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<span>Architecture</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Architecture-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Architecture subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Architecture-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Stations" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Stations"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Stations</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Stations-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Service_set" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Service_set"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Service set</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Service_set-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Types_of_wireless_LANs" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Types_of_wireless_LANs"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Types of wireless LANs</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Types_of_wireless_LANs-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Types of wireless LANs subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Types_of_wireless_LANs-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Infrastructure" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Infrastructure"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>Infrastructure</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Infrastructure-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Peer-to-peer" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Peer-to-peer"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Peer-to-peer</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Peer-to-peer-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Bridge" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Bridge"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.3</span> <span>Bridge</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Bridge-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Wireless_distribution_system" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Wireless_distribution_system"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.4</span> <span>Wireless distribution system</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Wireless_distribution_system-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Roaming" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Roaming"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Roaming</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Roaming-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Common_issues" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Common_issues"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Common issues</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Common_issues-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" title="Table of Contents" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless LAN</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 47 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-47" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">47 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%A8%D9%83%D8%A9_%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A9" title="شبكة محلية لاسلكية – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="شبكة محلية لاسلكية" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simsiz_lokal_%C5%9F%C9%99b%C9%99k%C9%99" title="Simsiz lokal şəbəkə – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="Simsiz lokal şəbəkə" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh-min-nan mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh-min-nan.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLAN" title="WLAN – Minnan" lang="nan" hreflang="nan" data-title="WLAN" data-language-autonym="閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gú" data-language-local-name="Minnan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gú</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be mw-list-item"><a href="https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_LAN" title="Wireless LAN – Belarusian" lang="be" hreflang="be" data-title="Wireless LAN" data-language-autonym="Беларуская" data-language-local-name="Belarusian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be-x-old mw-list-item"><a href="https://be-tarask.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_LAN" title="Wireless LAN – Belarusian (Taraškievica orthography)" lang="be-tarask" hreflang="be-tarask" data-title="Wireless LAN" data-language-autonym="Беларуская (тарашкевіца)" data-language-local-name="Belarusian (Taraškievica orthography)" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская (тарашкевіца)</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B6%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%BC%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B6%D0%B0" title="Безжична локална мрежа – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Безжична локална мрежа" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xarxa_d%27%C3%A0rea_local_sense_fils" title="Xarxa d'àrea local sense fils – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Xarxa d'àrea local sense fils" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLAN" title="WLAN – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="WLAN" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLAN" title="WLAN – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="WLAN" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Local_Area_Network" title="Wireless Local Area Network – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Wireless Local Area