ZyAIR B-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

unlicensed ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band. The third method is infrared technology, using very high frequencies, just below visible light in the electromagnetic spectrum to carry data.

Ad-hoc Wireless LAN Configuration

The simplest WLAN configuration is an independent (Ad-hoc) WLAN that connects a set of computers with wireless nodes or stations (STA), which is called a Basic Service Set (BSS). In the most basic form, a wireless LAN connects a set of computers with wireless adapters. Any time two or more wireless adapters are within range of each other, they can set up an independent network, which is commonly referred to as an Ad-hoc network or Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS). See the following diagram of an example of an Ad-hoc wireless LAN.

Diagram D-1 Peer-to-Peer Communication in an Ad-hoc Network

Infrastructure Wireless LAN Configuration

For infrastructure WLANs, multiple access points (APs) link the WLAN to the wired network and allow users to efficiently share network resources. The access points not only provide communication with the wired network but also mediate wireless network traffic in the immediate neighborhood. Multiple access points can provide wireless coverage for an entire building or campus. All communications between stations or between a station and a wired network client go through the access point.

D-2

Wireless LAN and IEEE 802.11