Ad-Hoc Versus Infrastructure Mode; Chapter 3: Installing The Wireless Compactflash Card; Before You Start; Configuration Utility With Driver Installation - Linksys WCF12 User Manual

Ad-Hoc versus Infrastructure Mode

Unlike wired networks, wireless networks have two different modes in which
they may be set up: Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc. Choosing between these two
modes depends on whether or not the wireless network needs to share data or
peripherals with a wired network or not.
If the computers on the wireless network need to be accessed by a wired net-
work or need to share a peripheral, such as a printer, 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 suc-
cession to extend the
roaming range, and can be
set up to communicate
with your Ethernet hard-
ware as well.
If the wireless network is relatively small and needs to share resources only
with the other computers on the wireless network, then the Ad-Hoc mode can
be used. (See Figure 2-2.) Ad-Hoc mode allows computers equipped with wire-
less transmitters and receivers to communicate directly with each other, elimi-
nating the need for an access point. The drawback of this mode is that, in Ad-
Hoc mode, wireless-equipped computers are not able to communicate with
Figure 2-2
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Instant Wireless Series
TM
Figure 2-1
computers on a
wired network.
And, of course,
c o m m u n i c a t i o n
between the wire-
l e s s - e q u i p p e d
computers is limit-
ed by the distance
and interference
directly between
them.
Wireless CompactFlash Card
Chapter 3: Installing the
Wireless CompactFlash Card

Before You Start

The Wireless CompactFlash Card comes with an automated software installa-
tion procedure that interacts with the Windows operating system on your PC
and the Windows CE operating systems on your PDA. This procedure auto-
matically installs the Configuration Utility with the driver. After installing the
software, you will install the hardware on your PDA.
Note: Do NOT insert the Wireless CompactFlash Card into the PDA.
You must install the Configuration Utility with driver first.

Configuration Utility with Driver Installation

1. Connect your PDA to your PC. Make sure you have the Microsoft
ActiveSync Utility installed on your PC. Insert the Setup CD-ROM into
your PC's CD-ROM drive. Unless you have deactivated the auto-run feature
of Windows, the screen in Figure 3-1 should appear automatically.
Figure 3-1
If this screen does not appear automatically, you can access it by clicking
the Start button and choosing Run. In the drop-down box provided, type
d:\setup.exe (if "d" is the letter of your CD-ROM drive). Alternately, dou-
ble-click My Computer, and then double-click the CD-ROM drive where
the Setup CD is located. Double-click the Setup.exe icon that appears.
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