Network" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traadita_kohtv%C3%B5rk" title="Traadita kohtvõrk – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Traadita kohtvõrk" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_de_%C3%A1rea_local_inal%C3%A1mbrica" title="Red de área local inalámbrica – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Red de área local inalámbrica" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%A8%DA%A9%D9%87_%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%84%DB%8C_%D8%A8%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%85" title="شبکه محلی بی‌سیم – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="شبکه محلی بی‌سیم" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%AC%B4%EC%84%A0%EB%9E%9C" title="무선랜 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="무선랜" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hr mw-list-item"><a href="https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLAN" title="WLAN – Croatian" lang="hr" hreflang="hr" data-title="WLAN" data-language-autonym="Hrvatski" data-language-local-name="Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hrvatski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaringan_Area_Lokal_Nirkabel" title="Jaringan Area Lokal Nirkabel – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Jaringan Area Lokal Nirkabel" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-is mw-list-item"><a href="https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Er%C3%A1%C3%B0laust_sta%C3%B0arnet" title="Þráðlaust staðarnet – Icelandic" lang="is" hreflang="is" data-title="Þráðlaust staðarnet" data-language-autonym="Íslenska" data-language-local-name="Icelandic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Íslenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_local_area_network" title="Wireless local area network – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Wireless local area network" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-csb mw-list-item"><a href="https://csb.wikipedia.org/wiki/W-LAN" title="W-LAN – Kashubian" lang="csb" hreflang="csb" data-title="W-LAN" data-language-autonym="Kaszëbsczi" data-language-local-name="Kashubian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kaszëbsczi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ku mw-list-item"><a href="https://ku.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLAN" title="WLAN – Kurdish" lang="ku" hreflang="ku" data-title="WLAN" data-language-autonym="Kurdî" data-language-local-name="Kurdish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kurdî</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lv mw-list-item"><a href="https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bezvadu_lok%C4%81lais_t%C4%ABkls" title="Bezvadu lokālais tīkls – Latvian" lang="lv" hreflang="lv" data-title="Bezvadu lokālais tīkls" data-language-autonym="Latviešu" data-language-local-name="Latvian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latviešu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_LAN" title="Wireless LAN – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Wireless LAN" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B6%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%BC%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B6%D0%B0" title="Безжична локална мрежа – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Безжична локална мрежа" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ml mw-list-item"><a href="https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%B5%E0%B4%AF%E0%B5%BC%E0%B4%B2%E0%B5%86%E0%B4%B8%E0%B5%8D_%E0%B4%B2%E0%B4%BE%E0%B5%BB" title="വയർലെസ് ലാൻ – Malayalam" lang="ml" hreflang="ml" data-title="വയർലെസ് ലാൻ" data-language-autonym="മലയാളം" data-language-local-name="Malayalam" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>മലയാളം</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mn mw-list-item"><a href="https://mn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%8B_%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BE%D0%B4_%D1%81%D2%AF%D0%BB%D0%B6%D1%8D%D1%8D" title="Долгионы дотоод сүлжээ – Mongolian" lang="mn" hreflang="mn" data-title="Долгионы дотоод сүлжээ" data-language-autonym="Монгол" data-language-local-name="Mongolian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Монгол</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_LAN" title="Wireless LAN – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Wireless LAN" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%84%A1%E7%B7%9ALAN" title="無線LAN – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="無線LAN" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%C3%A5dl%C3%B8st_lokalt_datanett" title="Trådløst lokalt datanett – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Trådløst lokalt datanett" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nn mw-list-item"><a href="https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%C3%A5dlaust_LAN" title="Trådlaust LAN – Norwegian Nynorsk" lang="nn" hreflang="nn" data-title="Trådlaust LAN" data-language-autonym="Norsk nynorsk" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Nynorsk" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk nynorsk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bezprzewodowa_sie%C4%87_lokalna" title="Bezprzewodowa sieć lokalna – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Bezprzewodowa sieć lokalna" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rede_de_%C3%A1rea_local_sem_fio" title="Rede de área local sem fio – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Rede de área local sem fio" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D1%81%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%8C" title="Беспроводная локальная сеть – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Беспроводная