All posts by mistermarmolejo

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Wireless Networking – DIY Directional Antennas Project 2017

Objective:

  • I can demonstrate my understanding of computer networks, network operating systems and wireless networking by assembling a directional antenna with the intent of establishing and sustaining a 2.4 GHz wireless signal at a distance of greater than 100 yards.

Links:

Do It Yourself Wireless Antenna (Pringles Can Yagi): https://www.binarywolf.com/249/pringles_cantenna.htm

How to Build a Tin Can Waveguide WiFi Antenna: https://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/cantennahowto.html

802.11b Homebrew Wi-Fi Antenna Shootout: https://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html

DIY Bi-Quad Directional Wi-Fi Antenna:  https://lifehacker.com/5964111/diy-wi-fi-antenna-cheaply-extends-your-wireless-network

Build a Directional Wi-Fi Antenna from Kitchen Gear and a Baby Bottle: https://lifehacker.com/build-a-directional-wi-fi-antenna-from-kitchen-gear-and-1686173362

$10 Wi-Fi 16dBi Super Antenna: https://www.instructables.com/id/10–WIFI-16dBi-Super-Antenna-Pictorial/

Topics Discussed:

  • Wireless Networking
  • 802.11 Wi-Fi spec
  • Directional Antennas
  • Waveguide Antenna
  • Yagi Antenna
  • Flickenger design Antenna

Assignment:

Today, we are going to begin a focused short-term project in preparation for our broader long-term project following Spring Break. The goal is simple: design and build a directional antenna that will sustain a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi signal over a minimum distance of 100 yards (300 ft or ~92m).

The stretch goal is a little more complex: design and build a directional antenna that will extend that 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi signal as far as possible.

  1. Use the links I have provided to learn about do-it-yourself directional antenna designs. There are many designs to choose from, so do your research and select the design that you think will be most effective in extending and sustaining the Wi-Fi signal over the longest range.
  2. You may work with a partner, or choose to go it alone. If you choose to work with a partner, you will need to pick up and complete both a Project Team Contract and a Project Team Work Plan (available in the Student Pickup Folder in the Marmolejo NetOp 1-2 subfolder on the StudentsTempFiles network share).
  3. Even if you are working by yourself, use the Project Team Work Plan to identify and prepare for the steps of this project (i.e. research, acquisition of materials, installation, configuration, building, testing, modification and upgrades). Submit a completed Project Team Work Plan to the instructor as soon as it is completed.
  4. Proceed with the first identified steps in your Project Team Work Plan. Do your best to follow the plan, but don’t be afraid to amend or alter the plan as the need arises.
  5. You may work in Room 225, but you will need to notify the instructor if you need access the tools in Room 212.
  6. All tools and equipment are located in Room 212. The wireless network cards are located in the cabinet closest to the Teacher Workroom door in Room 212. You will need to request a wireless network card when you are ready to install it in your PC. (We only have four 802.11g network cards, so you will need to share unless you are willing to provide your own).
  7. Please use this time to make progress on your project. We have time provided to complete the project, but no time to waste. It is highly likely that your first antenna design may not be your final design, and you will need time to test and make adjustments to your design to achieve optimal results. Use the time given to build, test, modify and retest to get the best results!
  8. We will conduct initial tests the week of February 6th. To be considered a success (and receive credit for the project), your antenna design must be able to sustain at least a one-bar wireless signal over a 100 yard distance (the length of the football field).
  9. Upon completion of initial tests, you will have a week to revise and retest your design before the final testing during the week of February 20th.
  10. The team (or individual) that produces the antenna that can reliably sustain the highest gain signal over the longest distance on the final testing day will receive a personal pizza and wings party, to be held while everyone else writes a four paragraph personal reflection describing their participation in this project.

Good luck, and remember: the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

Posted: January 26th, 2017
Due Date: February 6th, 2017

Networking and Operating Systems

Chap. 6 Lab – Ethernet Cat5e Patch Cable Assembly

Objective

  • I can demonstrate my understanding of physical networking media by assembling a Cat5e network cable to the Ethernet EIA/TIA 568A and 568B standards.

