D-Link DWL-3260AP [7/109] Wireless basics

Wireless Basics

D-Link wireless products are based on industry standards to provide easy-to-use and compatible

high-speed wireless connectivity within your home, business or public access wireless networks.

D-Link wireless products will allow you access to the data you want, when and where you want

it. You will be able to enjoy the freedom that wireless networking brings.

A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is a computer network that transmits and receives

data with radio signals instead of wires. WLANs are used increasingly in both home and ofce

environments, and public areas such as airports, coffee shops and universities. Innovative ways to

utilize WLAN technology are helping people to work and communicate more efciently. Increased

mobility and the absence of cabling and other xed infrastructure have proven to be benecial

for many users.

People use WLAN technology for many different purposes:

Mobility - Productivity increases when people have access to data in any location within the

operating range of the WLAN. Management decisions based on real-time information can

signicantly improve worker efciency.

Low Implementation Costs - WLANs are easy to set up, manage, change and relocate. Networks

that frequently change can benet from WLANs ease of implementation. WLANs can operate in

locations where installation of wiring may be impractical.

Installation and Network Expansion - Installing a WLAN system can be fast and easy and

can eliminate the need to pull cable through walls and ceilings. Wireless technology allows the

network to go where wires cannot go - even outside the home or ofce.

Inexpensive Solution - Wireless network devices are as competitively priced as conventional

Ethernet network devices. The DWL-3260AP saves money by providing multi-functionality,

congurable in one of four different modes.

Scalability - WLANs can be congured in a variety of ways to meet the needs of specic

applications and installations. Congurations are easily changed and range from Peer-to-Peer

networks suitable for a small number of users to larger Infrastructure networks to accommodate

hundreds or thousands of users, depending on the number of wireless devices deployed.

Wireless users can use the same applications they use on a wired network. Wireless adapter cards

used on laptop and desktop systems support the same protocols as Ethernet adapter cards.

Wireless Basics