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Chapter 2
Wireless Networking Basics

Wireless Networking Overview

Some NETGEAR products conform to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11g standard for wireless LANs (WLANs). On an 802.11 wireless link, data is encoded using direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) technology and is transmitted in the unlicensed radio spectrum at 2.5 GHz. The maximum data rate for the 802.11g wireless link is 54 Mbps, but it will automatically back down from 54 Mbps when the radio signal is weak or when interference is detected.

The 802.11 standard is also called Wireless Ethernet or Wi-Fi by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA, see http://www.wi-fi.net), an industry standard group promoting interoperability among 802.11 devices. The 802.11 standard offers two methods for configuring a wireless network-ad hoc and infrastructure.