Linksys WAP55AG User Guide - Page 7

Dual-Band Wireless A + G Access Point Chapter 1: Introduction Welcome Thank you for choosing the Dual-Band Wireless A + G Access Point. This Access Point will allow you to network network: a series of computers or devices wirelessly better than ever. connected together How does the Access Point do all of this? An access point allows for greater range and mobility within your wireless network while also allowing you to connect the wireless network to a wired environment. Being a dualband access point, not only does the Access Point bring you these benefits, it also allows three wireless standards, 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g, to communicate with each other. This means that PCs with different wireless standards can communicate with each other and with a wired network. But what does all of this mean? 802.11a: an IEEE wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54Mbps and an operating frequency of 5GHz. 802.11b: a wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 11Mbps and an operating frequency of 2.4GHz. Networks are useful tools for sharing computer resources. You can access one printer from different computers and access data located on another computer's hard drive. Networks are even used for playing multiplayer video games. So, networks are not only useful in homes and offices, they can also be fun. PCs on a wired network create a LAN, or Local Area Network. They are connected with Ethernet cables, which is why the network is called "wired". PCs equipped with wireless cards and adapters can communicate without cumbersome cables. By sharing the same wireless settings, within their transmission radius, they form a wireless network. This is sometimes called a WLAN, or Wired Local Area Network. The Access Point bridges wireless networks of both 802.11g and 802.11b standards and wired networks. 802.11g: a wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54Mbps, an operating frequency of 2.4GHz, and backward compatibility with 802.11b devices. ethernet: network protocol that specifies how data is placed on and retrieved from a common transmission medium lan (local area network): the computers and networking products that make up your local network adapter: a device that adds network functionality to your PC Use the instructions in this Guide to help you connect the Access Point, set it up, and configure it to bridge your different networks. These instructions should be all you need to get the most out of the Access Point. Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Welcome