Netgear WGU624 Guide D’Exploitation

Wireless Networking Basics

D-1

This chapter provides an overview of Wireless networking.

The WGU624 wireless router conforms to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 
(IEEE) 802.11 standard for wireless LANs (WLANs) and a product update will bring the 
WGU624 into conformance to the 802.11g standard when it is ratified. On an 802.11b or g 
wireless link, data is encoded using direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) technology and is 
transmitted in the unlicensed radio spectrum at 2.5GHz. The maximum data rate for the wireless 
link is 11 Mbps, but it will automatically back down from 11 Mbps to 5.5, 2, and 1 Mbps when the 
radio signal is weak or when interference is detected. The 802.11g auto rate sensing rates are 1, 2, 
5.5, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps.

The 802.11 standard is also called Wireless Ethernet or Wi-Fi by the Wireless Ethernet 
Compatibility Alliance (WECA, see 

), an industry standard group promoting 

interoperability among 802.11 devices. The 802.11 standard offers two methods for configuring a 
wireless network — ad hoc and infrastructure.

With a wireless Access Point, you can operate the wireless LAN in the infrastructure mode. This 
mode provides wireless connectivity to multiple wireless network devices within a fixed range or 
area of coverage, interacting with wireless nodes via an antenna.