Netgear Double 108 Mbps Wireless PC Card WG511U User Manual download pdf (Page 53)

Wireless Networking Basics B-1

August 2004

Appendix B

Wireless Networking Basics

This chapter provides an overview of wireless networking and security.

Wireless Networking Overview

The WG511U Wireless PC Card conforms to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

(IEEE) 802.11b standard for wireless LANs (WLANs) and a product update will bring the

WG511U into conformance to the 802.11g standard when it is ratified. On an 802.11b or g

wireless link, data is encoded using direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) technology and is

transmitted in the unlicensed radio spectrum at 2.5GHz. The maximum data rate for the 802.11b

wireless link is 11 Mbps, but it will automatically back down from 11 Mbps to 5.5, 2, and 1 Mbps

when the radio signal is weak or when interference is detected. The 802.11g auto rate sensing rates

are 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps. Likewise, the 802.11a wireless link offers a

maximum data rate of 54 Mbps, but will automatically back down to rates 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9,

and 6 Mbps.

The 802.11 standard is also called Wireless Ethernet or Wi-Fi by the Wireless Ethernet

Compatibility Alliance (WECA, see http://www.wi-fi.net), an industry standard group promoting

interoperability among 802.11 devices. The 802.11 standard offers two methods for configuring a

wireless network - ad hoc and infrastructure.

Infrastructure Mode

With a wireless access point, you can operate the wireless LAN in the infrastructure mode. This

mode provides wireless connectivity to multiple wireless network devices within a fixed range or

area of coverage, interacting with wireless nodes via an antenna.

In the infrastructure mode, the wireless access point converts airwave data into wired Ethernet

data, acting as a bridge between the wired LAN and wireless clients. Connecting multiple access

points via a wired Ethernet backbone can further extend the wireless network coverage. As a

mobile computing device moves out of the range of one access point, it moves into the range of

another. As a result, wireless clients can freely roam from one access point domain to another and

still maintain seamless network connection.

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Netgear Double 108 Mbps Wireless PC Card WG511U User Manual Page 53