User Manual

Chapter 2. About the Intel® Wireless Gateway
Intel® Wireless Gateway User's Guide 5
The wireless access points are arranged in a grid or micro-cell configuration, providing
overlapping coverage areas. Each Intel® Wireless Gateway must be connected to the wired
network to enable this capability. Wireless clients can then travel anywhere throughout the micro-
cell coverage area without losing their connections. The number of access points is virtually
unlimited; therefore, the size or shape of the coverage area is unliimited. Simply add more access
points to provide coverage to the areas desired.
The roaming feature is automatically built-in to the Intel® Wireless Gateway; thus, it is not
necessary to configure the roaming for the access point. When configuring your access points set
the channels to 1, 6 or 11. These are referred to as non-overlapping channels. Stagger the channels
so that no two adjacent access points are configured for the same channel. When a wireless client
moves, or roams, about the coverage area, it automatically detects the channel and connects to the
respective access point in its coverage area.
For additional information on channel selection and multiple access point placement, go to
www.intel.com/support
.
2.1.3 Automatic Rate Selection and Rate Scaling
Wireless network adapters and access points can transmit data at one of the following rates: 11,
5.5, 2, or 1 Mbps. As the distance between an adapters and access point increases or decreases, the
data rate automatically changes. Other factors, like interference, also affect the data rate. This
capability is called rate scaling. Rate scaling maintains optimal communication between wireless
clients and the WLAN.
2.1.4 Antenna Diversity
Antenna diversity refers to how wireless network adapters and access points deal with multi-path
interference. Multi-path interference is the reflection of the radio frequency (RF) signal by metal
or other objects. This type of interference is common in an RF environment.
Access points receive multiple signals: the direct actual signal, and one or more reflected signals.
The reflected signal is out-of-phase and arrives later than the direct signal. Thus, the optimal
signal for processing is the direct signal.
The Intel® Wireless Gateway performs diversity with its two antennae by determining which is
the direct signal. This signal is then processed instead of the reflected signal. With the diversity
feature, the Intel® Wireless Gateway provides better data throughput and reliability.
2.2 Using the Intel® Wireless Gateway on a Network
There are several ways to implement the Intel® Wireless Gateway on a network. A basic
implementation is shown in Figure 1.