Links:

Topics Discussed:

  • Chapter 6: The Internet and World Wide Web
  • Networking Fundamentals
  • Ethernet
  • EIA/TIA
  • 568A & 568B Standards
  • Cat5, 5e & 6
  • Local Area Network
  • Cable Management

Assignment:

  1. This week, we will be working on our Ethernet Cabling exercise, where we will assemble an Ethernet Cat5e cable to the EIA/TIA 568A and 568B standards.
  2. Visit the web links provided above for instructions on how to build a Cat5e cable to the EIA/TIA 568A or 568B spec. Read through the instructions completely before proceeding. Pay particular notice to the difference between a “passthrough” cable and a “crossover” cable.
  3. Visit the rolling cart to pick up your tools and materials. You will need a arm’s length of Cat5e cable, two RJ-45 cable ends (with load bars), and a crimper tool.
  4. Follow the instructions to build your passthrough patch cable.
  5. Once you have your passthrough cable built, test it using the provided cable tester. If your cable test is successful, you may proceed to build a “crossover” cable for extra credit.
  6. Use clear tape and a marker to label your cables with your name and what type of cable it is (passthrough or crossover), and place it in the wire basket on the front table in the room.
  7. Once they are graded, you are free to take your Cat5e cable home for your own use. Cables left behind will be deployed within the department.

Assigned: January 20th, 2017
Due Date: January 21st, 2017

Networking and Operating Systems

Chap. 6 – Communications, Networks and Cyberthreats – LearnSmart

Objective:

The first half of this chapter describes networks and wired and wireless media. Students consider how analog and digital data differ and how a modem translates signals from one to the other. We also cover the benefits of networks and their types, components, and variations.

Students will then discuss the various types of wired communications media. We conclude with a discussion of wireless communications media, both long distance and short distance.

In the second half of this chapter, we consider cyberthreats, security, and privacy issues. We describe four types of cyberintruders: trolls, spies, hackers, and thieves. We discuss cyberattacks and malware threats to computers and networks. We end by considering issues of privacy and identity theft.

Link:

Topics Discussed:

  • Analog Data
  • Digital Data
  • Modem
  • Networks
  • Wired Media
  • Wireless Media
  • Cyberthreats, Security, & Privacy Issues
    Cyberintruders
  • Cyberattacks
  • Malware
  • Privacy & Identity Theft

Assignment:

  1. Complete the Chapter LearnSmart module, due Friday, January 13th. This Practice assignment consists of 120 questions.
  2. When you are finished with this LearnSmart assignment, you may review the chapter in preparation for the quiz.
Assigned: January 9th, 2017
Teacher Pacing Due Date: January 13th, 2017
Networking and Operating Systems

BOSS BATTLE! NetOp1 Semester Exam 2016

Objective:

Students will demonstrate their understanding of hardware and software basics through a summative quiz.

Link:

Topics Discussed:

  • Information Technology
  • The Internet & The World Wide Web
  • Software
  • Hardware – The CPU & Storage
  • Hardware – Input & Output
Assignment:

  1. Click the https://connect.mheducation.com link, log in and look for the “Boss Battle! Semester Exam Fall 2016” test.
  2. The exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions.
  3. Before starting the quiz, please put away all notes, study guides and other materials other than your five 3×5″ notecards.
  4. Please close all other documents and webpages and do not open any new tabs or windows until after you have submitted the quiz.
  5. Please remain silent until everyone has completed the quiz.
  6. You have seventy-five minutes to complete the test. Be sure to submit your test answers before the end of the class period today, and be forewarned that the test will auto-submit itself at 9:15am, so work quickly!
  7. Congratulations on completing the first half of Networking and Operating Systems! I’ll see you in 2017 with more networking, more hands-on activities and a more in-depth look into the ways connected computers enrich and enhance our lives!

Have the Merriest of Christmases, the Happiest of New Years’, the Happiest of Hanukkahs, the most Peaceful of Kwanzaas – whatever you may celebrate, enjoy it to the fullest!

Assigned: December 21st, 2016
Due Date: December 21st, 2016
Networking and Operating Systems

Chap. 5 Lab – Hardware: Printers and Hardcopy Output

Objective:

  • Students will be able to identify different printing methods and printer hardware in current use.

Student-Friendly Objective:

  • I can tell the difference between different types of printers, and what they’re used for.
Links:
Deconstructed: Inkjet Printers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcc69NPBc2M

Deconstructed: Laser Printers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kRenCa5e6k
NetOp Printer Study Guide
Please access the class textbook at https://connect.mheducation.com/.

