Apple AirPort Networks Troubleshooting Guide download pdf (Page 51)

Appendix B: Setting up a

Software Base Station

You can use a Mac equipped with a Wi-Fi adapter card not just as a

client on a Wi-Fi network, but also as a base station. In this appendix,

I explain how to set up a software base station in 10.5 Leopard and

later, as well as how to use

Ad Hoc Networking, which has some

elements in common with software base stations.

Software Base Station or Ad Hoc Network?

A software base station walks and talks like a base station: it puts

out the same kind of messages that other computers recognize from

a base station. You need at least two network interfaces to turn on

a software base station: a Wi-Fi adapter plus some other interface,

like an Ethernet network connection.

Ad hoc networking is a computer-to-computer

mode, and it doesn’t

require a second adapter to reach another network, although it

can handle that. Ad hoc can be used sometimes by simpler devices.

An ad hoc network can’t use modern WPA2 security, because that

method requires a central hub to manage the encryption process.

Most operating systems distinguish between ad hoc networks (which

are sometimes seen

as more risky) and base stations. The fact that

you can create software base stations eliminates the risk distinction;

crackers use software base-station programs to lure hotspot users,

for instance.

Software Base Station

The software base station is a breeze to set up: pick a channel, set

security (which I recommend), and turn it on. Let me explain your

tradeoffs for channel choices and security first, however.

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Apple AirPort Networks Troubleshooting Guide Page 51