First, a wireless network is any type of computer network that uses wireless data connections for connecting network nodes.
Wireless networking it´s a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and enterprise intallations avoid the costly process of introducing cables into a building, or as a connection between various equipment locations.
There are different types of wireless networks:
- Wireless PAN: it is wireless personal area network (WPAN´s) interconnect devices within a relatively small area, that is generally within a person´s reach.
- Wireless WAN: a wireless local area network (WLAN) links two or more devices over a short distance using a wireless distribution method, usually providing a connection through an access point for Internet access.
- Wireless mesh network: it´s a wireless networkmade up of radio nodes organized in a mesh topology.
-Wireless MAN: wireless metropolitan area networt is a type of wireless network that connects several wireless LAN´s.
-Wireless WAN: wireless wide area network typically cover large areas, such us between neighboring, towns and cities.
-Cellular network: it´s a radio network distributed over land areas called cells, each served by at least one fixed-location transceiver, know as a cell site or base station.
-Global area network: it´s a network using for supporting mobiles across an arbitrary number of wireless LAN´s, satellite coverage areas,etc.
-Space network: it´s a network used for communication between spacecraft, usually in the vicinity of the Earth.
· Properties:
-General: in a general sense, wireless networks offer a vast variety of uses by both business and home users.
-Performance. each standard varies in a geographical range, thus making one standard more ideal that the next depending on what it´s one is trying to accomplish with a wireless network.
-Space: wireless networks offer many different advanteges when it comes to to difficult-to-wire areas trying to communicate such as across a street or river, a warehouse on the other side of the premise or buildings that are physically separated but operate as one.
- Home: wireless technology is an effective option compared to ethernet for sharing printers, scanners, and high speed internet connections.
.Difficulties: there are some problems like:
- Interferences: compared to wired systems, wireless networks are frequently subject to electromagnetic interference.
- Absorption and reflection: some materials cause absorption of electromagnetic waves, preventing it from reaching the receiver.
- Multipath fading: in multipath fading two or more different routes taken by the signal, due to reflections, can cause the signal to cancel out at certain locations, and to be stronger in other cases.
- Hidden nodes problems: it occurs in some types of networks when a node is visible from a wireless access point (AP), but not from other nodes communicating with that AP.
- Interferences: compared to wired systems, wireless networks are frequently subject to electromagnetic interference.
- Absorption and reflection: some materials cause absorption of electromagnetic waves, preventing it from reaching the receiver.
- Multipath fading: in multipath fading two or more different routes taken by the signal, due to reflections, can cause the signal to cancel out at certain locations, and to be stronger in other cases.
- Hidden nodes problems: it occurs in some types of networks when a node is visible from a wireless access point (AP), but not from other nodes communicating with that AP.
