What is wireless network?

Wireless networks

Wired  networks are the best choice for connecting desktop computers and stationary devices (such as Xbox 360 and digital video recorders). But the Internet is even more fun to use when you’re not tied to one spot. Laptops, Tablet PCs, and many pocket PCs can connect to wireless networks, such as 802.11b and 802.11g, giving you the freedom to use the Internet in your living room, kitchen, backyard, or anywhere around your home.

While wired networks are reliable and relatively easy to set up, wireless networks can be more complex, for the easiest installation, use Windows XP with Service Pack 2 and a wireless access point that supports Windows Connect Now technology.

Note: Hardware vendors or manufactures) claim wired and wireless networks have particular bandwidth capacities. Deciphering this information can be confusing. In genera., higher is always better. When you’re comparing wireless bandwidth to wired bandwidth, divide what the vendor claims the bandwidth will be by 4. for example,802.11b wireless networks claims to have 11 megabits per second(Mbps) of bandwidth. Yet they typically achieve less than 3 Mbps, which might not be enough to take full advantage of your broadband Internet connection. If a wireless access point claims it is 54 Mbps, you can expect to get about 18 Mbps of throughput. Wall-plugged network extenders similarly exaggerate bandwidth. Wired networks that don’t use extenders get about two-thirds of their claimed bandwidth. The most common network, 100-Base-T, gets about 60 to 70 Mbps bandwidth.

You can choose from several different wireless technologies. If the following list seems overwhelming, don’t worry-just buy 802.11g networking equipment. The full list of wireless technologies includes:

*     802.11b. This is the oldest and most compatible wireless technology, and                      any wireless network device can connect to an 80.11b network. 802.11b is slow,          however, and you should use it only for browsing the web, sending instant messages, and reading e-mail.

  *     802.11g.    The best choice for new wireless networks, 802.11g works with any device that supports 802.11b, while offering five times the performance. 802.11g is fast enough to stream music and some video (but not high-definition video).

        *      802.11n.    A future standard that will replace 802.11g and 802.11b networks, while still supporting existing wireless computers. 802.11n can offer better range and performance than 802.11g, however, and are a good choice if the price is comparable to 802.11g equipment.

     *      Other 100+Mbps wireless technologies.    Most network vendors (or manufacturers) now offer custom wireless equipment that claims speeds higher than 100 Mbps. In the real world, performance is only slightly better than that provided by 802.11g and, in order to realize the benefit, you have to use wireless network adapters from the same vendor in each of the devices you’re connecting. These devices also support 802.11g equipment.

*       802.11a.     This is an outdated wireless technology that offers good performance but is compatible with only a few devices.

Wireless performance varies, depending on the size of your home, the types of walls you have, the type of wireless phones you have, and even the wireless networks that your neighbors may have.