User's Manual
Table Of Contents
- User Manual for the NETGEAR 54 Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter WG111
- Contents
- Chapter 1 About This Manual
- Chapter 2 Introduction
- Chapter 3 Basic Setup
- Chapter 4 Configuration
- Chapter 4 Troubleshooting
- Basic Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The WG111 status line displays a speed lower than 54 Mbps
- The WG111 Smart Wireless Assistant keeps asking me to save my settings
- Ad Hoc mode is not working correctly
- How to know if the WG111 card has received a valid IP address
- How to use Windows XP’s own Wireless Configuration Utility
- New Hardware Wizard appears after installation has completed
- How to get a PDF copy of the Manual
- Appendix A Technical Specifications
- Appendix B Wireless Networking Basics
- Appendix C Preparing Your PCs for Network Access
- Glossary
- Index
Wireless Networking Basics B-1
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Appendix B
Wireless Networking Basics
This chapter provides an overview of Wireless networking.
Wireless Networking Overview
The WG111 Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter conforms to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) 802.11b standard for wireless LANs (WLANs) and a product update will bring
the WG111 into conformance to the 802.11g standard when it is ratified. On an 802.11b or g
wireless link, data is encoded using direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) technology and is
transmitted in the unlicensed radio spectrum at 2.5GHz. The maximum data rate for the wireless
link is 11 Mbps, but it will automatically back down from 11 Mbps to 5.5, 2, and 1 Mbps when the
radio signal is weak or when interference is detected. The 802.11g auto rate sensing rates are 1, 2,
5.5, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps.
The 802.11 standard is also called Wireless Ethernet or Wi-Fi by the Wireless Ethernet
Compatibility Alliance (WECA, see http://www.wi-fi.net), an industry standard group promoting
interoperability among 802.11 devices. The 802.11 standard offers two methods for configuring a
wireless network - ad hoc and infrastructure.
Infrastructure Mode
With a wireless Access Point, you can operate the wireless LAN in the infrastructure mode. This
mode provides wireless connectivity to multiple wireless network devices within a fixed range or
area of coverage, interacting with wireless nodes via an antenna.
In the infrastructure 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.