Sony VAIO VGN-A700 - Manual (Page 57)

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Using Your VAIO Computer
Using Wireless LAN (WLAN)
Using the Sony Wireless LAN (WLAN), all your digital devices with built-in WLAN functionality communicate freely with each other
through a powerful network. A WLAN is a network in which a user can connect to a local area network (LAN) through a wireless
(radio) connection. So there is no need anymore to pull cables or wires through walls and ceilings.
Please note that the Wireless LAN functionality is equipped on selected models only.
The Sony WLAN supports all normal Ethernet activities, but with the added benefits of mobility and roaming. You can still access
information, internet/intranet and network resources, even in the middle of a meeting, or as you move from one place to another.
You can communicate without an Access Point, which means that you can communicate between a limited number of computers
(ad-hoc). Or you can communicate through an Access Point, which allows you to create a full infrastructure network
(infrastructure).
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WLAN uses the IEEE802.11b/g standard, which specifies the used technology. The standard includes the encryption method: Wired Equivalent Privacy
(WEP), which is a security protocol and WiFi Protected Access (WPA - Proposed jointly by the IEEE and Wi-Fi Alliance, WiFi Protected Access is a
specification of standards based, interoperable security enhancements that increase the level of data protection and access control for existing WiFi
networks. WPA has been designed to be forward compatible with the IEEE802.11i specification. It utilizes the enhanced data encryption TKIP (Temporal Key
Integrity Protocol) in addition to user authentication using 802.1X and EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol)). Data encryption protects the vulnerable
wireless link between clients and Access Points. Besides that, there are other typical LAN security mechanisms to ensure privacy, such as: password
protection, end-to-end encryption, virtual private networks, and authentication.
Wireless LAN devices using the IEEE802.11a standard and the ones using the IEEE802.11b or g standard cannot communicate because the frequencies are
different.
IEEE802.11b: The standard speed is 11 Mbps, or about 30 to 100 times faster than a standard dial up.
IEEE802.11a/g: The standard speed is 54 Mbps, or about 5 times faster than a Wireless LAN device using the IEEE802.11b standard.