Charter Wireless Home Networking Product Overview

• Who needs Charter Wireless Home Networking?
• Extra Security, More Value
• How it Works
• Real WiFi Connectivity
• What does this mean to customers?
• Range
• Features and Benefits
• Wireless Home Networking Minimum Requirements (PC or Macintosh)
• Wireless Adapters Provided by Charter
• Charter Wire Maintenance
• Gaming Consoles

Who needs Charter Wireless Home Networking?

Any customer with Charter Internet Express or Plus package who has more than one computer probably has a need for Charter Wireless Home Networking. Charter Wireless Home Networking allows Internet connectivity for up to 5 PCs through only one cable modem. Sharing a connection within the home allows for flexibility, easy access, and the confidence of knowing the connection will be there when you need it.

Extra Security, More Value

Running a home network with the Charter solution also adds a layer of security to the customer’s connection, sort of a digital version of a castle’s moat. This protects our customers from worms and security exploits, and helps prevent electronic intruders from getting access to private information.

There’s still more! The Charter solution, is 3 products in one, saving space and cleaning up all those wires. Here’s what it does:

• Cable modem: Connects the customer to the Charter network.
• Ethernet Gateway Router: Lets customers plug in and connect via an Ethernet card in their computer and CAT 5 cable. Acts as a gateway to protect the customer from outside intruders.
• Wireless Gateway Router: Lets customers connect wire-free over the air via 802.11b or 802.11g adapters. Allows encrypted wireless connection via WEP, for an extra layer of security.

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How it Works

Let’s start with a wireless device all of us can relate to: a cordless phone. There’s a small transmitter in the phone that can send and receive radio signals. When you talk into a cordless phone, your voice is picked up by a microphone, embedded into a radio frequency and transmitted with the antenna.

The base station can receive the transmission with its antenna, and send it through the phone lines to your friend on the other end.

• You would set each computer up with a cordless phone.
• You would give the computer a way to turn its binary 1s and 0s into sounds (a modem!) that the cordless phone could use to transmit and receive and convert back and forth.

This would actually work. The biggest problem would be that the data rate would be very, very slow. A cordless phone setup like this wouldn’t even allow the computer to connect at full 56K modem speeds, because of the data loss and static. You’d most likely get 14.4 (or worse) connection speeds. Definitely not fast enough!

• The Charter Home Networking Gateway is the wireless “Access Point”.
• The wireless network is similar to the concepts of your cordless telephone.
  • The “Access Point” is similar to your cordless phone “base”
  • The “Wireless Device” is similar to your cordless phone “headset”.

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Real WiFi Connectivity

The transmitters used in wireless, or WiFi connectivity are not so different from the radio transmitters we have just discussed. They transmit and receive information over an FM channel, and convert data into RF and RF into data. They can even change frequencies if there is interference on the channel they’re using, just like a cordless phone. There are some differences, though.

• WiFi that works with the 802.11b and 802.11g transmit at 2.4 GHz. The high frequency and error checking allows higher data rates. While some cordless phones transmit at 2.4 GHz, error checking is virtually nonexistent.
• WiFi uses efficient encoding techniques to further improve the possible connection speed and data transfer rate. This data encoding can also allow encryption.
• WiFi transmitters can transmit directly on any of three bands, or they can split the available radio bandwidth into dozens of channels and “bounce” or “frequency hop” rapidly between them, hundreds of times a second if necessary! The advantage of frequency hopping is that it is resistant to interference and can allow dozens of WiFi cards to talk simultaneously without interfering with each other.

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What does this mean to Customers?

WiFi devices can handle lots of data per second. We use the 802.11g wireless specification which permits data throughput up to a theortical 54 megabits per second. Please note the actual throughput may be significantly less.

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Range

The realistic maximum range for good, stable wireless connectivity with a Charter Wireless Home Networking Gateway and the right adapters is about 150-175 feet. Distances of 200 feet or more are possible in lab conditions, with little structural interference, but in the real world there are far more possible causes of interruption. Signal quality degrades over distance, but within this range, connections should be stable, unless there are heavy structural walls, or large sources of interference.

Note: Take into account that steel reinforced concrete walls, large amounts of metal, or devices that generate lots of EM interference may create wireless ‘dead’ spots, even within a single home.

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Features and Benefits

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Wireless Home Networking Minimum System Requirements (PC or Macintosh)

Compatible Windows Operating Systems:
• Windows (2000, XP, Vista, 7). Macintosh

Processor Speed:
• 600Mhz processor or faster

Physical Memory (RAM):
• 256MB for Windows 2000, XP
• 512 MB for Windows Vista or 7

Hard Drive Space:
• 250 MB of available space

CD-Rom:
• Required

USB/Ethernet Port:
• Recommended

Range:
• The Wireless Gateway will provide stable wireless connectivity at ranges up to 150ft so you can enjoy access from nearly any room in the house.

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Wireless Adapters Provided by Charter

For each Wireless Home Networking Gateway, Charter will provide one generic wireless adapter. This wireless adapter can be used in a desktop or laptop, as it connects through a USB connector.

Please Note: The wireless adapters we provide are not compatible with Macintosh systems at this time. If you have an existing wireless adapter (AirPort, etc) in your Macintosh and can connect to the wireless network, you will receive the same level of phone support (with settings) as any customer calling with a third party adapter. Hardware not provided by Charter does not receive installation and configuration support.

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Charter Wire Maintenance

Our Wire Maintenance insurance will cover repairs to the residential gateway and of the communication wires inside the home.

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Gaming Consoles

Most game consoles have built-in wireless network cards, which will work with our Wireless Home Network Gateway service.

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