6
ZoomAir Wireless LAN Owner’s Manual
vendor. The ZoomAir Wireless LAN Card adheres to the IEEE
802.11 DSSS specification to ensure interoperability with other
802.11 DSSS wireless LAN systems.
Why Wireless?
With a wireless LAN product like ZoomAir, you no longer have to
choose between the inconvenience and expense of running wires
and the expense of older, nonstandard wireless devices. Also, if
users in your home or office have laptop computers, a wireless
LAN preserves the mobility that laptops are supposed to provide.
Wireless technology offers a level of flexibility unobtainable with
wired LANs. Computers can be added to the system without addi-
tional wiring. Computers can be moved from room to room with-
out changing the wiring. Laptop users can move through an office
and be instantly connected to the company LAN (wired or wire-
less) without looking for a network jack.
A wireless LAN may connect all computers to each other, or it
may be set up to use one of the computers as a “hub” for better
control of the network.
The first arrangement is called an ad-hoc, or peer-to-peer, net-
work. It is ideal for home use and for small offices. In this Manual,
such an arrangement will be called an ad-hoc network.
The second arrangement is called an infrastructure, or access
point, network. All computers on the network communicate
through an Access Point. The ZoomAir Access Point should be
installed on the computer that is connected to the wired LAN.
The ZoomAir Access Point Software is ideal for integrating a
wireless LAN with an existing wired LAN. With one or more Ac-
cess Points on a wired LAN, mobile units (typically laptop com-
puters) can “roam” throughout the LAN and remain connected to
it.
The Access Point Software can also be used to create an infra-
structure wireless-only LAN for better access control and security
and to extend the range of the LAN.