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Wireless technology is a technology that wins you over when you experience it. You can talk and read about it all you want, but I doubt that you will be won over to wireless intellectually. But when you try it . . . that’s a different story. You get the point right away.

For me, my Sony Vaio notebook with the Centrino chip and built-in wireless and the free Internet access at my nearby St. Louis Bread Company restaurant converted me. With the growth of wireless hot spots and the benefits of untethered computing becoming available cheaply and easily, the wireless boom is just beginning.

You do have to worry about security, settings and a few other technical factors, but they are manageable. Cutting the wires is a good thing.

Here are some good resources for those who have gone or are about to go wireless:

Wireless Starter Kit (http://wireless-starter-kit.com/) – The companion site for Adam Engst and Glenn Fleishman’s excellent book, The Wireless Networking Starter Kit, provides excerpts and updates from the book, a discussion forum, and a 30% discount on the book.

Warp-Speed Wireless (http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,112467,pg,1,00.asp) – From PC World, November 2003. A great introduction to today’s wireless world, with reviews and recommendations.

Unwire Your World (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1277300,00.asp) – A special October 2003 issue of PC Magazine, covering “all aspects of wireless technology, along with tips for better and more secure wireless computing.”

Microsoft on WiFi (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/networking/wifi/default.mspx) – Microsoft’s collection of resources on WiFi and wireless networking issues provides a lot of useful articles and other materials relating to the interplay of wireless and Windows.

Protecting Your Home Network
(http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/networking/protecthomenet.asp) – Microsoft’s guide to the steps you must take to address wireless and network security issues.

Wireless Learning Guide (http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid40_gci929575,00.html?track=NL-315) – When you are ready to go beyond the basics, this page provides a structured set of great links to a wide range of wireless topics.

ExtremeTech: Home Wireless and Business Wireless (http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,3971,828033,00.asp and http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,3971,828034,00.asp) – A great collection of useful articles on a variety of wireless networking topics.

Wifinder.com (http://www.wifinder.com/) – You need to be able to track down WiFi access points and hot spots. Wifinder is an example of the sites available to help you locate wireless access.

Wi-Fi Networking News (http://wifinetnews.com/) – This blog, with an RSS feed, provides daily coverage of developments and news in the wireless arena.

Law Firm Wins with Wireless Networking (http://www.hp.com/sbso/wireless/success.html) – A Hewlett-Packard “success story” gives some details and an example of how a medium-sized firm adopted wireless networking.

ZDNet’s Wireless Toolkit (http://techupdate.zdnet.com/networking_upgrades/wireless_now.html) – ZDNet collects some of its wireless networking resources in one handy place.

Network World Fusion Wireless/Mobile Research Center (http://www.nwfusion.com/topics/wireless.html) – A large collection of useful, practical and technical articles and resources on wireless topics, including columns, Forums, Q & A, webcasts and primers.

Why are you still tethered to your computer and to the wall? Think wireless – cut the tether.