Wireless

Fundamentals
A wireless network is a flexible data
communications system, which uses wireless
media such as radio frequency technology to
transmit and receive data over the air,
minimizing the need for wired connections
Infrastructure Mode
The wireless LAN operates in the
infrastructure mode with a wireless access
point. You can connect wirelessly to wireless
network devices within a fixed range or area
of coverage. The access point has one or
more antennas that allow you to interact with
the wireless nodes.
 In infrastructure mode, the wireless access
point converts airwave data into wired
Ethernet data, acting as a bridge between the
wired LAN and wireless clients.
 Connecting multiple access points via a wired
Ethernet backbone can further extend the
wireless network coverage. As a mobile
computing device moves out of the range of
one access point, it moves into the range of
another. As a result, wireless clients can
freely roam from one access point domain to
another and still maintain seamless network
connection.
Ad Hoc Mode (Peer-to-Peer
Workgroup)
In an ad hoc network, computers are brought
together as needed; thus, the network has no
structure or fixed points—each node can be
set up to communicate with any other node.
No access point is involved in this
configuration.
This mode enables you to quickly set up a
small wireless workgroup and allows
workgroup members to exchange data or
share printers. It is also referred to as peer-
to-peer group networking. In this
configuration, network packets are directly
sent and received by the intended
transmitting and receiving stations. If the
stations are within range of one another, this
is the easiest and least expensive way to set
up a wireless network.
Wireless Network Components
 Access Points
 NICs – Network Interface Cards
 PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association)
 USB (Universal Serial Bus)
 PCI (Personal Component Interconnect)
 CompactFlash
 Other Wireless Devices
 Bridges and Routers
 Print Servers
 PCs, Laptops, PDAs
Wireless Access Point
In computer networking, a wireless access
point (WAP) is a device that allows wireless
devices to connect to a wired network using 
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards. The
WAP usually connects to a router (via a wired
network), and can relay data between the
wireless devices (such as computers or
printers) and wired devices on the network.
Linksys 802.11g Wireless
Access Point
NIC
A network interface controller (also known
as a network interface card, network
adapter, LAN adapter and by similar terms)
is a computer hardware component that
connects a computer to a computer network.
Whereas network interface controllers were
commonly implemented on expansion cards
 that plug into a computer bus, the low cost
and ubiquity of the Ethernet standard means
that most newer computers have a network
interface built into the motherboard.
The NIC allows computers to communicate
over a computer network. It is both an OSI
layer 1 (physical layer) and layer 2 (data link
layer) device, as it provides physical access
to a networking medium and provides a low-
level addressing system through the use of
MAC addresses. It allows users to connect to
each other either by using cables or
wirelessly. Every Ethernet network controller
has a unique 48-bit serial number called
a MAC address, which is stored in read-only
memory.
Wireless networks offer the following productivity,
convenience, and cost advantages over traditional wired
networks:

 Mobility 
 Installation speed and simplicity 
 Reach of the network 
 More Flexibility 
 Reduced cost of ownership 
 Scalability 
 Q&A