локальная сеть" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sq mw-list-item"><a href="https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rrjeti_lokal_pa_tela" title="Rrjeti lokal pa tela – Albanian" lang="sq" hreflang="sq" data-title="Rrjeti lokal pa tela" data-language-autonym="Shqip" data-language-local-name="Albanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Shqip</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_LAN" title="Wireless LAN – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="Wireless LAN" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bezdr%C3%B4tov%C3%A1_lok%C3%A1lna_sie%C5%A5" title="Bezdrôtová lokálna sieť – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Bezdrôtová lokálna sieť" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sl mw-list-item"><a href="https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brez%C5%BEi%C4%8Dno_omre%C5%BEje" title="Brezžično omrežje – Slovenian" lang="sl" hreflang="sl" data-title="Brezžično omrežje" data-language-autonym="Slovenščina" data-language-local-name="Slovenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenščina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%B6%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%87%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%BC%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B6%D0%B0" title="Бежична локална рачунарска мрежа – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Бежична локална рачунарска мрежа" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-su mw-list-item"><a href="https://su.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raramat_wewengkon_lokal_tanpakabel" title="Raramat wewengkon lokal tanpakabel – Sundanese" lang="su" hreflang="su" data-title="Raramat wewengkon lokal tanpakabel" data-language-autonym="Sunda" data-language-local-name="Sundanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Sunda</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLAN" title="WLAN – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="WLAN" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%C3%A5dl%C3%B6st_LAN" title="Trådlöst LAN – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Trådlöst LAN" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-th mw-list-item"><a href="https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A2" title="แลนไร้สาย – Thai" lang="th" hreflang="th" data-title="แลนไร้สาย" data-language-autonym="ไทย" data-language-local-name="Thai" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ไทย</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_LAN" title="Wireless LAN – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Wireless LAN" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLAN" title="WLAN – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="WLAN" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ur mw-list-item"><a href="https://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%DA%A9%DB%8C_%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C_%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%B9_%D9%88%D8%B1%DA%A9" title="لاسلکی مقامی نیٹ ورک – Urdu" lang="ur" hreflang="ur" data-title="لاسلکی مقامی نیٹ ورک" data-language-autonym="اردو" data-language-local-name="Urdu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>اردو</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%E1%BA%A1ng_c%E1%BB%A5c_b%E1%BB%99_kh%C3%B4ng_d%C3%A2y" title="Mạng cục bộ không dây – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Mạng cục bộ không dây" data-language-autonym="Tiếng Việt" data-language-local-name="Vietnamese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tiếng Việt</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-wuu mw-list-item"><a href="https://wuu.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A0%E7%BA%BF%E5%B1%80%E5%9F%9F%E7%BD%91" title="无线局域网 – Wu" lang="wuu" hreflang="wuu" data-title="无线局域网" data-language-autonym="吴语" data-language-local-name="Wu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>吴语</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A0%E7%BA%BF%E5%B1%80%E5%9F%9F%E7%BD%91" title="无线局域网 – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="无线局域网" 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id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Computer network that links devices using wireless communication within a limited area</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"WLAN" redirects here. For other uses, see <a href="/wiki/WLAN_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="WLAN (disambiguation)">WLAN (disambiguation)</a>.</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist 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screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:none!important}}</style><table class="sidebar nomobile nowraplinks"><tbody><tr><th class="sidebar-title" style="background:#ccccff;font-size: 120%"><a href="/wiki/Computer_network" title="Computer network">Computer network</a> types<br />by scale</th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Data_Networks_classification_by_spatial_scope.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Data_Networks_classification_by_spatial_scope.svg/150px-Data_Networks_classification_by_spatial_scope.svg.png" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Data_Networks_classification_by_spatial_scope.svg/225px-Data_Networks_classification_by_spatial_scope.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Data_Networks_classification_by_spatial_scope.svg/300px-Data_Networks_classification_by_spatial_scope.