Components and Architecture

→ All components that connect to a wireless network are called stations
→ Stations fall into two categories:
⇒ Wireless access points
⇒

→ The basic building block of an 802.11 WLAN is a Basic Service Set (BSS)
→ it is a set of stations that can interact with each other

→ BSS can be set up:
⇒ Independent: no access points. also called ad hoc network.
⇒ infrastructure: access points serve as a base station for receiving and broadcasting messages

Each area that is covered by an access point is called a BSS
This entire system is called an ESS

--------------------------------------------------(Distribution System, Wired ethernet backbone)------[router]-------(((internet)))
| | |
[AP1] [AP2] [AP3]

Every message has to go through the Access point. There is no peer to peer communication. each message is broadcast to the AP, then broadcast to the receiver.

Index