SMC Networks SMCWUSBT-G manual Wireless LAN Basics, Local Area Network LAN, Ad Hoc Mode

Chapter 1: Overview

Chapter 1 Overview

This product is an IEEE 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Card with USB interface solution. This solution provides compatibility with 802.11b and 802.11g standard devices. Now users have the flexibility to connect to 802.11b or 802.11g networks effortlessly.

It allows your computer to connect to a wireless network and to share resources, such as files or printers without being bound to the network wires. Operating in 2.4GHz Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) radio transmission, the Wireless LAN Card transfers data at speeds up to 54Mbps. Both Ad hoc and Infrastructure mode are supported. For network security concern, 64/128-bits Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption is used. In addition, its standard compliance ensures that it can communicate with any 802.11b/g networks. It also supports Microsoft WHQL software for Windows XP.

Wireless LAN Basics

This section contains some Wireless LAN basics to help you better understand how the products work together to create a wireless network.

Local Area Network (LAN)

LAN is a local network that exists in a relatively limited area. Within the network, two or more computers are connected together sharing files and peripheral devices such as printers.

The Wireless LAN Card allows you to interact with other computers without having to run cables normally associated with networks. This lets you move your computer around while staying connected to your network.

There are two ways to use the Wireless LAN Card. One way is to connect directly to one or more Wireless LAN Card equipped computers, forming an Ad hoc wireless network. The second way is to connect to an Access Point that gives you access to an existing wired LAN, forming an Infrastructure wireless network.

Ad Hoc Mode

An Ad Hoc network offers peer-to-peer connections between wireless stations that are in range of each other. The stations communicate directly with each other without using an Access Point or any connection to a wired network. This mode is useful for quickly and easily setting up a wireless network anywhere that a wireless infrastructure does not exist or is not required for services. In an Ad Hoc network, all wireless stations must have the same SSID, channel and WEP keys (if enabled) to communicate with each other.

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