WiFi system architecture

To understand the system architecture of WiFi, it is necessary to know how it works. This is how it functions:

• A transmitting antenna is linked to a DSL or high-speed land-based Internet connection to uses radio waves for beaming signals.
• Then another antenna, which is in the laptop or PC, catches the signal.
• This signal has a range of about 300 feet for most home connections. The farther the user is from the signal, the slower the connection speed would be.

WiFi users can choose from 3 types of standard wireless solutions. They are:

• IEEE 802.11b
• IEEE 802.11a
• IEEE 802.11g

The radios used in WiFi are not so different from the radios that are used in walkie-talkies. They can transmit and receive, they can convert 1s and 0s into radio waves and then back into 1s and 0s. However there are differences between them as well. WiFi radios for 802.11b and 802.11g transmit at 2.4 GHz and for 802.11a transmit at 5 GHz. On the other hand, normal walkie-talkies operate at 49 MHz. WiFi radios use much more efficient coding techniques that also contribute to the much higher data rates.

It is really simple to make a computer WiFi enabled. Many new laptops already come with a WiFi card that is built in. In many cases, there is no need to do anything to start using WiFi. And if it doesn't, it is still easy to add a WiFi card. Just buy an 802.11a, 802.11b or 802.11g network card. 802.11g have the advantage of higher speeds and good interoperability on 802.11b equipment. For a laptop, this card will normally be a PCMCIA card that can be slided into a PCMCIA slot on the laptop. Or a small external adapter and plug can be equally effective. It just needs to be it slided into a USB port.

Configuring WiFi is also easy. An 802.11 card will automatically connect with an 802.11 hotspot and a network connection will be established. In a new machine, as soon as it is turned on, it connects and the user can browse the Internet. For older machines, all that is required is going through 3 simple steps.