Wireless Networks Lecture 4: Wireless Networking Devices

Wireless Networks
Lecture 4: Wireless Networking Devices

Wireless LAN Network Adapters
A wireless LAN network adapter represents the hardware device that turns a desktop computer into a participant, or station, on a wireless LAN.
The term “station” is commonly used to refer to a computer communicating via a wireless LAN network adapter..
The antenna of the wireless PC card enables transmission and reception of radio frequency (RF) communications.

Access Point
An access point can be considered to represent a bridge between a wired and wireless network. Access point functions as a LAN bridge, broadcasting frames that flow on the wired LAN on the air while frames received over the air are transmitted on the wired LAN.

Types of Networking
Two basic types of wireless LAN networking are available — Ad Hoc and Infrastructure.
In an Ad Hoc networking environment, two or more clients communicate with one another without having to use an access point.
The second type of wireless LAN networking is referred to as Infrastructure networking.
In this networking environment, clients communicate with one another or wired devices through the facilities of an access point.