Wireless Networks: How Do They Work?
Sunday, August 23, 2009 13:15
Wireless networks use radio waves instead of cables to transmit data between computers. Here’s how:
Binary code: 0 and 1
It is well known that computers transmit digital information, using binary: ones and zeros. It reflects radio waves, because the 1 and 0 can be represented by different types of beeps. These beeps are so fast, they are beyond the reach of human hearing.
Morse Code: dots and stripes
It works like Morse code, which is a means of transmission of the alphabet over radio waves using dots (short beeps) and dashes (long beep). Morse code was used manually by telegraph years to get information from 1 place to another very quickly. More importantly for this example, however, is a binary system as a system.
Wireless networks, then, can be regarded as a Morse code for computers. Connecting to a combination of transmitter and radio receiver and the computer is capable of sending the equivalent of dots and dashes (bits, speak) to get your data by then.
Wavelengths and frequencies
Wonder how it is possible that the computer can send and receive data at high speed without becoming garbled nonsense. The key for wireless networks is how you have around this problem.
First, wireless transmissions are sent at very high frequencies, allowing more data to be transmitted per second. Most wireless connections use a frequency of 2.4 gigahertz (2.4 billion cycles per second) – a frequency similar to mobile phones and microwave ovens. However, this high frequency produces a wavelength is very short, so wireless networking is effective only over short distances.
Wireless networks also use a technique called “frequency hopping”. This use dozens of frequencies, and constantly switch between them. This makes wireless networks more immune to interference from other radio signals that are transmitted over a single frequency.
Internet access points
The final step is to provide wireless Internet access for each computer on the network. This is done by a piece of equipment called a wireless access point. An access point is more expensive than a wireless card for 1 computer, because it contains radio able to communicate with about 100 computers to share Internet access at home. Dedicated access points are required for large networks. With only a few computers, you can use as of 1 access point, or use a wireless router.
Industry standards
Wireless equipment from different manufacturers can work together to manage these complex because there are rules that guide the production of all wireless devices. These standards are technically known as 802.11. Thanks to industry compliance with these standards, wireless networking is easy to use and affordable today.
Wireless is easy to use
If all this talk radio industry has worried – relax. Wireless equipment and software to handle all this automatically, without user intervention. Wireless networks, for all its complicated ability, is much simpler to use than you might expect.
