LevelOne WNC-0305USB - Manual (Page 21)

Appendix B
About Wireless LANs
This Appendix provides some background information about using
Wireless LAN (WLAN).
Modes
Wireless LANs can work in either of two (2) modes:
• Ad-hoc
• Infrastructure
Ad-hoc Mode
Ad-hoc mode does not require an Access Point or a wired (Ethernet) LAN. Wire-
less Stations (e.g. notebook PCs with wireless cards) communicate directly with
each other.
Infrastructure Mode
In Infrastructure Mode, one or more Access Points are used to connect Wireless
Stations (e.g. Notebook PCs with wireless cards) to a wired (Ethernet) LAN. The
Wireless Stations can then access all LAN resources.
Access Points can only function in "Infrastructure" mode,
and can communicate only with Wireless Stations which are
set to "Infrastructure" mode.
BSS/ESS
BSS
A group of Wireless Stations and a single Access Point, all using the same ID (SSID),
form a Basic Service Set (BSS).
Using the same SSID is essential. Devices with different SSIDs are unable to com-
municate with each other.
ESS
A group of Wireless Stations, and multiple Access Points, all using the same ID
(ESSID), form an Extended Service Set (ESS).