User's Manual

802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual
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Chapter 1 Introduction
The Wireless LAN Card design is based on Atheros WLAN chipset. It supports
802.11g/super-g standards to provide maximum data rates of 108Mbps.
1-1 Wireless LAN Basics
This section contains some Wireless LAN basics to help you better understand
how the products work together to create a wireless network.
1-1-1 Local Area Network (LAN)
Simply put, a LAN is a network that exists in a relatively limited area. A network
is two or more computers connected together sharing files and peripheral
devices such as printers.
The Wireless LAN Card allows you to interact with other computers without
having to run cables normally associated with networks. This lets you move your
computer around while staying connected to your network.
There are two ways to use the Wireless LAN Card. One way is to connect
directly to one or more Wireless LAN Card equipped computers, forming an Ad
Hoc wireless network. The second way is to connect to an Access Point that
gives you access to an existing wired LAN, forming an Infrastructure wireless
network.
1-1-2 Wireless Network Topologies
The 802.11 standard defines two wireless 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 with each other.