Wireless Data Networks


Chapter 1

[1]  Overview
[2]  How Wireless LAN's Work
[3]  Wireless LANs & Other Wireless Technologies
[4]  Applications for Wireless LANs
[5]  Benefits of Wireless LANs
[6]  Wireless LAN Specifications and Considerations
[7]  Wireless LAN Configuration
[8]  Wireless ATM
[9]  Key Issues

Overview

A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a flexible data communication system implemented as an extension to, or as an alternative for, a wired LAN within a building or campus. Using radio frequency (RF) technology, WLANs transmit and receive data over the air, minimising the need for wired connections. Thus, WLANs combine data connectivity with user mobility, and, through simplified configuration, enable movable LANs.

Over the last few years, WLANs have gained strong popularity in a number of vertical markets, including the health-care, retail, manufacturing, warehousing, and academic arenas. These industries have profited from the productivity gains of using hand-held terminals and notebook computers to transmit real-time information to centralised hosts for processing. Today WLANs are becoming more widely recognised as a general-purpose connectivity alternative for a broad range of business customers. Market research predicts a sixfold expansion of the wireless LAN market by the year 2000, reaching more than �1 billion in revenues.