What You Need To Know - ZyXEL Communications P-870H Series User Manual

Chapter 7 Wireless LAN
• The WDS screen lets you set up a Wireless Distribution System, in which the
ZyXEL Device acts as a bridge with other ZyXEL access points
page 101).
• The Advanced Setup screen lets you change the wireless mode, and make
other advanced wireless configuration changes
You don't necessarily need to use all these screens to set up your wireless
connection. For example, you may just want to set up a network name, a wireless
radio channel and some security in the General screen.

7.2 What You Need to Know

Wireless Basics
"Wireless" is essentially radio communication. In the same way that walkie-talkie
radios send and receive information over the airwaves, wireless networking
devices exchange information with one another. A wireless networking device is
just like a radio that lets your computer exchange information with radios
attached to other computers. Like walkie-talkies, most wireless networking
devices operate at radio frequency bands that are open to the public and do not
require a license to use. However, wireless networking is different from that of
most traditional radio communications in that there a number of wireless
networking standards available with different methods of data encryption.
Wireless Network Construction
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.
Network Names
Each network must have a name, referred to as the SSID - "Service Set
IDentifier". The "service set" is the network, so the "service set identifier" is the
86
(Section 7.8 on
(Section 7.9 on page
P-870H/HW Series User's Guide
103).