Wireless Networking Overview; Infrastructure Mode; Ad Hoc Mode (Peer-To-Peer Workgroup - NETGEAR CG814W Reference Manual

Reference Manual for the Model CG814W Wireless Cable Modem Gateway

Wireless Networking Overview

The CG814W Gateway conforms 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. The 802.11b standard offers two methods for configuring
a wireless network - ad hoc and infrastructure.

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.
In the infrastructure mode, the wireless access point converts airwave data into wired Ethernet
data, acting as a bridge between the wired LAN and wireless clients. Connecting multiple Access
Points via a wired Ethernet backbone can further extend the wireless network coverage. As a
mobile computing device moves out of the range of one access point, it moves into the range of
another. As a result, wireless clients can freely roam from one Access Point domain to another and
still maintain seamless network connection.

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.
B-12 Networks, Routing, and Firewall Basics