ZyXEL Communications P-660W-T1 v2, User Manual

Page: 76 / 244

Chapter 6 Wireless LAN
P-660W-Tx v2 User’s Guide
76
6.6 Wireless LAN Technical Reference
This section provides some technical background information about the topics covered in this
chapter.
6.6.1 Wireless Network Overview
Wireless networks consist of wireless clients, access points, and bridges.
• A wireless client is a radio connected to a user’s computer.
• An access point is a radio with a wired connection to a network, which can connect with
numerous wireless clients and let them access the network.
• A bridge is a radio that relays communications between access points and wireless clients,
extending a network’s range.
Traditionally, a wireless network operates in one of two ways.
• An “infrastructure” type of network has one or more access points and one or more
wireless clients. The wireless clients connect to the access points.
• An “ad-hoc” type of network is one in which there is no access point. Wireless clients
connect to one another in order to exchange information.
The following figure provides an example of a wireless network.
Figure 29 Example of a Wireless Network
The wireless network is the part in the blue circle. In this wireless network, devices A and B
are called wireless clients.The wireless clients use the access point (AP) to interact with other
devices (such as the printer) or with the Internet. Your ZyXEL Device is the AP.
Every wireless network must follow these basic guidelines.
• Every wireless client in the same wireless network must use the same SSID.