Network Topology

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A wireless local area network is exactly like a regular local area network (LAN), except that each computer in the wireless network uses a wireless device to connect to the network. Computers in a wireless network share the same frequency channel and SSID, which is an identification name shared by the wireless devices belonging to the same wireless network.

Ad-Hoc versus Infrastructure Mode
Unlike wired networks, wireless networks have two different modes in which they may be set up: infrastructure and ad-hoc. An infrastructure configuration is a wireless and wired network communicating to each other through an access point. An ad-hoc configuration is wireless-equipped computers communicating directly with each other. Choosing between these two modes depends on whether or not the wireless network needs to share data or peripherals with a wired network or not.

If the computers on the wireless network need to be accessible by a wired network or need to share a peripheral, such as a printer, with the wired network computers, the wireless network should be set up in Infrastructure mode. The basis of Infrastructure mode centers around a wireless router or an access point, which serves as the main point of communications in a wireless network. The Router transmits data to PCs equipped with wireless network adapters, which can roam within a certain radial range of the Router. You can arrange the Router and multiple access points to work in succession to extend the roaming range, and you can set up your wireless network to communicate with your Ethernet hardware as well.

If the wireless network is relatively small and needs to share resources only with the other computers on the wireless network, then the Ad-Hoc mode can be used. Ad-Hoc mode allows computers equipped with wireless transmitters and receivers to communicate directly with each other, eliminating the need for a wireless router or access point. The drawback of this mode is that in Ad-Hoc mode, wireless-equipped computers are not able to communicate with computers on a wired network. And, of course, communication between the wirelessequipped computers is limited by the distance and interference directly between them.