Adaptec Ultra Wireless USB Adapter User’s Guide

About Wireless Technology and LANs

This section provides a general overview of Wireless technology and LANs. There are many books and Web sites dedicated to this topic that can provide a more comprehensive explanation.

What’s a LAN?

A network is a group of computers that are connected together in a way that lets them share and exchange information and resources.

A Local Area Network, or LAN, is a network of computers that are in the same general physical location, usually within a building or small group of buildings. Computers on a LAN can share devices such as printers or scanners, they can share and exchange files without using floppy disks or CDs, and they can all use a single Internet connection.

What’s a Wireless LAN?

A Wireless LAN (WLAN) uses radio signals instead of cables or wires to connect all the computers in the network.

There are different types of Wireless networks, each with it’s own set of features and benefits. Adaptec Wireless Network products are based on the Wi-Fi standard (wireless fidelity, like high fidelity or Hi-Fi in audio equipment), which means that they communicate at a maximum speed of 11 Mbps (Megabits per second) within a radius of up to 1000 feet.

How Do I Create a Basic WLAN?

A WLAN can be as simple as two computers, each installed with a Wireless Network Interface Card (NIC), such as Wireless USB Adapter or Wireless PC Card. You can expand your WLAN to include more computers, and you can incorporate a WLAN into a pre-existing wired LAN by using hubs, Wireless APs, Wireless Routers, and additional Wireless NICs.

Go to the Adaptec Web site at www.adaptec.com for more information on Wireless products.

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