Lesson 11. Wireless Networking
| Reference Files | AirPort Extreme Technical Specifications (L25437C-US_AirprtDS625.pdf) Chapter Test 11 (Chapter_Test_11.pdf) |
| Time | This lesson takes approximately 3 hours to complete. |
| Goals | Describe basic features and functions of 802.11 wireless networking
Describe the AirPort, AirPort Express, and AirPort Extreme product lines Install AirPort cards Configure AirPort base stations Configure the AirPort security features Identify and manage sources of interference for wireless networks Connect to an AirPort network using Internet Connect Set up a computer-to-computer network Use the AirPort Admin Utility to manage base stations Plan and set up a wireless bridge and wireless printer sharing Configure multicast rate, interference robustness, transmitter power, and private IP address ranges |
In the “old” days—and you know how recently that was—computers used to share information only through wired networks. Of course, it was only a matter of time before we got wireless networks, which transfer data between computers using radio frequency waves, similar to how a cordless telephone works.
First, let's define some terms. Throughout this chapter we'll use the term client to refer to a computer that is connecting to a wireless network. Examples of wireless clients are Macintosh desktop and portable models that are configured with AirPort or AirPort Extreme cards and appropriate AirPort software. We'll use the term base station to refer to any wireless network hardware that creates a wireless network and connects this wireless network to a wired Ethernet network. Base stations are also sometimes referred to as access points.
Wireless networking has some advantages over wired networks:
Installation is fast and easy.
Radio waves can go places wires cannot.
Adding new users or extending its range is easy.
But wireless also has some disadvantages:
It's slower than 100Base-T Ethernet networks.
It has a limit of ten simultaneously connected clients with the original AirPort Base Station (Graphite) and the AirPort Express, and a maximum of 50 clients with all other models.
Because you are broadcasting your data through the air, security is easier to compromise than on a wired network.
Wireless networking is no more complicated than wired networking, and it accomplishes the same thing as wired networking; it just transmits information over another medium. When you surf the Web, you are communicating via TCP/IP, whether you use Ethernet cables or radio waves.
Wireless technology in current Macintosh models comes primarily in two forms: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11), which Apple calls AirPort. In this lesson, you'll learn to support and troubleshoot wireless networks built with Apple AirPort products as well as the technical underpinnings of wireless networking. But first we'll introduce you to the overall wireless technologies and standards.