Rating: 
Summary: Very Practical
Review: I've read two other WLAN books so far, and felt that they were were so technical that they glossed over the need for being practical. This book does a fine job of covering the basics, as well as specific applications. For instance, one section offers step-by-step details on how to configure an Apple AirPort -without- using a Mac. Another section discusses mapping out a network via GPS & topo maps. Other sections cover types of connectors, how to calculate range/distance, and more.My favorite section is the last couple of chapters which include a review of FCC rules as applicable to 802.11b, as well as tidbits on the various Community Network groups located throughout the US...with web links to boot. Definitely worth the $$, IMHO!
Rating: 
Summary: Good overview, but assumes you're technical
Review: Rob's book provides a fine overview of the newly emerging phenomenon around building wireless LANs. Indeed, you read this book and walk away thinking "I can do that!" But unless you're a relatively tech-savvy engineer, or familiar with or able to grasp complex technology, you'll be frustrated that this phenomenon is not ready for prime-time. O'Reilly often publishes books about topics that are a year or two ahead of the "mass market" adoption. They certainly did so with the Internet back in the early-to-mid '90. So with that in mind, I recommend reading this book -- even if you're not in a position to build your own WLAN -- so you'll be a couple of steps ahead when everyone starts deploying/using wireless LANs.
Rating:
Summary: Bringing it all together.
Review: Sure there is a lot of information out there online but this brings it all together. Rob could have written a thousand pages on 802.11b but let me ask everyone a question. Did you read TCP/IP signature edition cover to cover? Heck no. That book, while certainly covering absolutely every aspect of TCP/IP, is deep overkill. Besides, it is all available online with Google making a far better index than the publishers put in the back of the book. No, "Building Wireless Community Networks" simply puts it all together. I met Rob but missed most of the Nocat meetings. This book, combined with the resources he made available online, is in fact the most comprehensive gathering of 802.11b info to be found on the planet. The work in this book will never be out of date because it will live on, on the web, through Nocat. Incidentally, Rob is one of the most firecracker intelligent people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I am really not used to not being the smartest man in the room but Rob really made me realize I have a lot left to learn.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but lacking in several areas.
Review: The Good:
Well written, clear, reasonably humorous, refreshing informal style.
Some good hacks that wouldn't normally get written up in a technical book
Can be read in an hour or two. The Bad:
Too short (especially for price). Cursory coverage of many topics
Most of the information is readily available on the web -- i.e. linked from any wireless community webpage.
First few chapters are just fillers (Describes Community networks, explains what is NAT, DHCP, Firewalling -- but very basic). If one removes the preface, appendix and other fillers, we're left with around 80 pages of content. Overall, I did learn a few things from the book, but it is thoroughly lacking substance.
Rating: 
Summary: Wireless Networks LITE
Review: This is a very good book for people getting an intro into wireless. As a provider of networking equipment, more and more of my customers are requesting wireless equipment. This book goes over the basics of wireless and tells you what is possible and impossible.
Rating:
Summary: Good Intro to Wireless
Review: This is a very good book for people getting an intro into wireless. As a provider of networking equipment, more and more of my customers are requesting wireless equipment. This book goes over the basics of wireless and tells you what is possible and impossible.
Rating:
Summary: Wireless Networks LITE
Review: This thin (124 page) book is a reasonable quick introduction to the topic of Wireless Community Networks. But don't expect the usual in-depth O'Reilly detail of many of their 600 page Unix or even Windows tomes. A better title for this book might be either:
a) Here's What You Could Find on the Internet in an Afternoon,
b) A Preliminary Introduction to the Topic,
c) I've Played Around A Bit with Wireless Networks, or
d) My Grassroots Experience in Learning About Wireless Networks ... The author admits to learning a bunch of stuff attending Seattle Wireless meetings, BAWUG (San Fran Bay Area Wireless Users Group), and the 2000 Open Source Conference. He appears to be a nice, tech-savvy guy, but it's a bit unsettling to read that at these other meetings he met "a bunch of very sharp sysadmins, programmers and net monkeys who were gearing up to build a redundant, fully routed public network" suggesting that the author might not see himself in the same expert category. The opening sentence of "About this Book" is itself a telling caveat: "The ultimate goal of this book is to get you excited about this technology...". It does not claim to be, nor is it a comprehensive review of all issues, topics, hardware or software related to Wireless [Community] Networks. On the plus side, the book is a quick 2 hour read, sort of an in-depth New York Times feature on the early stages of community wireless.
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