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Theory of operations, Wireless coverage – Brocade Mobility 7131 Access Point Product Reference Guide (Supporting software release 4.4.0.0 and later) User Manual

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Brocade Mobility 7131 Access Point Product Reference Guide

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Theory of Operations

To understand Mobility 7131 Access Pointaccess point management and performance
alternatives, users need familiarity with Mobility 7131 Access Point Mobility 7131 Access Point
functionality and configuration options. The Mobility 7131 Access Pointaccess point includes
features for different interface connections and network management.

The Mobility 7131 Access Point access point uses electromagnetic waves to transmit and receive
electric signals without wires. Users communicate with the network by establishing radio links
between mobile units (MUs) and access points.

The access point Mobility 7131 Access Point uses DSSS (direct sequence spread spectrum) to
transmit digital data from one device to another. A radio signal begins with a carrier signal that
provides the base or center frequency. The digital data signal is encoded onto carriers using a
DSSS chipping algorithm. The Mobility 7131 Access Point radio signal propagates into the air as
electromagnetic waves. A receiving antenna (on the MU) in the path of the waves absorbs the
waves as electrical signals. The receiving MU interprets (demodulates) the signal by reapplying the
direct sequence chipping code. This demodulation results in the original digital data.

The access point Mobility 7131 Access Point uses its environment (the air and certain objects) as
the transmission medium.The Mobility 7131 Access Point Mobility 7131 Access Point access point
can either transmit in the 2.4 to 2.5-GHz frequency range (802.11b/g/n radio) or the
5 GHz frequency range (802.11a/n radio), the actual range is country-dependent. Brocade
devices, like other Ethernet devices, have unique, hardware encoded Media Access Control (MAC)
or IEEE addresses. MAC addresses determine the device sending or receiving data. A MAC address
is a 48-bit number written as six hexadecimal bytes separated by colons. For example:
00:A0:F8:24:9A:C8
Also see the following:

Wireless Coverage

MAC Layer Bridging

Content Filtering

DHCP Support

Media Types

Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum

MU Association Process

Operating Modes

Management Access Options

MAC Address Assignment

Wireless Coverage

An access point Mobility 7131 Access Point establishes an average communication range with MUs
called a Basic Service Set (BSS) or cell. When in a particular cell, the MU associates and
communicates with the Mobility 7131 Access Pointaccess point supporting the radio coverage area
of that cell. Adding Mobility 7131 Access Pointaccess points to a single LAN establishes more cells
to extend the range of the network. Configuring the same ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier)
on all access pointMobility 7131 Access Points makes them part of the same Wireless LAN.