February News Today is:

Networking for Dummies!

This past month in our office we set up a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) a.k.a. a "Wireless Access Point" (WAP).  The steps involved were fairly easy and I thought since many of us now have more than one computer in our homes and offices, I would share our experience with you to help you understand the potential of wireless.

Equipment Selection

There are several companies that manufacture WAP’s.  The two we decided to compare were

1. Linksys Dual-Band Wireless A+G Access Point:
   http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=538
2. NetGear Prosafe Dual Band Wireless VPN Firewall:
   http://www.netgear.com/products/prod_details.asp?prodID=178&view=sb

Because we wanted everyone who might come to our office with a wireless enabled laptop to be able to access our network, (subject to appropriate security measures) we selected a multi-band WAP that does 802.11 A, B & G.

The difference in the band is the speed through the air to the WAP from your wireless enabled desktop or laptop.

• 802.11 B is 11 Megabit
• 802.11 A is 50 Megabit
• 802.11 G is 100 Megabit

Unless you are hooked directly to a fiber connection the difference in speed makes little difference because your connection to the Internet acts as a bottle-neck, but it is fun to know that it is SUPER FAST through the air!

Next month we will talk about which one we purchased and why, as well as how to install your own WAP.

Timothy J. Kilkenny
Founder & CEO
tim@fullnet.net

CLARITY ON CHARITIES

Consider it the Consumer Reports of the nonprofit world.  Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) tells you where the money goes, how solvent the organization is, who runs it and more.  It is America's premiere independent charity evaluator, and works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities.

The site’s star ratings provide a useful thumbnail guide to an organization’s standing and the site’s various charts illustrate how an organization compares with its peers in the same field.  Need more detail?  The National Center for Charitable Statistics stores copies of thousands of charities’ IRS Form 990 (the nonprofit equivalent of a 1040).

Happy Surfing From Your Friends at FullNet!

Roger Baresel
President
rogerb@fullnet.net

Hello everyone,

My name is Sherri Bramwell. I am sure that I have spoken with many of you since I started here at FullNet as the accounts receivable manager in April of 1999. Since I started, my duties have expanded to include payroll, human resources and accounts payable. When trying to determine what my title currently is my supervisor couldn’t even give me an answer. We finally decided on assistant controller. Working at FullNet has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have met many wonderful people and I truly enjoy every person that works for the organization. I have come to think of them more as family then coworkers.

I am currently working on my Masters in Business Administration at Southern Nazarene University. If everything goes as planed, I will complete my course work in June of this year. I have an eight-year-old daughter named Brianna who is the joy and love of my life. I spend most of my spare time at the local gym in Yukon, where I live. I enjoy running, lifting weights, and kickboxing. My favorite time of year is football season. You will find me in front of the TV every Saturday cheering on my beloved Sooners and every Sunday rooting for my up and coming Dallas Cowboys. 

Please feel free to contact me anytime if you ever have any questions or if you need anything at billing@fullnet.net.

Sherri Bramwell
Assistant Controller