.FLYINGHEAD WIRELESS INFRASTURCTURE
.TITLE An introduction to wireless local area networks and WiFi
.AUTHOR Humayun Bakht
.SUMMARY Wireless networks have acheived a great level of importance in our lives. Some of us depend on them on a daily basis. Whether we’re at the airport or in a quiet room at home, we have the ability to be connected. In this article, Contributing Editor Humayun Bakht takes a look at wireless local area networks and the emergence of WiFi.
.DEPT
Wireless LANs introduce a rich technology capable of replacing traditional local area networks. WiFi is one of the standards for wireless local area networks. If you happen to have a device that’s equipped with WiFi, you can connect to a network without much of a problem.
Wireless networks consist of wireless devices equipped with wireless cards using radio frequency to transmit data from one location to another. These wireless networks cards have unique MAC addresses, which are formatted similar to the standard ethernet addresses.
The speed of a wireless network depends on its access point. The access point has a limited range to maintain a connection to wireless devices. The number of computers that can be attached with an access point relies on the manufacturer of the access point. Some access points can handle ten computers, while others can handle a over a hundred computers. You can extend the range of a wireless network by using a wireless relay extension point. Another option is to use multiple access points. These are a series of access points joined together to provide wireless access in a location which is very far from the central access point.
A WLAN (wireless local area network) provides all of the services and benefits of the standard LAN (local area network). In other words, WLANs redefine the way we understand traditional local area networks. WLANs use either infrared light or radio frequencies as a transmission medium.
Right now, Ethernet has grown to become the predominant LAN technology. Ethernet provides a high speed dat rates and is considered a widely available and interoperable networking standard.
Wireless local area networks can be used either to replace the existing LAN technology or to extend its reach and capabilities. Like a conventional LAN system, wireless local area networks can also be arranged in peer-to-peer or on an ad-hoc basis utilizing client adapters.
Moreover, for desktop clients, a WLAN is capable of providing flexibility for an organization that is otherwise impossible with a traditional LAN. By using a WLAN bridge, networks that are located in a building mile from each other can be integrated into a single local-area network. This is pretty inexpensive and can be installed easily. Another alternative is to use a WLAN to connect two separate LANs. Keep in mind that this type of installation is relatively expensive.
Connectivity in a wireless local area network isn’t the issue it once was. In a WLAN, we define local area in terms of miles and kilometers rather than in feet or meters. The infrastructure can be changed and moved according to the need and requirements of a particular organization. Wireless local area networks offer reliable and effective solutions to several immediate applications. As a result, it is currently used under many different platforms. A few industries utilizing the technology include education, finance, health care, hospitality, retail, and manufacturing.
WiFi is the only wireless LAN technology that allows users to roam seamlessly from work to home and to public places, although some new technologies are coming out that may well compete. Sometimes known as IEEE 802.11B, WiFi is available for both corporate and home users. It’s capable of transferring data at a higher speed as opposed to the conventional network.
The main feature of WiFi is its simplicity. Any location that is wired for ethernet access can be changed into a wireless area network quite easily by plugging WiFi network access point into the existing network connecting point. Speed, reliability, range, interoperability and compatibility with the IEEE 802.11 standard specifications are some of the main advantages of WiFi. The drawbacks thend to be cost and a complex setup process.
WiFi has been recognized as a wireless standard by the non-profit WECA (Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance). The members of this alliance include IBM, Apple, Compaq and 3Com. This alliance is also independently tests and certifies the product using its standard to ensure interoperability.
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What does the future hold for this technology? The focus of current work is to enhance the existing structure of wireless LANs. Therefore, we are likely to see more advanced forms with additional features in near future.
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