Wireless Network PC Card
Chapter 1:Introduction
Put the “mobile” back into mobile computing! Whether you’re at your desk or
in the boardroom, the Instant Wireless
®
Wireless Network PC Card allows you
to share printers, files, and other resources anywhere within your LAN infra-
structure, increasing your productivity and keeping you “in touch.”
The Instant Wireless
®
Wireless Network PC Card now has a new, higher-pow-
ered antenna that provides a greater range than ever. The increased sensitivity
helps filter out interference and “noise” to keep your signal clear. Improved
error correction in the chipset keeps you operating at higher transmission rates
for longer distances. And, since you only need one Type II or III PCMCIA slot,
you’re free to use your other slots for additional accessories.
Ready to run in Type II or III PCMCIA-equipped notebook PCs running
Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, and XP, the Instant Wireless
®
Wireless
Network PC Card ver. 3.0 is truly a “must-have” for all notebook PC users.
• 11 Mbps High-Speed Data Transfer Rate
• Compatible with Virtually All Major Network Operating Systems
• Plug-and-Play Operation Provides Easy Setup
• Integrated Equalizer Recovers Weak Signals and Enhances Sensitivity
• Sturdy Metal Design with Integrated Antenna
• Works with All Standard Internet Applications
• Interoperable with 802.11b (DSSS) 2.4GHz-Compliant Equipment
• Clear Channel Assessment Increases Network Throughput
• Hardware Buffer Chaining Provides High Performance While Reading and
Writing Buffers
• Capable of up to 128-Bit WEP
• Free Technical Support—24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week, Toll-Free US
Calls
• 1-Year Limited Warranty
The Wireless Network PC Card
Features
2
Instant Wireless
®
Series
Chapter 2:Planning Your
Wireless Network
A wireless local area network (WLAN) is exactly like a regular local area net-
work (LAN), except that each computer in the WLAN uses a wireless device to
connect to the network. Computers in a WLAN share the same frequency
channel and SSID, which is an identification name for wireless devices.
Unlike wired networks, wireless networks have two different modes in which
they may be set up: infrastructure and ad-hoc. An infrastructure configura-
tion is a WLAN and wired LAN communicating to each other through an
access point. An ad-hoc configuration is wireless-equipped computers com-
municating directly with each other. Choosing between these two modes
depends on whether or not the wireless network needs to share data or periph-
erals with a wired network or not.
If the computers on the
wireless network need to
be accessed by a wired
network or need to share a
peripheral, such as a print-
er, with the wired network
computers, the wireless
network should be set up
in infrastructure mode.
(See Figure 2-1.) The
basis of infrastructure
mode centers around an
access point, which serves
as the main point of communications in a wireless network. Access points
transmit data to PCs equipped with wireless network cards, which can roam
within a certain radial range of the access point. Multiple access points can be
arranged to work in succession to extend the roaming range, and can be set up
to communicate with your Ethernet (wired) hardware as well.
Network Topology
Ad-Hoc versus Infrastructure Mode
Figure 2-1
1
