CyberTAN Technology Inc. MM200 Benutzerhandbuch

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) systems offer a great number of advantages over traditional wired 
systems. WLANs are flexible and easy to setup and manage. They are also more economical than wired 
LAN systems. 

Using radio frequency (RF) technology, WLANs transmit and receive data through the air. WLANs com-
bine data connectivity with user mobility. For example, users can roam from a conference room to their 
office without being disconnected from the LAN. 

Using WLANs, users can conveniently access shared information, and network administrators can con-
figure and augment networks without installing or moving network cables. 

WLAN technology provides users with many convenient and cost saving features: 

x Mobility: WLANs provide LAN users with access to real-time information anywhere in their organi-

zation, providing service opportunities that are impossible with wired networks. 

x Ease of Installation: Installing is easy for novice and expert users alike, eliminating the need to 

install network cables in walls and ceilings.  

x Scalability: WLANs can be configured in a variety of topologies to adapt to specific applications 

and installations. Configurations are easily changed and range from peer-to-peer networks suitable 
for a small number of users to full infrastructure networks of thousands of users roaming over a 
broad area. 

Wireless LANs can be configured in one of two ways: 

Also known as a peer-to-peer network, an ad-hoc net-
work is one that allows all workstations and computers 
in the network to act as servers to all other users on the 
network. Users on the network can share files, print to 
a shared printer, and access the Internet with a shared 
modem. However, with ad-hoc networking, users can 
only communicate with other wireless LAN computers 
that are in the wireless LAN workgroup, and are within 
range.

Infrastructure networking differs from ad-hoc network-
ing in that it includes an access point. Unlike the ad-
hoc structure where users on the LAN contend the 
shared bandwidth, on an infrastructure network the 
access point can manage the bandwidth to maximize 
bandwidth utilization.  

Additionally, the access point enables users on a wire-
less LAN to access an existing wired network, allowing 
wireless users to take advantage of the wired networks 
resources, such as Internet, email, file transfer, and 
printer sharing.

Infrastructure networking has the following advantages 
over ad-hoc networking: 

x

Extended range: each wireless LAN computer 
within the range of the access point can commu-
nicate with other wireless LAN computers within 
range of the access point. 

x

Roaming: the access point enables a wireless 
LAN computer to move through a building and still 
be connected to the LAN. 

x

Wired to wireless LAN connectivity: the access 
point bridges the gap between wireless LANs and 
their wired counterparts.