ParkerVision WLAN1500 - Manual (Page 20)

22
WLAN1500
Wireless PC LAN Card
®
4.6 MORE ON AD-HOC AND AP MODES
Ad-Hoc Mode (Peer-to-Peer Workgroup)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard for wireless LAN’s (WLAN’s),
802.11 offers two methods for confi guring a wireless network — Ad-Hoc and infrastructure (Access
Point). In an Ad-Hoc network, computers are brought together as needed. In this instance, there
are no fi xed points to the network — each node can generally communicate with any other node.
There is no Access Point involved in this confi guration. This enables the set up and use of a small
wireless workgroup and allows workgroup members to exchange data or share printers as supported
by Microsoft Networking in the various Windows operating systems. To set up an Ad-Hoc workgroup
operating with standard protocols:
• Set all stations to connect in Ad-Hoc mode (or Peer-to-Peer workgroup mode).
• Set all stations to use the same network name (or SSID).
• Set all stations to use the same wireless channel for communication.
• Set all stations to either disable the WEP encryption key, or set all stations to use an identical WEP
encryption key.
AP Mode (Infrastructure Mode)
With a wireless Access Point (AP), you can put the ParkerVision-Wireless PC LAN into AP
(Infrastructure) mode. It provides wireless connectivity to multiple wireless network devices within a
fi xed range or area of coverage, interacting with a wireless node by way of an antenna. In AP Mode,
the wireless Access Point converts airwave data into wired Ethernet data, acting as a bridge between
the wired LAN and wireless clients. Connecting multiple Access Points via a wired Ethernet backbone
can further extend the wireless network coverage. As a mobile computing device moves out of the
range of one Access Point, it moves into the range of another. As a result, wireless clients can freely
roam from one Access Point domain to another and still maintain seamless network connection. To set
up an AP network operating with standard protocols, do the following:
• Set all wireless stations to connect in AP mode.
• Set all stations to use the same network name (or SSID).
• Set all wireless Access Points to use the same network name (or ESSID).
• Set all stations to disable the WEP encryption key, or set all stations to use an identical WEP
encryption key as used by the Access Point.
• Set up wireless channels used by individual Access Points. (It is not necessary to set channels on
the stations as the stations will automatically scan through all channels for the nearest Access Point.
• You should consult your access point documentation for the available options.