ABSTRACT
The objective of this chapter is to examine how to set up a wireless LAN. We focus on three key items: hardware, software, and equipment location. Because you can set up two types of wireless LANs — ad hoc and infrastructure — we examine each separately. As most home and office users of wireless LANs more than likely use an infrastructure topology based on the use of an access point, the primary focus in this chapter is on the latter. However, because the use of an ad hoc network under certain circumstances permits you to share Internet access without the need for an access point, we note that, to paraphrase Mark Twain, “the demise of ad hoc networking is exaggerated.”
