What Is a Wireless Network?

In this tutorial, we are going to see What Is a Wireless Network?

A wireless network is, as the name suggests, a network in which at least two terminals (laptop, PDA, etc.) can communicate without a wired connection.

Thanks to wireless networks, a user has the possibility to stay connected while moving in a more or less extended geographical perimeter, this is the reason why we sometimes hear about “mobility”.

Wireless networks are based on a connection using radio waves (radio and infrared) instead of the usual cables. There are several technologies that differ in terms of the transmission frequency used as well as the speed and range of transmissions.
 

 
The wireless networks allow linking very easily distant equipments from a few meters to a few kilometers. In addition, the installation of such networks does not require heavy development of existing infrastructure as is the case with wired networks (digging trenches to carry cables, equipping buildings with cabling, trunking, and connectors), which has led to the rapid development of this type of technology.

On the other hand, there is a problem with the regulation of radio-electric transmissions. Indeed, the radio-electric transmissions are used for a great number of applications (military, scientific, etc…), but are sensitive to interferences, this is the reason why regulation is necessary in each country in order to define the frequency ranges and the powers to which it is possible to emit for each category of use.

Moreover, radio waves are difficult to limit to a restricted geographical area, so it is easy for a hacker to listen to the network if the information circulates clear (this is the default case). It is, therefore, necessary to put in place the necessary measures to ensure the confidentiality of data circulating on wireless networks.
 

 

Categories/types of wireless networks:

There are usually several categories of wireless networks, depending on the geographic area that offers connectivity (called coverage area):
 

 
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