. You may also be able to forward your home email to a Yahoo or MSN address while you are away from home. Check with your service provider for more details on how to forward email to another email address.

Wireless B & G Standards

For performance reasons, the WSP will be running a Wireless "G" only network on the main field and in the Wheelhouse during the 2010 WSP. This will allow a faster transmission speed up to 54MBPS and reduce latency in the wireless network. This should impact only a few users with older laptops and PC's as most wireless networking equipment sold today installed in laptops and PC's is capable of using any wireless standard available.

If your laptop or PC is capable of using wireless "G", you will have to do nothing to your equipment (your equipment should automatically detect the "G" standard and use it). If your laptop or PC is an older model and can only use wireless "B" (a much slower transmission speed of 11MBPS or slower), you will not be able to connect to the "WSP2010" wireless network. If needed, we can setup another wireless access point (router) near the vendor area that will serve only wireless "B" users. That "B" only network will be identified by SSID "WSP2010-B".

The Caveats!

The WSP Staff reserves the right to make changes (both physical and electronically) to the wireless network(s) with little or no notice to the users. Changes may be made for, but are not limited to, extending coverage of a wireless network, reducing interference with other wireless networks, or restricting access to a network for any reason. The WSP will make every reasonable effort to return a restricted wireless network to open service as soon as possible. Providing wireless access to the INTERNET is not guaranteed and attendees to the WSP are not charged specifically for the use of the wireless network(s) setup at the Winter Star Party.

Downloading WSP Speaker Presentations

We will have all speaker presentations video taped and available for download during the WSP. At this time, there are no plans to copy presentations to DVD and mail them out to WSP attendees after the conclusion of the WSP. Once a presentation has ended, it will take approximately 24 hours for the A/V crew to copy the presentation to the NAS Disk (Network Attached Storage Disk) so it can be made available for copying.

If you desire to download a presentation while at the WSP and your computer is connected to the "WSP2010" wireless network, open your "my computer" icon and "map a network drive" on your computer to the following IP address: 192.168.2.20 . Once you connect to the NAS Drive @ 192.168.2.20, you will see that there are several directories devoted to the WSP (past and present). Select the WSP year you desire, then select the sub-directory for the particular day of the week the presentation was given. You should then see the movie file to download.

If you do not have wireless capability on your laptop and wish to use an ethernet wire to connect to the network to download a presentation, please see Art Mullis or any member of the A/V Crew in the Wheelhouse for help.

PLEASE NOTE: The NAS Drive only allows 4 concurrent connections at a time! Please be patient if you cannot connect to the drive, as others might be using the other connections to download also.

REMEMBER TO DISCONNECT YOUR MAPPED DRIVE WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED!

GREEN LASERS ARE PROHIBITED AT ALL SCAS EVENTS!

Due to recent national events, it has become necessary for the Southern Cross Astronomical Society of Miami, Florida, to completely ban the use of green laser pointers at SCAS sponsored events. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY (January 2005) any use of such devices (hand-held or attached) at SCAS Star Parties, the Winter Star Party, or any other SCAS public event SHALL BE PROHIBITED. Violation of this restriction will result in the immediate expulsion of the offending party from the SCAS event.
Tim Khan, SCAS Vice- President / Director of the Winter Star Party