User Manual

5
Overview
Welcome to the Intel® PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN Mini-PCI Adapter User's Guide. This guide
covers software installation, configuration, and troubleshooting. To select a topic, click a link in
the contents column to the left. After installing the adapter, register your adapter online.
Introduction to Wireless Networking
The Intel® PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN Adapter is an Intel® PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN network
product. Intel® PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN network products are based on the IEEE 802.11a
standard and connect computers together to form a wireless network. Intel® PRO/Wireless 5000
LAN Adapters offer 54 Mbps data rates using clean spectrum 5 GHz transmissions.
A Local Area Network (LAN) is a network in a central location. Users at that location share files,
printers, and other services. In a LAN, a networked computers that request services are called
clients, while servers in a LAN provide services. In a wireless LAN (WLAN), wireless adapters are
installed in clients. A wireless client communicates with the WLAN without cables. Instead,
wireless clients send and receive information through the air.
A wireless client operates in either infrastructure mode or peer-to-peer mode.
Infrastructure Mode: A WLAN with Access Points
In infrastructure mode, wireless clients send and receive information through access points.
When a wireless client communicates with another, it transmits to the access point. The access
point receives the information and rebroadcasts it. Then the other device receives the
information.
Access points are strategically located within an area to provide optimal coverage for wireless
clients. A large WLAN uses multiple access points to provide coverage over a wide area. Access
points can connect to a LAN through a wired Ethernet connection. Access points send and
receive information from the LAN through this wired connection.
Peer-to-Peer Mode: A WLAN without Access Points
In peer-to-peer mode, also called Ad Hoc Mode, wireless clients send and receive information to
other wireless clients without using an access point. In contrast to infrastructure mode, this type
of WLAN only contains wireless clients.
You can use peer-to-peer mode to network computers in a home or small office, or to set up a
temporary wireless network for a meeting.
Identifying a WLAN
All adapters and access points in a WLAN use a Network Name, or Service Set Identifier (SSID)
to identify the WLAN. The SSID indicates what WLAN you are communicating with.
Wireless Security
Wireless networking devices transmit information through the air. Without implementing security,
it is easy for an unauthorized person to intercept the information.
A common way of implementing security and protecting information is encryption. Before sending
information, the wireless client or access point encrypts or scrambles information using an
encryption key. The device receiving the information uses the same key to decrypt or unscramble
the information. The information is only readable to wireless devices that have the correct
encryption key.