User's Guide

Overview of the HiPath Wireless Controller, Access Points and Convergence Software solution
hwc_intro.fm
Conventional wireless LANs
9034530-02, March 2010
18 HiPath Wireless Controller, Access Points and Convergence Software V7.11, User Guide
• Applies filtering policies to the wireless device session
• Provides session logging and accounting capability
2.1 Conventional wireless LANs
Wireless communication between multiple computers requires that each
computer is equipped with a receiver/transmitter—a WLAN Network Interface
Card (NIC)—capable of exchanging digital information over a common radio
frequency. This is called an ad hoc network configuration. An ad hoc network
configuration allows wireless devices to communicate together. This setup is
defined as an independent basic service set (IBSS).
An alternative to the ad hoc configuration is the use of an access point. This may
be a dedicated hardware bridge or a computer running special software.
Computers and other wireless devices communicate with each other through this
access point. The 802.11 standard defines access point communications as
devices that allow wireless devices to communicate with a distribution system.
This setup is defined as a basic service set (BSS) or infrastructure network.
To allow the wireless devices to communicate with computers on a wired
network, the access points must be connected to the wired network providing
access to the networked computers. This topology is called bridging. With
bridging, security and management scalability is often a concern.