Learn Wireless Basics
Let’s quickly run through some basics to set the stage for what follows.
Adapters and Access Points
Wi-Fi networks need two connected parts: a wireless adapter and
an access point. The wireless adapter is part of a computing device
(such as a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone), while the access
point connects both to wireless adapters and to a broader network,
such as the Internet via a broadband modem. An access point that’s
coupled with a router is called a wireless gateway; Apple calls its
wireless gateway a base station.
Apple’s lineup of base stations includes the AirPort Extreme, the
AirPort Express, and the Time
Capsule. When I talk about “AirPort
equipment,” I mean all Apple base stations, including Time Capsules.
An AirPort network is a Wi-Fi network with some Apple extras that
may work only with Apple software—under Mac OS X
or Windows—
or in conjunction with other AirPort equipment. Examples of such
features include streaming audio, certain forms of hard-drive file
sharing, and base-station-to-base-station connections.
What’s Wi-Fi?
The name Wi-Fi is a certification guarantee for which the Wi-Fi
Alliance trade group owns the rights and controls the testing. Wi-Fi
doesn’t stand for anything—it’s a made-up name—but it loosely
connotes wireless fidelity, in the sense of faithfulness: devices with
Wi-Fi stamped on them work with other Wi-Fi devices following the
same standards, or are faithful to one another.
The wireless adapter uses client software on the device to connect to
a specific base station (or set of affiliated base stations) after a user
selects the network name from a list or manually enters the network
name. (For example, in Mac OS X you can choose a network from the
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