Siemens SS1021 user manual What is Wireless LAN?, Wireless LAN Modes

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SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual

What is Wireless LAN?

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) systems offer a great number of advantages over traditional wired systems. WLAN is flexible and easy to setup and manage. They are also more economical than wired LAN systems.

Using radio frequency (RF) technology, WLAN transmit and receive data through the air. WLAN combine data connectivity with user mobility. For example, users can roam from a conference room to their office without being disconnected from the LAN.

Using WLAN, users can conveniently access-shared information, and network administrators can configure and augment networks without installing or moving network cables.

WLAN technology provides users with many convenient and cost saving features:

Mobility: WLAN provide LAN users with access to real-time information anywhere in their organization, providing service opportunities that are impossible with wired networks.

Ease of Installation: Installing is easy for novice and expert users alike, eliminating the need to install network cables in walls and ceilings.

Scalability: WLAN can be configured in a variety of topologies to adapt to specific applications and installations. Configurations are easily changed and range from peer-to-peer networks suitable for a small number of users to full infrastructure networks of thousands of users roaming over a broad area.

Wireless LAN Modes

Wireless LANs can be configured in one of two ways:

Ad-hoc

Also known as a peer-to-peer network, an ad-hoc

Networking

network is one that allows all workstations and

 

computers in the network to act as servers to all other

 

users on the network. Users on the network can share

 

files, print to a shared printer, and access the Internet

 

with a shared modem. However, with ad-hoc

 

networking, users can only communicate with other

 

wireless LAN computers that are in the wireless LAN

 

workgroup, and are within range.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure networking differs from ad-hoc

Networking

networking in that it includes an access point. Unlike

 

the ad-hoc structure where users on the LAN contend

 

the shared bandwidth, on an infrastructure network the

 

access point can manage the bandwidth to maximize

 

bandwidth utilization.

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Contents SpeedStream Regulatory compliance FCC WarningAbout this manual Table of Contents Features IntroductionWhat is Wireless LAN? Wireless LAN ModesSpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual System Requirements for the Adapter Hardware InstallationPackage Contents Hardware descriptionInserting the Wireless LAN Card LED IndicatorsEjecting the Wireless LAN card LED MeaningDriver Installation for Windows Driver installation for WindowsSpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual Driver installation for Windows SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual Driver installation for Windows Me SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual Driver installation for Windows XP SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual Installing and Using the Wireless Utility Installation in WindowsSpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual Using the Wireless Utility In Windows XP Use Windows Wireless Network ConfigurationSpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual Using the SpeedStream Wireless LAN Utility SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual SpeedStream Wireless LAN Utility icon Configuring the SpeedStream Wireless PC Card SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual Installing Network Protocols SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual SpeedStream Wireless CardBus PC Card User’s Manual Appendix a FAQ What is the Ieee 802.11 standard?Appendix B Specifications Operating Ranges