Actiontec electronic 802EAG user manual Understanding Wireless Network, Ad Hoc Mode

Understanding the	2
Wireless Network

Wireless local area networks (WLAN) perform the exact same functions as wired local area networks (LAN). Each device in the WLAN uses a data radio device to connect to the network, and all devices in the network share the same frequency and method for identifying wireless devices. Wireless local area networks differ from wired local area networks only in their operating mode. The two operation modes are Ad Hoc and Infrastructure.

Ad Hoc Mode

Ad hoc mode is a networking framework by which wireless devices or stations communicate directly with each other, without the need for an access point or wireless router/gateway.

Ad hoc mode is also called peer-to-peer mode or independent basic service set

(IBSS). This mode is used when playing heat-to-head games, in which all the par- ticipants are playing against each other in the same room, or at least within range of the wireless network adapters.

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