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="512" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="text-align: left"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Nanonetwork" title="Nanonetwork">Nanoscale</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Near-field_communication" title="Near-field communication">Near-field (NFC)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Body_area_network" title="Body area network">Body</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Personal_area_network" title="Personal area network">Personal (PAN)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Near-me_area_network" title="Near-me area network">Near-me</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Local_area_network" title="Local area network">Local (LAN)</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Storage_area_network" title="Storage area network">Storage (SAN)</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Wireless (WLAN)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/VLAN" title="VLAN">Virtual (VLAN)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Home_network" title="Home network">Home (HAN)</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Campus_network" title="Campus network">Campus (CAN)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Backbone_network" title="Backbone network">Backbone</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Metropolitan_area_network" title="Metropolitan area network">Metropolitan (MAN)</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network" title="Municipal wireless network">Municipal wireless (MWN)</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wide_area_network" title="Wide area network">Wide (WAN)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Internet_area_network" title="Internet area network">Cloud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Internet" title="Internet">Internet</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interplanetary_Internet" title="Interplanetary Internet">Interplanetary Internet</a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar 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href="/wiki/Template:Area_networks" title="Template:Area networks"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Area_networks" title="Template talk:Area networks"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Area_networks" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Area networks"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Wireless_network.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Wireless_network.jpg/220px-Wireless_network.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Wireless_network.jpg/330px-Wireless_network.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Wireless_network.jpg 2x" data-file-width="400" data-file-height="300" /></a><figcaption>This <a href="/wiki/Laptop" title="Laptop">notebook computer</a> is connected to a <a href="/wiki/Wireless_access_point" title="Wireless access point">wireless access point</a> using a <a href="/wiki/PC_Card" title="PC Card">PC Card</a> wireless card.</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:WI-FI_Range_Diagram.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/WI-FI_Range_Diagram.svg/220px-WI-FI_Range_Diagram.svg.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="168" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/WI-FI_Range_Diagram.svg/330px-WI-FI_Range_Diagram.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/WI-FI_Range_Diagram.svg/440px-WI-FI_Range_Diagram.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="793" data-file-height="605" /></a><figcaption>An example of a Wi-Fi network</figcaption></figure> <p>A <b>wireless LAN</b> (<b>WLAN</b>) is a <a href="/wiki/Wireless_computer_network" class="mw-redirect" title="Wireless computer network">wireless computer network</a> that links two or more devices using <a href="/wiki/Wireless_communication" class="mw-redirect" title="Wireless communication">wireless communication</a> to form a <a href="/wiki/Local_area_network" title="Local area network">local area network</a> (LAN) within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, or office building. This gives users the ability to move around within the area and remain connected to the network. Through a <a href="/wiki/Gateway_(telecommunications)" title="Gateway (telecommunications)">gateway</a>, a WLAN can also provide a connection to the wider <a href="/wiki/Internet" title="Internet">Internet</a>. </p><p>Wireless LANs based on the <a href="/wiki/IEEE_802.11" title="IEEE 802.11">IEEE 802.11</a> standards are the most widely used computer networks in the world. These are commonly called <a href="/wiki/Wi-Fi" title="Wi-Fi">Wi-Fi</a>, which is a trademark belonging to the <a href="/wiki/Wi-Fi_Alliance" title="Wi-Fi Alliance">Wi-Fi Alliance</a>. They are used for home and small office networks that link together <a href="/wiki/Laptop_computer" class="mw-redirect" title="Laptop computer">laptop computers</a>, <a href="/wiki/Printer_(computing)" title="Printer (computing)">printers</a>, <a href="/wiki/Smartphone" title="Smartphone">smartphones</a>, <a href="/wiki/Web_TV" class="mw-redirect" title="Web TV">Web TVs</a> and gaming devices through a <a href="/wiki/Wireless_router" title="Wireless router">wireless network router</a>, which in turn may link them to the Internet. <a href="/wiki/Hotspot_(Wi-Fi)" class="mw-redirect" title="Hotspot (Wi-Fi)">Hotspots</a> provided by routers at restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, libraries, and airports allow consumers to access the internet with portable wireless devices. