ZyXEL Communications VSG1432-B101 Series User Manual

Page of 408
Chapter 7 Wireless
VSG1432-B101 Series User’s Guide
112
• A wireless client is a radio connected to a user’s computer. 
• An access point is a radio with a wired connection to a network, which can 
connect with numerous wireless clients and let them access the network. 
• A bridge is a radio that relays communications between access points and 
wireless clients, extending a network’s range. 
Traditionally, a wireless network operates in one of two ways.
• An “infrastructure” type of network has one or more access points and one or 
more wireless clients. The wireless clients connect to the access points.
• An “ad-hoc” type of network is one in which there is no access point. Wireless 
clients connect to one another in order to exchange information.
The following figure provides an example of a wireless network.
Figure 36   Example of a Wireless Network
The wireless network is the part in the blue circle. In this wireless network, 
devices A and B use the access point (AP) to interact with the other devices (such 
as the printer) or with the Internet. Your ZyXEL Device is the AP.
Every wireless network must follow these basic guidelines.
• Every device in the same wireless network must use the same SSID.
The SSID is the name of the wireless network. It stands for Service Set 
IDentifier.