| 802.11b Wireless
Communications Standard
Developed in 1999 by a committee assembled
by the IEEE, the 802.11b standard is one standard in
a family of standards meant to be used in local and metropolitan
area networks. 802.11b in particular specifies the wireless
local area network (LAN) media access control and physical
layer standards.
To the typical user the 802.11b standard
introduced a painless method of extending existing LANs
without
the hassle of running cables and hard to configure servers
and other hardware. In most applications adding a wireless
access point (WAP) involves little more than connecting
the hardware to an existing LAN and following a the installation
wizard software provided with the WAP.
Connecting a wireless
device to the WAP is essentially as easy as, if not easier
than, installing a WAP. Devices
equipped with 802.11b support are usually provided with
easy to use software that configures them to connect
to the WAP.
The 802.11b standard has introduced the capability
to provide portable devices with connectivity to existing
LANs. Devices such as personal digital assistants (PDA),
printers and even dumb terminals can now connect to the
LAN from anywhere within the area covered by the WAP.
Pros
• Fast
data transfer
• Cable-less installation
• Compatibility with existing LAN standards
Cons
• Some
configuration is required
• If not configured correctly, security concerns
exist
• Range can vary depending upon the usage
environment |
Star
Printers Equipped with IEEE 802.11b Wireless Communications:
TSP700 -
available today!
SP500*, TSP800* and TUP900*
*Available Q3, 2005 |
