WiPeer Frequently Asked Questions
- What is WiPeer?
- What do I need in order to use WiPeer?
- What is a wireless peer-to-peer network? What is the benefit
of such networks? How do I create one?
- Who can benefit from WiPeer?
- Is it free? Can I pass it along to my friends?
- What platforms (and operating systems) are currently supported?
- Is there a version for Windows Vista?
- Is there a version for Apple's MAC and Linux?
- Can I use WiPeer in my home or office LAN?
- What file types can be shared with WiPeer?
- What is the Peersonalizer feature of WiPeer? How can I use it? Will it be available for additional social networks other than facebook?
- What kind of security is offered by WiPeer?
- Is there support for application level P2P encryption in WiPeer?
- Can I use WiPeer to automatically synchronize files?
- Why does file searching requires Google's desktop search?
- Do you plan to support additional desktop search engines?
- What other applications exist for WiPeer?
What is WiPeer?
WiPeer is a suite of applications for collaboration in server-less environments,
such as home and small office networks as well as peer-to-peer wireless networks.
These applications include forming local social networks, chatting, file sharing,
searching among shared files in other computers, and interactive multiplayer games.
Additional features and collaborative applications will be gradually released.
What do I need in order to use WiPeer?
In order to use WiPeer, one needs at least two computers with a network card.
If the two computers have a wireless card, it is possible to establish direct
communication between the two computers without any router. Alternatively,
if the two computers are already connected to the same LAN, either through
an Ethernet wire or wirelessly, then they can also use WiPeer.
What is a wireless peer-to-peer network? What is the benefit
of such networks? How do I create one?
A peer-to-peer network is formed among several wireless enabled computers (these
can be desktops, laptops, ultra-mobile devices, or even WiFi enabled cell phones),
such that the communication flows directly between the computers, without passing
through any access point. The main benefit of these networks is that they do not
require the existence of any access point. This enables users to communicate
either if no access point is available, or to save money in case an access point
exists, but requires payment. There are several ways of forming a peer-to-peer network,
but we feel that the easiest one is to let WiPeer do the work for you automatically. See WiPeer
help for more details.
Who can benefit from WiPeer?
WiPeer is especially benefitial in two settings:
- Inside a home or a small office network, when there is no server to rely on.
Of course, it is possible to use other instant messaging and file sharing
utilities for many of the things WiPeer does. Yet, typically doing so either
requires some installation on a local server, or requires constant Internet
connectivity, and could transfer the information outside of the local network.
The latter may have a significant impact on performance, especially when the uplink
line is slow, as is common in ADSL, and may raise some privacy concerns given that your
private data travels and sometimes also stored on foreign servers. On the other
hand, with WiPeer, the communication remains entirely inside your local network,
and there is no need to install and configure any server software.
- For communicating in a peer-to-peer manner, between mobile computers, when
either there is no access point, or when the access point costs money, or when
for privacy reasons, the users do not wish to utilies the access point.
Is it free? Can I pass it along to my friends?
YES! Usage of WiPeer is entirely free, and you are allowed to share WiPeer
with anyone you wish. In fact, there is also a "Share WiPeer" option in the
"Help" menu, which directs you to a version of the installer that you can
copy over to your friends. However, notice the user license agreement during the
installation process, which you must accept.
What platforms (and operating systems) are currently supported?
WiPeer can be currently used on any Windows XP based desktop and laptop
which also includes the Microsoft .NET 2.0 framework. If your computier is running Windows XP
and does not have Microsoft .NET 2.0, WiPeer's installer will automatically download
and install it for you. Support for Windows Vista will be available very soon.
Of course, in order to benefit from Wireless networking, your computer must have
a wireless (WiFi) networking card. If your computer does not have a wireless card,
you can only use WiPeer on a local area network (Ethernet).
Is there a version for Windows Vista?
We plan to release a version that supports Windows Vista soon.
Windows Mobile will take several more months.
