User's Manual

Chapter 1 Introduction
3
Wireless Network Topologies
The 802.11 standard defines two modes: Infrastructure mode and Ad Hoc mode.
Ad Hoc Network
An Ad Hoc network offers peer to peer connections between wireless stations that are in range
of each other. The stations communicate directly with each other without using an Access
Point or any connection to a wired network. This mode is useful for quickly and easily setting
up a wireless network anywhere that a wireless infrastructure does not exist or is not required
for services. In an Ad Hoc network, all wireless stations must have the same SSID, channel
and WEP keys (if enabled) to communicate.