A wireless LAN (or WLAN, for wireless local area network, sometimes referred to as LAWN, for local area wireless network) is one in which a mobile user can connect to a local area network (LAN) through a wireless (radio) connection. The IEEE 802.11 group of standards specify the technologies for wireless LANs. 802.11 standards use the Ethernet protocol and CSMA/CA for path sharing and include an encryption method, the Wired Equivalent Privacy algorithm. A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a local area network (LAN) that doesn’t rely on wired Ethernet connections. Originally WLAN hardware was so expensive that it was only used as an alternative to cabled LAN in places where cabling was difficult or impossible.A WLAN can be either an extension to a current wired network or an alternative to it.
Use of a WLAN adds flexibility to networking. A WLAN allows users to move around while keeping their computers connected. The private home or small business WLAN Commonly, a home or business WLAN employs one or two access points to USB WIRELESS LAN Adapter RT3070 broadcast a signal around a 100- to 200-foot radius. You can find equipment for installing a home WLAN in retail stores like Office Max, Radio Shack, Target, and Walmart, among others. Using technology from the Symbionics Networks, Ltd., a wireless LAN adapter can be made to fit on a Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association (PCMCIA) card for a laptop or notebook computer. For the home user, wireless has become popular due to ease of installation, and location freedom with the gaining popularity of laptops. Public businesses such as coffee shops or malls have begun to offer wireless access to their customers;USB WIRELESS LAN Adapter some are even provided as a free service. Large wireless network projects are being put up in many major cities: New York City, for instance, has begun a pilot program to cover all five boroughs of the city with wireless Internet access. The third generation of wireless modem then aimed at compatibility with the existing LANs with data rates on the order of Mbit/s.
Several companies developed the third generation products with data rates above 1 Mbit/s and a couple of products had already been announced by the time of the first IEEE Workshop on Wireless LANs. WPA implements higher security and addresses the flaws in WEP, but is intended to be only an intermediate measure until further 802.11i security measures are developed. Although a WAN by definition is the exact opposite of a LAN, wireless WANs (WWANs) deserve brief mention here, http://www.papatek.com/Network-Device/ USB 802.11N 150/300M WIRELESS LAN Adapter especially because the distinction is becoming less and less obvious to end users.
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