Understanding A Wireless LAN DiagramInstalling and Configuring WLAN (or Wireless Local Area Network) In order to make good use of the instructions provided below, one has to make sure if he is trying to extend one's wired home network with a WLAN or build a completely new network. Also consider the number of wireless computers that you plan to have in the network and where to place these computers; the operating systems that you will be using with all these computers and whether you are planning to share an internet connection among these computers or also planning to play network games and transfer data on the network. This should give a rough idea of a wireless LAN diagram. Installing a Wireless Router One wireless router supports only one WLAN. You should use a wireless router on your network if you are planning to build a network among several computers. The wireless router should be installed in a place at the centre of all the terminal computers. The wireless LAN diagram should be like this because in a Wi-Fi network, the terminal computers closer to the wireless router have a better network speed than the ones quite far away. Therefore, you should try to place the wireless router at the centre of the terminal computers. Also, you should connect the wireless router to a power outlet and perhaps even to an internet connection. All wireless routers support broadband modems and some even support phone line connections for dial-up internet connections. If you have a dial-up connection, you should buy an RS-232 serial port. Wireless routers also contain built-in access points. You have to choose a network name which is called the SSID in Wi-Fi networks. The router and the computers on the WLAN must also share the same SSID. Even if the router has a different name assigned by the manufacturer, you should change it to SSID for better security. You can find out the network name of the particular wireless router from the leaflets provided by the manufacturer or any help CD and you can accordingly follow the instructions for setting up an SSID. You should follow the router instructions (provided either in a hard copy or in a soft copy) to enable WEP security, turn on the firewall and ser other recommended security checks. Installing a Wireless Access Point (WAP) You should use a wireless access point in one's network if you don't require the extra features provided by wireless routers and if you are extending an existing wired Ethernet network or have plan to have four or more terminal computers scattered throughout the area. This is one wireless LAN diagram. You should install the access point where it is approximately at the centre of the terminal computers. You should then connect it to a power source and perhaps even to an internet connection. Then you should cable the access point to the LAN router, hub or switch. There will not be a firewall which needs to be configured, but you must still have a network name and enable WEP on the access point. This is an approximate wireless LAN diagram. |