Chapter 4 Wireless LAN

Like radio stations or television channels, each wireless network uses a specific channel, or frequency, to send and receive information.

Every wireless client in the same wireless network must use security compatible with the AP.

Security stops unauthorized devices from using the wireless network. It can also protect the information that is sent in the wireless network.

Requirements

To add a wireless LAN to your existing network, make sure you have the following:

1an access point (AP) or a router with the wireless feature

2at least one wireless network card/adapter which varies according to your computer.

If you have a desktop, use either a wireless USB adapter or a wireless PCI adapter.

If you have a laptop, use either a wireless USB adapter or a wireless CardBus card.

3a RADIUS server only if you want to use WPA or WPA2

To have two or more computers communicate with each other wirelessly without an AP or wireless router, make sure you have the following:

1two or more wireless network cards/adapters which vary according to your computers.

If you have a desktop, use either a wireless USB adapter or a wireless PCI adapter.

If you have a laptop, use either a wireless USB adapter or a wireless CardBus card.

Setup Information

To set up your wireless network using an AP or wireless router, make sure your AP or wireless router and wireless network card(s)/adapter(s) use the same following settings:

SSID:_____________________

Channel: _________

Network type of a wireless network card/adapter: Infrastructure

wireless standard: IEEE 802.11b, g, or b/g

Security:

( ) None

( ) WEP (64 bit or 128 bit key) (ASCII or Hex):________________

( ) WPA-PSK (TKIP):_______________

( ) WPA (TKIP)

( ) WPA2-PSK (AES):______________

( ) WPA2 (AES)

• Preamble type (if available): auto, short or long

To set up your wireless network without an AP or wireless router, make sure wireless network cards/adapters use the same following settings:

Network type: Ad-Hoc

SSID:_____________________

Channel: _________________

wireless standard: IEEE 802.11b, g, or b/g

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PLA-450 User’s Guide