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Norman_Abramson" title="Norman Abramson">Norman Abramson</a>, a professor at the <a href="/wiki/University_of_Hawaii" class="mw-redirect" title="University of Hawaii">University of Hawaii</a>, developed the world's first wireless computer communication network, <a href="/wiki/ALOHAnet" title="ALOHAnet">ALOHAnet</a>. The system became operational in 1971 and included seven computers deployed over four islands to communicate with the central computer on the <a href="/wiki/Oahu" title="Oahu">Oahu</a> island without using phone lines.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:WLAN_PCI_Card_cleaned.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/WLAN_PCI_Card_cleaned.png/220px-WLAN_PCI_Card_cleaned.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/WLAN_PCI_Card_cleaned.png/330px-WLAN_PCI_Card_cleaned.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/WLAN_PCI_Card_cleaned.png/440px-WLAN_PCI_Card_cleaned.png 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="768" /></a><figcaption>54 Mbit/s WLAN PCI Card (802.11g)</figcaption></figure> <p>Wireless LAN hardware initially cost so much that it was only used as an alternative to cabled LAN in places where cabling was difficult or impossible. Early development included industry-specific solutions and proprietary protocols, but at the end of the 1990s these were replaced by <a href="/wiki/Technical_standard" title="Technical standard">technical standards</a>, primarily the various versions of IEEE 802.11 (in products using the <a href="/wiki/Wi-Fi" title="Wi-Fi">Wi-Fi</a> brand name). </p><p>Beginning in 1991, a European alternative known as HiperLAN/1 was pursued by the <a href="/wiki/European_Telecommunications_Standards_Institute" title="European Telecommunications Standards Institute">European Telecommunications Standards Institute</a> (ETSI) with a first version approved in 1996. This was followed by a HiperLAN/2 functional specification with <a href="/wiki/Asynchronous_Transfer_Mode" title="Asynchronous Transfer Mode">ATM</a> influences<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (June 2015)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> accomplished February 2000. Neither European standard achieved the commercial success of 802.11, although much of the work on HiperLAN/2 has survived in the physical specification (<a href="/wiki/PHY" class="mw-redirect" title="PHY">PHY</a>) for IEEE <a href="/wiki/802.11a" class="mw-redirect" title="802.11a">802.11a</a>, which is nearly identical to the PHY of HiperLAN/2. </p><p>In 2009, <a href="/wiki/802.11n" class="mw-redirect" title="802.11n">802.11n</a> was added to 802.11. It operates in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands at a maximum data transfer rate of 600 Mbit/s. Most newer routers are <i>dual-band</i> and able to utilize both wireless bands. This allows data communications to avoid the crowded <a href="/wiki/2.4_GHz_radio_use" title="2.4 GHz radio use">2.4 GHz band</a>, which is also shared with <a href="/wiki/Bluetooth" title="Bluetooth">Bluetooth</a> devices and <a href="/wiki/Microwave_oven" title="Microwave oven">microwave ovens</a>. The 5 GHz band also has more channels than the 2.4 GHz band, permitting a greater number of devices to share the space. Not all <a href="/wiki/WLAN_channels" class="mw-redirect" title="WLAN channels">WLAN channels</a> are available in all regions. </p><p>A <a href="/wiki/HomeRF" title="HomeRF">HomeRF</a> group formed in 1997 to promote a technology aimed at residential use, but it disbanded in January 2003.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Architecture">Architecture</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Architecture"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Stations">Stations</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Stations"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>All components that can connect into a wireless medium in a <a href="/wiki/Computer_networking" class="mw-redirect" title="Computer networking">network</a> are referred to as stations. All stations are equipped with <a href="/wiki/Wireless_network_interface_controller" title="Wireless network interface controller">wireless network interface controllers</a>. Wireless stations fall into two categories: <a href="/wiki/Wireless_access_point" title="Wireless access point">wireless access points</a> (WAPs) and clients. WAPs are base stations for the wireless network. They transmit and receive radio frequencies for wireless-enabled devices to communicate with. Wireless clients can be mobile devices such as laptops, <a href="/wiki/Personal_digital_assistant" title="Personal digital assistant">personal digital assistants</a>, <a href="/wiki/VoIP_phone" title="VoIP phone">VoIP phones</a> and other <a href="/wiki/Smartphone" title="Smartphone">smartphones</a>, or non-portable devices such as <a href="/wiki/Home_computer" title="Home computer">desktop computers</a>, printers, and <a href="/wiki/Workstation" title="Workstation">workstations</a> that are equipped with a wireless network interface. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Service_set">Service set</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Service set"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Service_set_(802.11_network)" title="Service set (802.11 network)">Service set (802.11 network)</a></div> <p>The basic service set (BSS) is a set of all stations that can communicate with each other at PHY layer. Every BSS has an identification (ID) called the BSSID, which is the <a href="/wiki/MAC_address" title="MAC address">MAC address</a> of the access point servicing the BSS. </p><p>There are two types of BSS: Independent BSS (also referred to as IBSS), and infrastructure BSS. An independent BSS (IBSS) is an <a href="/wiki/Wireless_ad_hoc_network" title="Wireless ad hoc network">ad hoc network</a> that contains no access points, which means they cannot connect to any other basic service set. In an IBSS the STAs are configured in ad hoc (peer-to-peer) mode. </p><p>An extended service set (ESS) is a set of connected BSSs. Access points in an ESS are connected by a distribution system. Each ESS has an ID called the SSID which is a 32-byte (maximum) character string. </p><p>A distribution system (DS) connects access points in an extended service set. The concept of a DS can be used to increase network coverage through roaming between cells. DS can be wired or wireless. Current wireless distribution systems are mostly based on <a href="/wiki/Wireless_distribution_system" title="Wireless distribution system">WDS</a> or <a href="/wiki/Wireless_mesh_network" title="Wireless mesh network">Mesh protocols</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> though other systems are in use. