User's Manual

Introduction to the Client Utility
The Wireless LAN Client Adapter connects your PC to a wireless local area network (WLAN) using
radio frequency signals. An access point is a wireless device that forwards data from the wired network to
your WLAN equipped PC using radio frequency signals and provides network connectivity between your
PC and other wireless and wired users and resources. The IEEE 802.11 standard identifies two types of
wireless networking types:
In an
infrastructure network, an access point links the wireless LAN to a wired network. By attaching to
an existing network infrastructure, you can gain access to resources on the wired network, other wireless
LANs, or the Internet. This is the network type to use when setting up a home network or accessing an
office network.
In an
ad-hoc wireless network, you establish communications between your PC and one or a small
number of other wireless users without using an access point.
The Wireless LAN Client Adapter installed on your PC can communicate with any access point in
infrastructure mode or other PCs in ad-hoc mode if those devices support the industry standard IEEE 802.11
wireless communications protocols.
Service Set Identifiers
The Service Set Identifier (SSID) is a name that uniquely identifies a wireless local area network.
Each device in the wireless network must use the same SSID in order to participate in that
network. The SSID can be up to 32 alphanumeric characters in length and is also known as the
wireless network name.
The 802.11 standard specifies two types of network service sets identified by SSID:
Basic Service Set (BSS)—A collection of wireless devices operating with an access point in infrastructure
mode (Basic Service Set - BSS) or without an access point in ad-hoc mode (Independent Basic Service
Set - IBSS).
Extended Service Set (ESS)—A collection of BSSs with wireless devices that can roam from one BSS to
another while remaining connected to wireless network resources.
Wireless Bands and Channels
The IEEE 802.11 specification addresses wireless devices that operate in the 2.4 and 5 GHz radio
frequency bands. Within each band (range of radio frequencies) individual
channels carry a separate radio
signal. Automatic and manual channel selection is provided, along with monitoring and analysis
capabilities to assess the status of radio coverage and signal quality.
NOTE: The WLAN Client Adapter may be limited to a single frequency band or a restricted range of radio
frequencies (channels) within a frequency band depending on regulatory requirements. See the Regulatory
section of this document for additional regulatory information.
Page 16 of 46 Installation and User Guide: Wireless LAN Client