Confused about wireless

[MrDudeMan]

Normally, you run a cable from each computer to the router, and from the WAN on the router to the cable modem.

How does wireless work? just cable from wireless router to cable modem and wireless from each computer to the router? What is a WAP for?

lmk if i am correct.

mrDudeman

 

[cipher00]

Usually it's cable -> cable modem -> wireless router (which also usually has wired ports, too). The wireless router then connects to the target machines using a wireless NIC.

As for WAP, do you mean wireless access point (which, in a simple setup like the one above, you don't need since the wireless router essentially serves that purpose) or do you mean WEP, which is a security/encryption protocol?

 

[JackMDS]

Here is a Wireless primer:

Wireless LAN consists on two main components.

1. Access Point (A/P).

Access Point is the Main Transmitter/Receiver that mediates between your LAN, and the Wireless computers, to the rest of the Network. It is connected to a regular RJ-45 port on LAN's Hub/Switch, or Router. It usually supports an excess of 100 clients.

2 . Wireless Client Card.

Wireless Client Card is the LAN card that you should install on each one your network computers, that you want to be Wireless.

Most Client cards are PCMCIA, which work very well with Laptops.
For Desktop, it is usually better to use USB Wireless Card. Most PCI Wireless Cards with fixed antenna (stuck behind the PC) yield inferior results versus the Flexible Antenna on a USB card.

Conventional Wisdom* claims that the Orinoco Gold (About $90) is the best Wireless Client Card (has PCMCIA, and USB versions).

This link:
ORiNOCO PC Card - Gold.

Access Points Compared

If you don't have Cable/DSL Router, you can buy a Wireless Cable/DSL Router, which is a Combo unit that includes Router to share the Internet, Switch for Wired Network and A/P for Wireless clients (plus more goodies).

The SMC Wireless Barricade is considered one of the favorites.

Wireless Routers Compared



When it comes to Wireless your mileage may vary, there are too many environmental variables that are unique to each individual setting.