Ad-Hoc Versus Infrastructure Mode - Linksys Instant Wireless Series 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 accessible 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 the Infrastructure mode.
The basis of Infrastructure mode centers around an access point, which serves
as the main point of communications in a wireless network (see Figure 3-1).
Access points transmit data to PCs equipped with wireless network card, 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 hardware as well.
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Instant Wireless
Figure 3-1
Series Wireless Ethernet Bridge
TM
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. Ad-Hoc mode
allows computers equipped with
wireless transmitters and receivers to
communicate directly with each
other, eliminating the need for an
access point. The drawback of this
mode is that in Ad-Hoc mode, wire-
less-equipped computers are not able
to communicate with computers on a
wired network. And, of course, com-
munication between the wireless-equipped computers is limited by the distance and
interference directly between them.
Figure 3-2 shows a typical scenario of four Wireless Ethernet Bridges in ad-hoc
mode. Figure 3-3 shows a typical wireless bridging scenario using two Wireless
Ethernet Bridges. Each wireless network is connected to a Wireless Ethernet
Bridge through a switch. A separate notebook computer is equipped with a
wireless PC card and can communicate with both wireless networks as long as
it has the same SSID and channel as both wireless networks.
Figure 3-2
Figure 3-3
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