This book provides the following benefits to readers:
- Ability to select the most effective wireless LAN type from a wide assortment of recent and emerging standards.
- Independent assessment of competing wireless LAN technologies.
- More efficient design and operational support of wireless LANs because of an understanding of wireless LAN protocol operations and frame structures.
- Definition of typical requirements and technology assessment parameters, providing a basis for evaluating wireless LANs.
- Vision of the future of wireless LANs.
- Real-world experiences through case studies and implementation tips located throughout the book.
- Quick overview of the features, pros, and cons of each of the wireless LAN standards located at the beginning of each chapter.
Wireless LAN technology is rapidly becoming a crucial component of computer networks and is growing by leaps and bounds. Thanks to the finalization of the IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN standard, wireless technology has emerged from the world of proprietary implementations to become an open solution for providing mobility as well as essential network services where wireline installations proved impractical. The inclusion of the newer IEEE 802.11a and 802.11b versions of the standard offers a firm basis for high-performance wireless LANs. Now companies and organizations are investing in wireless networks at a higher rate to take advantage of mobile, real-time access to information.
Most wireless LAN suppliers now have 802.11-compliant products, allowing companies to realize wireless network applications based on open systems. The move toward 802.11 standardization is lowering prices and enabling multivendor wireless LANs to interoperate. This is making the implementation of wireless networks more feasible than before, creating vast business opportunities for system implementation companies and consultants. However, many enduser companies and system integrators have limited knowledge and experience in developing and implementing wireless network systems. In many cases, there is also confusion over the capability and effectiveness of the 802.11 standard.
The implementation of wireless networks is much different than that of traditional wired networks. In contrast to ethernet, a wireless LAN has a large number of setup parameters that affect the performance and interoperability of the network. An engineer designing the network and the person installing the network must understand these parameters and how they affect the network. This book is full of implementation steps and notes as a guide when implementing wireless networks, especially ones that are 802.11-compliant.
This book provides a practical overview of wireless network technologies, with emphasis on the IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN standard and implementation steps and recommendations.
