Apple designing airport networks User Manual

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Getting Started
 
AirPort offers the easiest way to provide wireless Internet 
access and networking anywhere in the home, classroom, 
or office. 
 
Instead of using cables to create a network, AirPort uses wireless local area network 
(WLAN) technology to provide wireless communication between computers. Through a 
wireless network you can access the Internet, share files, play multiplayer games, and 
more. If you have an AirPort Express and use AirPort 4.0 or later, you can play iTunes 
music through remote speakers using AirTunes.
 
Note:  
 
This document contains information about AirPort and detailed information 
about designing AirPort networks using AirPort Extreme. If you are using AirPort 
Express, you can find general information in Chapter 5, “Using AirPort Express,” on 
page 65.
 See the documentation that came with your AirPort Express for more detailed 
information about the different ways to set up your AirPort Express network.
Using AirPort technology, you can:
 
 
Create a wireless network in your home or school using an AirPort Extreme Base 
Station or AirPort Express, then connect to the Internet and share the connection 
among several computers simultaneously. An entire family or classroom can be on 
the Internet at the same time.
 
 
Set up a wireless connection to your standard computer network. AirPort-equipped 
computers can access the entire network without being connected with a cable.
 
 
Connect multiple computers in a wireless “Computer-to-Computer” network so that 
you can share files or play network games. 
You can set up an AirPort Extreme Base Station or AirPort Express and connect to the 
Internet without wires in minutes. But since they are flexible and powerful networking 
devices, you can also create an AirPort network that does much more. If you want to 
design an AirPort network that provides Internet access to non-AirPort computers via 
Ethernet, or take advantage of some of the base station’s more advanced features, use 
this document to design and implement your network.
 
LL0214.book  Page 5  Monday, October 25, 2004  4:06 PM