Version 1.0, 11/2016. Copyright 2012 Hitron Technologies
82
Version 1.0, 11/2016. Copyright 2016 Hitron Technologies
82
Hitron CODA-4x8x User’s Guide
The wireless clients connect to the access point in order to receive a wireless
connection to the WAN and the wired LAN.
The CODA-4x8x is the access point, and the computers you connect to the CODA-
4x8x are the wireless clients.
5.1.3
Wireless Frequency Ranges and Channels
Communication on the wireless network between the client and the access point
takes place within specific ranges of the radio spectrum. The most common such
ranges are 2400MHz ~ 2500MHz, known as the 2.4GHz band, and 5725MHz ~
5875MHz, known as the 5GHz band.
These frequency ranges are themselves divided into multiple channels, in order to
allow multiple networks to operate in the same location or overlapping locations. In a
wireless network, the access point and its clients all communicate on the same radio
channel.
In the 2.4GHz band, there are fourteen channels, although not all are available in all
parts of the world; for instance, in North America only eleven are allowed. Each
channel is 20MHz wide (although many devices can improve bandwidth by
combining two channels into a single 40MHz channel) and each channel’s center
frequency is 5MHz greater than that of the previous channel. This means that
channels overlap, potentially creating signal interference between networks
competing in the same space. Therefore, selecting channels that are not used by
neighboring devices, and as far as possible do not overlap with the channels ued by
such devices, is important in order to minimize interference and maximize
performance. The situation in the 5GHz band is more complex, but the same
principles apply.