Motorola WR850G manual Simple Home Network Diagram, Wireless Connections, Section, Overview

SECTION 1 OVERVIEW

Simple Home Network Diagram

Your wireless router serves as the centerpiece of your network, allowing you to share files, printers, and the Internet connection. A sample Local Area Network (LAN) is shown below:

The Internet communicates with the modem which in turn communicates with the router. The router acts as the gateway to your network, sending information to whichever device asks for information, be it from requests for Internet access to file sharing to multiplayer games. The router controls the information for your network, intelligently routing the information to its required destination while at the same time protecting your network from the public domain.

Wireless Connections

Your wireless router uses a radio transmission technology defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) called

802.11Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi). This standard is subdivided into distinct categories of speed and the frequency spectrum used, designated by the lower case letter after the standard.

For example, your router supports both the ‘b’ and ‘g’ specifications. The 802.11b specification transmits data rates up to 11 Mbps while the 802.11g specification transmits data rates up to 54 Mbps. These are theoretical standards so your performance may vary. The radio waves radiate out in a donut-shaped pattern. The waves travel through walls and floors, but transmission power and distance are affected. The theoretical distance limit is 1,000 feet (305 meters), but actual throughput and distance varies.

Both standards operate in the 2.4 GHz range, meaning other electrical appliances also might interfere with the router – televisions, radios, microwave ovens, or 2.4 GHz cordless telephones. Therefore, positioning your router where it encounters the least interference helps maintain a better connection.

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