Chapter 2: Planning Your Wireless Network; Ad-Hoc And Infrastructure Modes; Wvc210 Wireless-G Ptz Internet Video Camera With 2-Way Audio Administration Guide - Cisco WVC200 - Wireless-G PTZ Internet Camera Administration Manual

Planning Your Wireless Network

Ad-Hoc and Infrastructure Modes

WVC210 Wireless-G PTZ Internet Video Camera With 2-Way Audio Administration Guide

Careful planning is required for a wireless network, to ensure that your users can
access the network resources that they need and to ensure that intruders are kept
out.
This chapter includes the following sections:
• Ad-Hoc and Infrastructure Modes, page 4
• Wireless Network Layout, page 5
• Security Threats Facing Wireless Networks, page 6
A wireless local area network (WLAN) is exactly like a regular local area network
(LAN), except that each computer in the WLAN uses a wireless device to connect
to the network. Computers and other devices, such as peripherals, 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.
• Infrastructure mode—The WLAN and wired LAN communicate through an
access point. Choose this mode if the wireless network needs to share data
or peripherals, such as printers, with a wired network.
The basis of infrastructure mode centers around an access point, which
serves as the main point of communications in a wireless network. (A
wireless router can also be used because a wireless router incorporates
the capabilities of an access point.) 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.
2
4