 

Topics Discussed:
  • Chapter 5

Assignment:

  1. Review Chapter 5 in the class text.
  2. Watch the Deconstructed videos to see the inner workings of an inkjet printer and a laser printer.
  3. We will be in the lab starting tomorrow to conduct a hands-on disassembly of a laser printer. Remember: Attendance at lab demonstrations is required to receive lab credit.
  4. Download the NetOp Printer Study Guide to direct your observation and study. This completed study guide is due by Friday, December 16th.

Assigned: December 12th, 2016
Teacher Pacing Due Date: December 16th, 2016

Networking and Operating Systems

TEST YOUR MIGHT – CHAP. 5 – THE INTERNET AND WORLD WIDE WEB QUIZ

Objective:

  • I can demonstrate my understanding of Chapter 5 through a summative quiz.

Links:

McGraw-Hill Connect: https://connect.mheducation.com/

Topics Discussed:

  • Chapter 5: Hardware: Input & Output

Assignment:

  1. Click the https://connect.mheducation.com/ link to connect to the online testing website. Log in with your credentials that we set up in the second week of class.
  2. Navigate to the “Test Your Might – Chap. 5 Quiz”.
  3. The quiz is 78 questions, all multiple choice.
  4. Please put away all notes, study guides and other materials before starting the quiz.
  5. Please close all other documents and webpages and do not open any new tabs or windows until after you have submitted the quiz.
  6. Please remain silent until everyone has completed the quiz.
  7. Submit your test answers before the end of the class period today.
  8. When you have completed your quiz,  you may begin reading Chapter 6 on in the online textbook.

Assigned: December 9th, 2016
Due Date: December 9th, 2016

Uncategorized

Chap. 5 – Hardware: Input and Output – LearnSmart

Objective:

The first half of this chapter describes input, the second half output. Students will be able to describe and explain the three categories of input hardware: keyboards, including terminals; pointing devices, including mice, touch screens, and pen-based devices; and source data-entry devices, ranging from scanners to bar-code readers, audio-input devices, image recognition, speech recognition, and sensors.

Students will be able to  describe various kinds of output hardware—softcopy output, including varieties of display screens; hardcopy output, covering all kinds of printers; and mixed output, describing sound, voice, and video output devices.

Students will also be able to discuss the importance of ergonomics—what to do to avoid the negative health effects of computers.

Link:

Topics Discussed:

  • Keyboards
  • Terminals
  • Pointing Devices
  • Mouse
  • Source Data-Entry Device
  • Softcopy
  • Output
  • Display Screens
  • Hardcopy
  • Printers
  • Mixed Output: Sound, Voice, & Video
  • Quality of Life
  • Ergonomics

Assignment:

  1. Complete the Chapter LearnSmart module, due Thursday, December 1st. This Practice assignment consists of 80 questions.
  2. When you are finished with this LearnSmart assignment, you may work on any assignments that are past due (like the Ports and Connectors Scavenger Hunt Lab that many of you have not completed).
Assigned: November 29th, 2016
Teacher Pacing Due Date: December 1st, 2016
Networking and Operating Systems

Chap. 4 Lab – Ports and Connectors Scavenger Hunt

Objective

  • I can demonstrate my understanding of modern and legacy ports and connectors by producing a document identifying each port visually.

Links:

Topics Discussed:

  • System Unit
  • Expansion Cards
  • Ports

Assignment:

  1. Today, we will be working on a Ports and Connectors Scavenger Hunt activity, where you will be tasked with identifying 26 different expansion ports and connectors common to PC workstations.
  2. Using the list below, and the Internet for research, you will hunt all around my room to find each of the 26 ports on the hardware devices placed all around my room
  3. Use your cell phone, the iSight camera on your iMac, or ask for a digital camera to take pictures of each port. You must provide original photos of each port (No borrowing from the Internet!).
  4. Produce a document (Word, Google Doc, InDesign, PowerPoint, etc.) and place your pictures in the document. Use text labels to identify each of the 26 ports.
  5. Submit your completed Ports and Connectors Scavenger Hunt document with all the required pictures to the Google Classroom assignment labeled “Chap. 4 Lab – Ports and Connectors Scavenger Hunt” by Wednesday, November 23rd.
  6. The first to successfully provide the document containing all 26 ports accurately pictured and labeled will win a free lunch (entree and drink), ordered in from the restaurant of their choice when we return from Thanksgiving break!
  7. Good luck, and happy hunting!