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Types_of_wireless_LANs">Types of wireless LANs</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Types of wireless LANs"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/IEEE_802.11" title="IEEE 802.11">IEEE 802.11</a> has two basic modes of operation: <i>infrastructure</i> and <i>ad hoc</i> mode. In ad hoc mode, mobile units communicate directly peer-to-peer. In infrastructure mode, mobile units communicate through a <a href="/wiki/Wireless_access_point" title="Wireless access point">wireless access point</a> (WAP) that also serves as a bridge to other networks such as a <a href="/wiki/Local_area_network" title="Local area network">local area network</a> or the Internet. </p><p>Since wireless communication uses a more open medium for communication in comparison to wired LANs, the 802.11 designers also included encryption mechanisms: <a href="/wiki/Wired_Equivalent_Privacy" title="Wired Equivalent Privacy">Wired Equivalent Privacy</a> (WEP), no longer considered secure, <a href="/wiki/Wi-Fi_Protected_Access" title="Wi-Fi Protected Access">Wi-Fi Protected Access</a> (WPA, WPA2, WPA3), to secure wireless computer networks. Many access points will also offer <a href="/wiki/Wi-Fi_Protected_Setup" title="Wi-Fi Protected Setup">Wi-Fi Protected Setup</a>, a quick, but no longer considered secure, method of joining a new device to an encrypted network. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Infrastructure">Infrastructure</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Infrastructure"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Most Wi-Fi networks are deployed in <i>infrastructure mode</i>. In infrastructure mode, wireless clients, such as laptops and smartphones, connect to the WAP to join the network. The WAP usually has a wired network connection and may have permanent wireless connections to other WAPs. </p><p>WAPs are usually fixed and provide service to their client nodes within range. Some networks will have multiple WAPs using the same SSID and security arrangement. In that case, connecting to any WAP on that network joins the client to the network, and the client software will try to choose the WAP that gives the best service, such as the WAP with the strongest signal. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Peer-to-peer">Peer-to-peer</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Peer-to-peer"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Wlan_adhoc.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Wlan_adhoc.png/220px-Wlan_adhoc.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="107" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Wlan_adhoc.png 1.5x" data-file-width="260" data-file-height="127" /></a><figcaption>Peer-to-Peer or ad hoc wireless LAN</figcaption></figure> <p>An <a href="/wiki/Wireless_ad_hoc_network" title="Wireless ad hoc network">ad hoc network</a> is a network where stations communicate only <a href="/wiki/Peer-to-peer" title="Peer-to-peer">peer-to-peer</a> (P2P). There is no base and no one gives permission to talk. This is accomplished using the <a href="/wiki/Independent_Basic_Service_Set" class="mw-redirect" title="Independent Basic Service Set">Independent Basic Service Set</a> (IBSS). A <a href="/wiki/Wi-Fi_Direct" title="Wi-Fi Direct">Wi-Fi Direct</a> network is a different type of wireless network where stations communicate peer-to-peer.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In a peer-to-peer network wireless devices within range of each other can discover and communicate directly without involving central access points. </p><p>In a Wi-Fi P2P group, the group owner operates as an access point and all other devices are clients. There are two main methods to establish a group owner in the Wi-Fi Direct group. In one approach, the user sets up a P2P group owner manually. This method is also known as <i>autonomous group owner</i> (<i>autonomous GO</i>). In the second method, called <i>negotiation-based group creation</i>, two devices compete based on the group owner intent value. The device with higher intent value becomes a group owner and the second device becomes a client. Group owner intent value can depend on whether the wireless device performs a cross-connection between an infrastructure WLAN service and a P2P group, available power in the wireless device, whether the wireless device is already a group owner in another group or a received signal strength of the first wireless device. </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Wifi_hidden_station_problem.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Wifi_hidden_station_problem.svg/220px-Wifi_hidden_station_problem.svg.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="197" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Wifi_hidden_station_problem.svg/330px-Wifi_hidden_station_problem.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Wifi_hidden_station_problem.svg/440px-Wifi_hidden_station_problem.