Linksys WAP54A Planning Your Wireless Network, Package Contents, Minimum Requirements s, Roaming

Instant WirelessTM Series

Figure 1-1

Package Contents

•One Wireless Access Point (IEEE 802.11a)

•One Power Adapter

•One User Guide

•Registration Card (not shown)

Minimum Requirements s

•One Pentium Class, 200MHz or Faster, PC equipped with Windows 98, Millennium, NT version 4.0, 2000, or XP, 64 MB RAM, and an Ethernet Adapter with Network Cable for Initial Setup

•One 802.11a-compliant Wireless Adapter

Wireless Access Point

Chapter 2: Planning Your

Wireless Network

Network Topology

A wireless LAN is a group of computers, each equipped with one Instant Wireless™ Series adapter. Computers in a wireless LAN must be configured to share the same radio channel.

The Instant Wireless™ Series adapters provide access to a wired LAN for wire- less workstations. An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an Infrastructure configuration. A group of Instant Wireless™ Series adapter users and an Instant Wireless™ Wireless Access Point compose a Basic Service Set (BSS). Each Instant Wireless™ Series adapter PC in a BSS can talk to any computer in a wired LAN infrastructure via the Instant Wireless™ Wireless Access Point.

An infrastructure configuration extends the accessibility of an Instant Wireless™ Series adapter PC to a wired LAN, and doubles the effective wire- less transmission range for two Instant Wireless™ Series adapter PCs. Since the Wireless Access Point is able to forward data within its BSS, the effective transmission range in an infrastructure LAN is doubled.

Roaming

Infrastructure mode also supports roaming capabilities for mobile users. More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service Set (ESS). This con- tinuous network allows users to roam freely within an ESS. All PCs equipped with an Instant Wireless™ Series adapter within one ESS must be configured with the same ESS ID and use the same radio channel.

Before enabling an ESS with roaming capability, choosing a feasible radio channel and optimum Wireless Access Point position is recommended. Proper Wireless Access Point positioning combined with a clear radio signal will greatly enhance performance.

2 3