3.Click the Device Manager tab.

4.Click the plus sign to expand the PCMCIA Adapters item. If CardBus technology is supported, it will be listed here.

About Wireless (Radio) Connections

Your base station and adapter communicate by radio transmission. Radio waves travel in all directions, and can be transmitted through walls and floors. This section on wireless connections explains wireless network types and provides important information about wireless performance.

Types of Wireless Networks

There are two types of wireless networks: infrastructure and ad hoc.

In an infrastructure network, a wireless adapter connects to a wireless network through a central wireless access point, gateway, or router, such as a Microsoft Wireless Base Station. This type of network is often used when a broadband Internet connection will be shared among computers, or when there are more than two computers or devices on a wireless network. The following illustration shows an infrastructure network.

Active Internet Connection

Broadband Modem

Wireless Base Station

Ethernet Connection

First Computer

Second Computer

Chapter 1: Introduction 7

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Microsoft MN-820 manual About Wireless Radio Connections, Types of Wireless Networks