4 WLAN devices (select models only)

With a WLAN device, you can access a wireless local area network, which is composed of other computers and accessories linked by a wireless router or a wireless access point.

NOTE The terms wireless access point and wireless router are often used interchangeably.

A large-scale WLAN, such as a corporate or public WLAN, typically uses wireless access points that can accommodate a large number of computers and accessories and can separate critical network functions.

A home or small office WLAN typically uses a wireless router, which allows several wireless and wired computers to share an Internet connection, a printer, and files without requiring additional pieces of hardware or software.

NOTE To use the WLAN device in your computer, you must connect to a WLAN infrastructure (provided through a service provider or a public or corporate network).

Computers with WLAN devices may support one or more of four IEEE physical layer industry standards:

802.11b, the first popular standard, supports data rates of up to 11 Mbps and operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz.

802.11g supports data rates of up to 54 Mbps and operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz. An 802.11g WLAN device is backward compatible with 802.11b devices, so they can operate on the same network.

802.11a supports data rates of up to 54 Mbps and operates at a frequency of 5 GHz. NOTE 802.11a is not compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g.

802.11n supports data rates of up to 270 Mbps and may operate at 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, making it backward compatible with 802.11a, b, and g.

6 Chapter 4 WLAN devices (select models only)

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