Wireless Networking Devices

We need to become familiar with certain devices in a wireless LAN environment. Those devices include wireless LAN adapter cards, wireless access points, wireless bridges, and wireless routers. By obtaining an appreciation for the general functionality of wireless LAN hardware devices, we can also obtain an appreciation for the manner by which wireless LAN networking can be accomplished.

Wireless LAN Network Adapters

A wireless LAN network adapter represents the hardware device that turns a notebook or desktop computer into a participant, or station, on a wireless LAN. The term “station” is commonly used to refer to a computer communicating via a wireless LAN network adapter. The wireless LAN network adapter
can be obtained in one of three basic form factors. First, the wireless LAN adapter can be obtained mounted on a PCI bus-based adapter card designed for insertion into the system unit of a desktop computer.