Is there a version for Apple's MAC and Linux?
Not yet, but we hope to have a Linux port within a few months as well. MAC will
take longer.
Can I use WiPeer in my home or office LAN?
Yes. You can use WiPeer both in order to create wireless ad-hoc networks
between laptops, or over an existing LAN (such as a home network or office
network). If you wish to use WiPeer in a non-default network, simple choose
the "File->Connection Options" menu and choose the network type that you
need.
What file types can be shared with WiPeer?
There is basically no restriction on files types. It is even possible to share
directories. Yet, you are requested to only use WiPeer in a manner that does
not violate any laws in the jurisdiction where you are.
What is the Peersonalizer feature of WiPeer? How can I use it? Will it be available for additional social networks other than facebook?
The Peersonalizer feature of WiPeer enables you to discover whenever your facebook friends, or their friends, are close to you.
In order to benefit from this feature, you will need to do the following: Assuming you have a facebook account, you should (1) install the
Peersonalizer facebook application and (2) enable the facebook feature
of the wipeer application in the "ad-ons -> facebook" menu.
As for additional social networks other than facebook, we hope to include additional ones in the future.
What kind of security is offered by WiPeer?
Currently WiPeer relies on the network for security. Here is what it means:
WiPeer can either be used to establish a new ad-hoc network, or operate on-top
of an already existing network (be it wired LAN, e.g., home or office,
or wireless LAN, or even an ad-hoc network that was set up by someone else).
When operating over an existing network, if the existing network is secured,
then WiPeer benefits from this security to prevent others from eavesdropping
on its messages. This is the case, for example, when the home/office network
is wired, or a secure wireless network (both access point based or ad-hoc
based).
As for creating new ad-hoc networks with WiPeer, here, the computers
communicate directly with each other, with no need to go through any access
point or third party network. To enable this, click on the
settings link below the ad-hoc network button, and then enter a secret
passcode - the same passcode must be entered on all computers in this
network.
Notice, however, that at this point, we support the creation of secure
ad-hoc networks only with the WEP protocol. This protocol was recently found
to be breakable. So it is good enough to keep "normal" users from being able
to read your messages, but experienced hackers might be able to break the
WEP encryption and read the transmitted messages.
We are currently working on adding direct support for the WPA protocol in
ad-hoc mode, which is considered much more secure, and we are adding
application level encryption on top of that. Both these features will be
ready soon.
At any event, we are not aware of any attacks that allow a hacker to use
WiPeer to break into a computer, regardless of the networking being used.
Moreover, it is important to emphasize that when sharing files with WiPeer,
the files are never pushed to a computer. That is, only the names of shared
files are displayed in the "Inbox" of all users, and only if a given file is
double-clicked, or explicitly chosen for downloading, then it will actually be
downloaded to the local computer.
Is there support for application level P2P encryption in WiPeer?
This will be added in a release we plan for mid May. In the meantime, it is
recommended to send sensitive information only over secure wireless networks.
Can I use WiPeer to automatically synchronize files?
Not yet. This feature is high on the TODO list, and is planned to be included in a later
version of WiPeer.
Why does file searching requires Google's desktop search?
WiPeer does not implement its own desktop file search engine, but rather relies on 3rd
party search capabilities. However, with WiPeer, there is no need to expose your
computer's index. Instead, WiPeer runs a local search on each computer, and ensures
that only results matching files that were exported to the searching user via file sharing will be
shown.
Do you plan to support additional desktop search engines?
Probably yes.
What other applications exist for WiPeer?
Currently, we only support the following games: Reversi, Connect Four, Chess and Chinese Checkers. In the future, we will add additional
games and applications.
© WiPeer 2006-2008.
Disclaimer: Everything said here is only meant to provide some basic information
about WiPeer, and does not form any legal commitment on our behalf. In particular, it is
subject to change without notice and it might not be fully accurate. All copyrights and
trademarks are property of their respective owners.