User's Manual

What is DSSS? What is FHSS? And what are their differences? Frequency
Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) uses a narrowband carrier that changes
frequency in a pattern that is known to both transmitter and receiver. Properly
synchronized, the net effect is to maintain a single logical channel. To an
unintended receiver, FHSS appears to be short-duration impulse noise. Direct
Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) generates a redundant bit pattern for each
bit to be transmitted. This bit pattern is called a chip (or chipping code). The
longer the chip, the greater the probability that the original data can be recov-
ered. Even if one or more bits in the chip are damaged during transmission,
statistical techniques embedded in the radio can recover the original data
without the need for retransmission. To an unintended receiver, DSSS appears
as low power wideband noise and is rejected (ignored) by most narrowband
receivers.
Would the information be intercepted while transmitting on air? WLAN features
two-fold protection in security. On the hardware side, as with Direct
Sequence Spread Spectrum technology, it has the inherent security feature of
scrambling. On the software side, the WLAN series offers the encryption
function (WEP) to enhance security and access control. Users can set it up
depending upon their needs.
What is WEP? WEP is Wired Equivalent Privacy, a data privacy mechanism
based on a 40/64 bit shared key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802.11
standard.
What is a MAC Address? The Media Access Control (MAC) address is a unique
number assigned by the manufacturer to any Ethernet networking device,
such as a network adapter, that allows the network to identify it at the hard-
ware level. For all practical purposes, this number is usually permanent.
Unlike IP addresses, which can change every time a computer logs on to the
network, the MAC address of a device stays the same, making it a valuable
identifier for the network.
If your questions are not addressed here, refer to the Linksys website,
www.linksys.com.
Wireless Access Point Router with 4-Port Switch
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