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How It Works |
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Wireless Networking - How it works
General Description802.11(b) and (g) wireless
devices work with two pieces of equipment: a client computer
equipped with a wireless network interface card (WNIC) and an access
point (AP) which serves as the bridge between the WNIC and the wired
Ethernet Local Area Network.
Illustration 1
– Wireless Model
The wireless network card (WNIC) in the client
computer (usually a laptop computer) communicates using radio transmissions with
the Access Points in order to gain access to the wired network. Normal
access range under excellent conditions is 300 feet from any Access Point.
Intervening barriers, like concrete walls with steel reinforcing, can affect
this range. "Roaming” is the term used for movement of the WNIC between AP
service areas. Your WNIC card will automatically work through the Access Point
it finds that has the strongest signal. Bandwidth available to the client
computer, of course, drops with distance from the AP and with any intervening
barriers or with interference from other devices operating in the same Radio
Frequency band, like microwave ovens and mobile phones. Data throughput will
decrease from AP to WNIC from a max possible of 54Mbps to 1Mbps depending on
signal strength. Typical throughput, however, usually never exceeds about half
the possible throughput.Laptop Requirements
Wireless
networking at Palomar College
can be used on the following types of laptops:
- All Intel
based PC's running Windows 98, ME, or XP Professional or Home
Edition
- Macintosh
running 7 to 9 and Mac OS X
- Windows CE
devices
Hardware and
OS Requirements:
- Intel
based PC with Windows 98, ME, or Windows XP Professional
or Windows XP Home Edition.
- Macintosh
iBook, iMac and PowerBooks.
- Windows CE
devices that support a PCMCIA card.
Configuration Instructions
To get specific configuration information for your operating system, click on
the appropriate below.
Select from the following:
Location
In order to use wireless networking, you must be in or very near to a
building that has a wireless Access Point. Currently, this is only the San
Marcos campus library building, but this will be expanding very soon.
Wireless vs. Wired Access
Wireless access differs from wired access in the following
ways:
- wired access is faster and supplies more client bandwidth;
- wired access can, with the proper permissions, give access
to campus computing assets, like file servers and printers, wireless access is
an Internet only service;
- a login is not required with the wireless network.
Do not use wireless access for bandwidth intensive
operations, such as streaming video.
More Information
Wireless LAN Technologies and Windows XP
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