User's Manual

Wireless LAN PC Card

Peer to Peer

Wireless LAN PC Card

Wireless LAN USB Adapter

6. Wireless extensions to Ethernet networks

Network managers in dynamic environments can minimize the overhead caused by moves, extensions to

networks, and other changes with wireless LANs.

7. Wired LAN backup

Network managers implement wireless LANs to provide backup for mission-critical applications running

on wired networks.

8. Training/Educational Facilities

Training sites at corporations and students at universities use wireless connectivity to ease access to

information, information exchanges, and learning.

1-6 Network Configurations

To better understand how the wireless LAN products work together to create a wireless network, it might

be helpful to depict a few of the possible wireless LAN PC card network configurations. The wireless LAN

products can be configured as:

1. Ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) for departmental or SOHO LANs.

2. Infrastructure for enterprise LANs.

3. IP Sharing for 56K/ISDN TA/Cable/DSL Modem – Connect Internet and your SOHO network.

Ad-hoc (peer-to-peer) Mode

This is the simplest network configuration that several computers equipped with the PC Cards that form a

wireless network whenever they are within range of one another (Figure 1-2). In ad-hoc mode, each

client, is peer-to-peer, would only have access to the resources of the other client and requires no the

access point. This is the easiest and least expensive way for the SOHO to set up a wireless network.

Figure 1-2 A wireless Ad-hoc network

Infrastructure Mode

The infrastructure mode requires the use of an access point (AP). In this mode, all wireless