HP Jetdirect 280m HP Jetdirect 280m 802.11b Wireless Internal Print Server LIO - Page 17

Wireless LANs

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Network Basics NETWORKS Wireless LANs In a wireless LAN, information travels through the air in radiofrequency signals instead of through wires. This makes wireless LANs very flexible, and setup and reconfiguration are very easy. Communication speeds on wireless LANs, however, tend to be slower than on wired LANs, and it generally takes more work to make a wireless LAN as secure as a wired LAN. Most wireless LANs conform to one of the subsets of the IEEE 802.11 standard; the most common subset is currently 802.11b. Data rates for 802.11b LANs can be as high as 11 Mbps (megabits per second). Typically a wireless device in an 802.11b LAN can transmit signals across a distance of about 30 meters (100 feet) in a semi-open office (no walls) and still maintain a data rate of 11 Mbps. It is possible to extend the range to about 100 meters (300 feet), but at such a file:///C|/Bottlecap_Structure_26--TestMerge/DOCS/EN/NETBASIC/FNW0034.HTM (1 of 2) [5/20/2003 3:40:22 PM]

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Network Basics
NETWORKS
Wireless LANs
In a wireless LAN,
information travels
through the air in radio-
frequency signals instead
of through wires. This
makes wireless LANs very
flexible, and setup and
reconfiguration are very
easy. Communication
speeds on wireless LANs,
however, tend to be
slower than on wired
LANs, and it generally
takes more work to make
a wireless LAN as secure
as a wired LAN.
Most wireless LANs
conform to one of the
subsets of the IEEE
802.11 standard; the most
common subset is
currently 802.11b. Data
rates for 802.11b LANs
can be as high as 11 Mbps
(megabits per second).
Typically a wireless device
in an 802.11b LAN can
transmit signals across a
distance of about 30
meters (100 feet) in a
semi-open office (no
walls) and still maintain a
data rate of 11 Mbps. It is
possible to extend the
range to about 100 meters
(300 feet), but at such a
file:///C|/Bottlecap_Structure_26--TestMerge/DOCS/EN/NETBASIC/FNW0034.HTM (1 of 2) [5/20/2003 3:40:22 PM]