Archive for the ‘Wireless Local Area Networks’ Category
Tracking Data through the OSI System Model
Friday, August 29, 2008 7:23 No CommentsUnderstanding how data moves across an internetwork is a very important component of being a network engineer.You need a comprehensive grasp of the technologies and the standards they support, and you also need to know how those technologies and standards relate to the actual network.The OSI system model bridges that gap for you. Knowing the [...]
Understanding How Wireless Fits into the OSI System Model
Friday, August 29, 2008 7:21 No CommentsWireless technology, as a networking component, is guided by the same standards processes and organizations defined for all other networking components in the industry. Although working in the networking industry can be difficult at best, there are many components to a network that can either make or break the system. In order to help standardize [...]
CSMA/CD versus Deterministic Access
Thursday, August 28, 2008 6:21 No CommentsIn LANs, there are two predominant methods of controlling access to the physical medium: Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CMSA/CD) and deterministic access. CSMA/CD is the access method for Ethernet. CSMA/CD is best described as the same set of rules you would follow in a meeting. In a meeting, everyone in the room [...]
Defining Topologies
Thursday, August 28, 2008 6:17 No CommentsWithin the definition of a network, points or nodes are connected by communication paths.These paths may vary significantly depending on the paths implemented. We cover four primary topologies: bus, star, ring, and mesh. Each topology has strengths and weaknesses, as well as different associated costs. A good network design will take each topology into consideration [...]
Reviewing Networking Basics
Thursday, August 28, 2008 6:11 No CommentsBefore we delve into the topic of WLANs, we need to cover networking in general. A network is defined as a series of points or nodes interconnected by communication paths.The points or nodes may be devices dedicated to a single function, such as a PC dedicated to client applications, or a router dedicated to interconnecting [...]
Wireless Local Area Networks
Thursday, August 28, 2008 6:10 No CommentsWireless local area networks (WLANs) can be employed to provide network connectivity almost anywhere. Consider the cost savings from not having to run network cable to every possible location that could have a computer or network device connected to it. Consider the convenience of a wireless-enabled conference room. Imagine the increase in accuracy of a [...]