D-Link DWL-G650M Product Manual - Page 6

DWL-G650M User's Manual 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 office 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 efficiently. Increased mobility and the absence of cabling and other fixed infrastructure have proven to be beneficial to many users. 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. 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 significantly improve worker efficiency. Low Implementation Costs - WLANs are easy to set up, manage, change and relocate. Networks that frequently change can benefit 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 office. Inexpensive Solution - Wireless network devices are as competitively priced as conventional Ethernet network devices. Scalability - WLANs can be configured in a variety of ways to meet the needs of specific applications and installations. Configurations are easily changed and range from Peerto-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. D-Link Systems, Inc. 6