Wireless Networking; Wireless Network Configuration; Ad-Hoc Mode (Peer-To-Peer Workgroup; Infrastructure Mode - NETGEAR FR114P Reference Manual

Reference Manual for the Model FR114P, FR114W and FM114P Cable/DSL ProSafe Firewall Family

Wireless Networking

The FR114W Wireless-Ready Firewall and FM114P Wireless Firewall with Print Server conform
to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11b standard for wireless LANs
(WLANs). On an 802.11b wireless link, data is encoded using direct-sequence spread-spectrum
(DSSS) technology and is transmitted in the unlicensed radio spectrum at 2.5GHz. The maximum
data rate for the wireless link is 11 Mbps, but it will automatically back down from 11 Mbps to 5.5,
2, and 1 Mbps when the radio signal is weak or when interference is detected.
The 802.11b 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 802.11b devices.

Wireless Network Configuration

The 802.11b standard offers two methods for configuring a wireless network - ad hoc and
infrastructure.

Ad-hoc Mode (Peer-to-Peer Workgroup)

In an ad hoc network, computers are brought together as needed; thus, there is no structure or fixed
points to the network - each node can generally communicate with any other node. There is no
Access Point involved in this configuration. This mode enables you to quickly set up a small
wireless workgroup and allows workgroup members to exchange data or share printers as
supported by Microsoft Networking in the various Windows operating systems. Some vendors
also refer to ad hoc networking as Peer-to-Peer group networking.
In this configuration, network packets are directly sent and received by the intended transmitting
and receiving stations. As long as the stations are within range of one another, this is the easiest
and least expensive way to set up a wireless network.

Infrastructure Mode

With a wireless Access Point, you can operate the wireless LAN in the infrastructure mode. This
mode provides wireless connectivity to multiple wireless network devices within a fixed range or
area of coverage, interacting with wireless nodes via an antenna.
B-12 Networks, Routing, and Firewall Basics