Ports and Connectors Scavenger Hunt List:

Legacy Multifunction Ports

D-Sub Ports:

25-pin serial port (male)
9-pin serial port (male)
25-pin parallel port (female)
36-pin IEEE 1284B Centronics connector (male)

Standard Single-Function Ports

PS/2 6-pin mini-DIN keyboard port (purple)
PS/2 6-pin mini-DIN mouse port (green)

Video Ports

15-pin D-Sub VGA port (female)
DVI port (female)
RGB Component ports (female)
Composite Video port (female)
Mini DisplayPort port (female)

Audio Ports

1/8-inch mini-audio port (female)
S/PDIF coaxial audio port (female)

Multimedia Ports

RG-6 coaxial port (female)
S-Video port (female)
Composite Audio port (female)

MIDI/Joystick Ports

DB-15 Joystick/Game port

Modem Ports

RJ-11 modem port (female)

Network Interface Ports

RJ-45 network port (female)
BNC Port (female)

Modern Multifunction Ports

USB A port(female)
USB B port(female)
USB mini port(female)
Firewire 400 IEEE 1394a port (female)
Firewire 800 IEEE 1394b port (female)
SCSI Ultra 320 port (female)

Assigned: November 22nd, 2016
Due Date: November 23rd, 2016

Networking and Operating Systems

Chap. 4 – Hardware: The CPU and Storage – LearnSmart

Objective:

Students will be able to describe how a computer operates in processing data. We will discuss transistors and microchips, show how data is represented electronically in the computer, explore the inside of the system unit—including the power supply, the motherboard, and microprocessors—and outline the operations of the central processing unit and the machine cycle. We will then discuss the different kinds of main memory and conclude this unit by showing how expansion cards, bus lines, and ports give a computer more versatility.

Students will also be able to describe the various devices used to store data before and after it is processed—hard disks, optical disks (CD, DVD, Blu-ray), flash and solid-state memory, smart cards, and cloud-based (online) storage.

Link:

Topics Discussed:

  • Microchips
  • Transistors
  • Integrated circuits
  • Chips
  • Microprocessors
  • Machine language
  • System Unit
  • Power Supply
  • Motherboard
  • Central Processing Unit
  • The Machine Cycle
  • Memory
  • RAM
  • ROM
  • CMOS
  • Flash Memory
  • Expansion Cards
  • Bus Lines
  • Ports
  • Secondary Storage
  • Hard disks
  • Optical disks
  • Smart cards
  • Cloud storage

Assignment:

  1. Complete the Chapter LearnSmart module, due Thursday, November 10th. This Practice assignment consists of 138 questions.
  2. When you are finished with this LearnSmart assignment, you may work on any assignments that are past due.
Assigned: November 7th, 2016
Teacher Pacing Due Date: November 10th, 2016
Uncategorized

Chap. 3 – Software – LearnSmart

Objective:

Students will be able to identify and describe system software and application software, discuss the operating system and its principal functions, the characteristics of device drivers and utility programs, common features of the graphical software environment and how they relate to the keyboard and the mouse. Students will also be able to identify and describe common desktop, network, and portable (embedded) operating systems.

Students will also be able to describe the seven ways of obtaining application software and the tools to help learn it, as well as data files, program files, filename extensions, the purposes served by export/import, and data compression. Students will be able to identify and discuss several kinds of application software: word processing, spreadsheet, database, office suites, integrated packages, and specialty application software.

Link:

Topics Discussed:

  • Software
  • System Software
  • Application Software
  • Operating Systems
  • Device Drivers
  • Utility Programs
  • GUI
  • Desktop OS
  • Network OS
  • Embedded OS
  • Files
  • Import/Export
  • Data Compression
  • Word Processing
  • Spreadsheet
  • Database
  • Office Suite
  • Integrated Packages
  • Specialty Applications

Assignment:

  1. Complete the Chapter LearnSmart module, due Thursday, October 6th. This Practice assignment consists of 100 questions.
  2. When you are finished with this LearnSmart assignment, you may work on any assignments that are past due.
  3. Remember that all past due assignments MUST be turned in before end of day on Thursday, October 6th to receive credit.
  4. If you have completed all your assignments, the rest of the time is yours. Please use it wisely and quietly, and thanks for all your hard work this term!
Assigned: October 2nd, 2016
Teacher Pacing Due Date: October 6th, 2016