What Is Wireless Local-Area Networking?
In the simplest of terms, a wireless local-area network (WLAN) does exactly what the name implies: it provides all the features and benefits of traditional LAN technologies such as Ethernet and Token Ring without the limitations of wires or cables. But to view a WLAN just in terms of the cables it does not have is to miss the point: WLANs redefine the way we view LANs. Connectivity no longer implies attachment. Local areas are measured not in feet or meters, but miles or kilometers. An infrastructure need not be buried in the ground or hidden behind the wallsan “infrastructure” can move and change at the speed of the organization. This technology has several immediate applications, including: Current vertical markets include: • Education • Finance • Health care • Hospitality and retail • Manufacturing and industrial WLANs use a transmission medium, just like wired LANs. Instead of using twisted-pair or fiber-optic cable, WLANs use either infrared light (IR) or radio frequencies (RF). O
