ZyXEL Communications MAX-200M1 Series, User Manual

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ZyXEL MAX-200M1 Series User’s Guide
Chapter 7 WAN Setup 71
C
H A P T E R
7
WAN Setup
This chapter describes how to configure WAN settings.
7.1 WAN Overview
A WAN (Wide Area Network) is an outside connection to another network or the Internet.
Your ZyXEL Device uses the IEEE 802.16e WiMAX standard to connect wirelessly to a
WiMAX base station (see
Section 1.1 on page 29 ).
7.2 WiMAX
WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is the IEEE 802.16 wireless
networking standard, which provides high-bandwidth, wide-range wireless service across
wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs). ZyXEL is a member of the WiMAX Forum,
the industry group dedicated to promoting and certifying interoperability of wireless
broadband products.
In a wireless MAN, a wireless-equipped computer is known either as a mobile station (MS) or
a subscriber station (SS). Mobile stations use the IEEE 802.16e standard and are able to
maintain connectivity while switching their connection from one base station to another base
station (handover) while subscriber stations use other standards that do not have this capability
(IEEE 802.16-2004, for example). The following figure shows an MS-equipped notebook
computer
MS1 moving from base station BS1 ’s coverage area and connecting to BS2 .
Figure 37 WiMax: Mobile Station
WiMAX technology uses radio signals (around 2 to 10 GHz) to connect subscriber stations
and mobile stations to local base stations. Numerous subscriber stations and mobile stations
connect to the network through a single base station (BS), as in the following figure.