Wireless Networking

A great majority of homes and offices rely on a router to simplify the way they manage their information. Whereas peer-to-peer networks focus on the connection between two devices, a wireless network links many devices on a single network. This enables all computers on the network to share resources and an Internet connection.

To create this network, the router must first be configured. This is a simple process and once done, will make your life much easier. Configuring the router mainly consists of choosing a name and security setting for the network. To setup a router on a PC, the process can be started by clicking on the “connect to network” options. On a Mac, click on the Wi-Fi menu and then click on the network that corresponds to your new wireless router. Once your Wi-Fi router is setup in your home or office, you can begin surfing the web and sharing files and documents with others on your wireless network.

There are numerous reasons why it is advantageous for a user to create a peer-to-peer connection. Although the term peer-to-peer may sound daunting, creating a peer-to-peer network is actually very simple. A peer-to-peer network is just two devices that share resources such as files, printers, or the Internet. This connection can be formed using wireless technologies, but Bluetooth or Wi-Fi routers are among the most common approaches.

To pair a device using Bluetooth, first make sure that the device is on discoverable. From there, use the other device to find the first device and initiate a connection (a code may be needed depending on the type of Bluetooth you are using). Once the connection is bridged, you are now able to share information over Bluetooth technology.

Using a Wi-Fi connection to create a peer-to-peer network is a little more complicated, though it is by no means difficult. A peer-to-peer connection over a wireless network is referred to as an Ad-Hoc network. Ad-Hoc networks are sometimes preferred to Bluetooth peer-to-peer networks because they offer heightened security and higher speeds. For more information on how to set up your Ad-Hoc network, please consult with customer service experts at 1.877.259.4629.

Home or business owners who are looking to set up their network have numerous choices when they create a Wi-Fi network. One of the first decisions to make is to decide what protocol you want your communication to run on. All wireless networking communication is structured on a standard protocol technology called the the 802 standard. 802.11 is the standard for installing a local area network that operates on either a 2.4 GHz frequency band or a 5.0 GHz frequency band. There have been six different versions of the 802.11 standard: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ad.

With each new version of the 802.11 standard, advancements in speed and the bandwidth were introduced. 802.11n improved upon the previous 802.11g by utilizing multiple wireless signals which gives the user better bandwidth. Also, whereas the older 802.11 standards operated on both the the 2.4 Ghz and 5.0 Ghz spectrum, the 802.11n operates solely on the 2.4 Ghz spectrum. As a rule of thumb, newer 802.11 protocols will work on older hardware, however, older hardware is not generally designed to work with the new protocols.