The MAC (Media Access Control) address is your computer's unique hardware number. (On an Ethernet LAN, it's the
same as your Ethernet address.) When you're connected to the Internet from your computer (or host as the Internet
protocol thinks of it), a correspondence table relates your IP address to your computer's physical (MAC) address on
the LAN.
To find your PC’s IP and MAC address,
Open the Command program in the Microsoft Windows.
Type in ipconfig /all then press the Enter button.
Your PC’s IP address is the one entitled IP Address and your PC’s MAC address is the one entitled Physical
Address.
What is Wireless LAN?
A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a network that allows access to Internet without the need for any wired connections to the
user’s machine.
What are ISM bands?
ISM stands for Industrial, Scientific and Medical; radio frequency bands that the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) authorized for wireless LANs. The ISM bands are located at 915 +/- 13 MHz, 2450 +/- 50 MHz and 5800 +/- 75
MHz.
How does wireless networking work?
The 802.11 standard define two modes: infrastructure mode and ad hoc mode. In infrastructure mode, the wireless
network consists of at least one access point connected to the wired network infrastructure and a set of wireless end
stations. This configuration is called a Basic Service Set (BSS). An Extended Service Set (ESS) is a set of two or
more BSSs forming a single subnetwork. Since most corporate WLANs require access to the wired LAN for services
(file servers, printers, Internet links) they will operate in infrastructure mode.
Example 1: wireless Infrastructure Mode
Ad hoc mode (also called peer-to-peer mode or an Independent Basic Service Set, or IBSS) is simply a set of 802.11
wireless stations that communicate directly with one another without using an access point or any connection to a
wired network. This mode is useful for quickly and easily setting up a wireless network anywhere that a wireless
infrastructure does not exist or is not required for services, such as a hotel room, convention center, or airport, or
where access to the wired network is barred (such as for consultants at a client site).
