Server

Desktop PC

 

Access Point 1

Notebook with PCMCIA WLAN Card

Access Point 2

Desktop with USB WLAN Adapter

Fig 2-2 Infrastructure Wireless LAN

The adapter provides access to a wired LAN for wireless workstations. An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an infrastructure configuration. A group of WLAN PC users and an Access Point compose a Basic Service Set (BSS). Each WLAN PC in a BSS can talk to any computer in the wired LAN infrastructure via the Access Point.(Fig 2-2)

An infrastructure configuration extends the accessibility of a WLAN equipped PC to a wired LAN, and doubles the effective wireless transmission range for 2 WLANs PCs. Since the Access Point is able to forward data within its BSS, the effective transmission range in an infrastructure LAN is double.(Fig 2-3)

Fig 2-3 The effective transmission range

The use of a unique ID in a BSS is essential. All WLAN equipped PCs configured without roaming options in independent BSS must be configured with a BSS ID corresponding to the Access Point used in the BSS. Check your Access Point for its BSS ID or use the Access Point Browser Utility program to determine the BSS ID.(Fig 2-4)

The infrastructure wireless LAN configuration is appropriate for enterprise-scale wireless access to a central database, or as a wireless application for mobile users.

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