HARDWARE NEEDED FOR A WIRELESS NETWORK
As long as you have all the hardware, you can
quickly set up any wireless network. Here is everything you need to know about
the hardware you need to have in place before you use Windows to configure the
wireless network.
The basic wireless,
peer-to-peer network consists of these components:
Wireless router: The heart of the wireless network is the
wireless router. Like a wire-based network, the hub is a central location that
all computers connect to, providing the computers with network access.
The wireless hubs now
available also serve as routers. Well, officially, wireless hubs are gateways,
not routers, but they’re called routers. They’re also
called access points, so get used to that term as well.
Despite the nomenclature
confusion, all you need to know is that the hub/router/access point is a smart
little beast that helps manage wireless connections and also helps connect your
wireless network to the Internet.
Wire-based connections: Almost every wireless router I’ve seen has
one or more standard, wire-based Ethernet port. One port is used to connect the
router to a broadband modem. Other Ethernet ports might be also available,
allowing you to connect standard wire-based networking to the wireless hub.
Wireless NIC: Your computer needs a wireless network
information card, or NIC, to talk with the wireless router. A laptop comes
standard with a wireless NIC, but for a desktop PC you have to get a wireless
NIC as an option. It’s installed internally as an expansion card, or you can
use one of the various plug-in USB wireless NICs.
That’s pretty much it
for the infrastructure type of wireless network.
The ad hoc type
of wireless network is basically a group of wireless computers connected with
each other. An ad hoc network has no central hub or router. Instead, all its
computers can directly access the other computers’ files and shared resources.
They may or may not have Internet access, but that’s not the point of the ad
hoc network.
- One of the beauties of a wireless network is that you
can mix in wired components as needed. If you need more Ethernet ports,
for example, simply add a switch to the wireless router.
- Despite the wireless nature of wireless networking, you
still need an Ethernet cable (a wire) to connect a wireless router to a
broadband modem.
- Another advantage of a wireless network is that it’s
portable. It’s far easier to pull up stakes with a wireless network than
to pack up all the bits and pieces of a wired network. If you live in an
apartment, or just move around a lot, a wireless setup a good option.
- The term access point is often
abbreviated AP. Don’t be puzzled when you see the words wireless
AP — it simply refers to the access point, not to the Associated
Press.
- A wireless network is often called a WLAN, for
wireless local-area network.
- A wireless network is also referred to by the
term Wi-Fi. It stands for wireless fidelity.
- Ad hoc networks are often used by computer gamers to
gather in a single location to play games with each other.
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