Wireless LAN or WLAN is a very popular option for building a network in home, office, and for accessing the internet. The increased demand of the mobility, flexibility and the scalability are the key factors in the development of the WLAN. Wireless networking and the wireless LAN technologies provide the multiple benefits to the network users and the organizations such as reduced setup cost, cable free network infrastructure, easy deployment, mobility and the easy management.
The major use of the Wireless LAN technologies is to provide the secure and high speed voice, data and video communications by using various applications and devices. In the WLAN communication is made through the high speed radio waves without the use of cluttered wires. The wireless LAN communicationis based on the following communication standards.
1. IEEE 802.11.
a. 802.11a
b. 802.11b
c. 802.11g
2. HiperLAN/2.
3. Bluetooth.
4. HomeRF
5. Infrared
a. 802.11a
b. 802.11b
c. 802.11g
2. HiperLAN/2.
3. Bluetooth.
4. HomeRF
5. Infrared
Wide Industry support, the operating system support, easy installation and the flexibility has made the WLAN a popular choice of the business and home users. There are different vendors that are manufacturing the various WLAN products. The major vendors include Cisco, Lucent, Motorola, 3Com, Apple, D-Link and Nortel etc.
There are the many standards in the WLAN and the most popular standard are Wi-Fi and HomeRF.
Advantages of WLAN
WLAN provides numerous benefits to the home and corporate users. Some of the key benefits include the following.
- WLAN technologies can be used to create temporary network for a specific period of time.
- It provides the access to the internet at the public places.
- WLAN can be a part of an existing network and it can connect two physically different networks (in two separate buildings) be establishing a wireless link.
- WLAN technology is a perfect solution for the places where wired network is not possible.
- It provides the mobility, scalability, flexibility and the ease of management.
- WLAN can coexist with the wired Ethernet networks.
- Wireless networking is supported by different wireless standards like 802.11, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11n and the 802.11g is the most popular WLAN standard.
- WLAN provides the more productivity, expandability, convenience and the easy deployment at very low cost.