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Wireless Networking Basics

Wireless networking basics is knowledge that everybody who is thinking of wireless networking should know, whether you are setting up the network yourself or hiring someone else to do it. The term wireless networking means the ability for two computers to communicate using network protocols, but without long cables connecting them.

Really, any technology that does this is considered wireless networking, everything from a wireless video game controller to Bluetooth technology. Generally though, wireless networking means wireless Local Area Networks.

Recently wireless networking has become very mainstream and compatible, thanks to industry standards like IEEE 802.11. That basically means that all wireless networking devices that are designed with the 802.11 standard can communicate with each other no matter what company made it.



A wireless network can be made up of either a peer-to-peer network, or an access point network. Peer-to-peer networks allow each computer to communicate with each other, and can share files and the printer this way. This type of network cannot access the LAN though, unless there is a computer to bridge it together.

A wireless network with access points, or a base station, is a network that can connect to a LAN. The access points act like hubs which connect the wireless networked computers to the wired LAN.

Basically, it is an interpreter that converts the wireless signals into a wired signal. Once connected, the wireless computers can access file servers and an existing internet connection.


IEEE 802.11 - What does it mean?

One of the wireless networking basics is the fact that wireless networks use the technology of radio waves and radio frequencies to transmit the data between the computers.

The standard that is used, and accepted by most companies, is 802.11, which was actually determined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. This standard defines all aspects of radio frequency in wireless networking.


How Far is the Reach?

Usually when you buy wireless networking hardware, they will state how far the indoor and outdoor range is. The average for indoors is 150 to 300 feet, but that can be shorter if there are a lot of walls or interference indoors.

The range for outdoors is usually a thousand feet, but that also depends on the environment. I think when they made that estimate, they were thinking of empty land with no hills, houses, cars or any other obstructions, so it most likely will be around 500 to 700 feet for the average Joe.


Wireless Networking Security

Having a wireless network makes anybody worry about security, since your information is basically floating around in the air. That means that people could access your personal data with out leaving their house if they wanted to.

Of course it requires special equipment and skills to do something like that, so it is not a concern to everyone, but you still want to have a secure network.



Well remember the 802.11 standard for radio frequencies in wireless networking? That standard is actually for security reasons too, and provides security that is level to a wired network. That protection is called WEP, which means Wired Equivalent Privacy.

If security is a concern to you, then you definitely need to use WEP on your wireless network. Also, traditional networking security works over wireless networks just as good as a wired one too, like Virtual Private Networking for example.



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