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="667" data-file-height="596" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Hidden_node_problem" title="Hidden node problem">Hidden node problem</a>: Devices A and C are both communicating with B, but are unaware of each other</figcaption></figure> <p><a href="/wiki/IEEE_802.11" title="IEEE 802.11">IEEE 802.11</a> defines the PHY and <a href="/wiki/Medium_access_control" title="Medium access control">medium access control</a> (MAC) layers based on <a href="/wiki/Carrier-sense_multiple_access_with_collision_avoidance" title="Carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance">carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance</a> (CSMA/CA). This is in contrast to Ethernet which uses <a href="/wiki/Carrier-sense_multiple_access_with_collision_detection" title="Carrier-sense multiple access with collision detection">carrier-sense multiple access with collision detection</a> (CSMA/CD). The 802.11 specification includes provisions designed to minimize collisions because mobile units have to contend with the <a href="/wiki/Hidden_node_problem" title="Hidden node problem">hidden node problem</a> where two mobile units may both be in range of a common access point, but out of range of each other. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Bridge">Bridge</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Bridge"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A bridge can be used to connect networks, typically of different types. A wireless <a href="/wiki/Ethernet" title="Ethernet">Ethernet</a> bridge allows the connection of devices on a wired Ethernet network to a wireless network. The bridge acts as the connection point to the wireless LAN. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Wireless_distribution_system">Wireless distribution system</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Wireless distribution system"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A <a href="/wiki/Wireless_distribution_system" title="Wireless distribution system">wireless distribution system</a> (WDS) enables the wireless interconnection of access points in an IEEE 802.11 network. It allows a wireless network to be expanded using multiple access points without the need for a wired backbone to link them, as is traditionally required. The notable advantage of a WDS over some other solutions is that it preserves the MAC addresses of client packets across links between access points.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>An access point can be either a main, relay, or remote base station. A main base station is typically connected to the wired Ethernet. A relay base station relays data between remote base stations, wireless clients or other relay stations to either a main or another relay base station. A remote base station accepts connections from wireless clients and passes them to relay or main stations. </p><p>Because data is forwarded wirelessly, consuming wireless bandwidth, throughput in this method is halved for wireless clients not connected to a main base station. Connections between base stations are done at layer-2 and do not involve or require layer-3 IP addresses. WDS capability may also be referred to as repeater mode because it appears to bridge and accept wireless clients at the same time (unlike traditional bridging). </p><p>All base stations in a WDS must be configured to use the same radio channel and share WEP keys or WPA keys if they are used. They can be configured to different service set identifiers. WDS also requires that every base station be configured to forward to others in the system as mentioned above. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Roaming">Roaming</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Roaming"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Roaming01.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Roaming01.svg/220px-Roaming01.svg.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="104" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Roaming01.svg/330px-Roaming01.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Roaming01.svg/440px-Roaming01.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1032" data-file-height="489" /></a><figcaption>Roaming among wireless local area networks</figcaption></figure> <p>There are two definitions for wireless LAN roaming: </p> <ol><li><b>Internal roaming:</b> The mobile station (MS) moves from one access point (AP) to another AP within a home network if the signal strength is too weak. An authentication server performs the re-authentication of MS via 802.1x (e.g. with <a href="/wiki/Protected_Extensible_Authentication_Protocol" title="Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol">PEAP</a>). The billing of QoS is in the home network. A MS roaming from one access point to another often interrupts the flow of data between the MS and an application connected to the network. The MS, for instance, periodically monitors the presence of alternative APs (ones that will provide a better connection). At some point, based on proprietary mechanisms, the MS decides to re-associate with an AP having a stronger wireless signal. The MS, however, may lose a connection with an AP before associating with another access point. To provide reliable connections with applications, the MS must generally include software that provides session persistence.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><b>External roaming:</b> The MS (client) moves into a WLAN of another <a href="/wiki/Wireless_Internet_service_provider" title="Wireless Internet service provider">wireless Internet service provider</a> (WISP) and takes their services. The user can use a foreign network independently from their home network, provided that the foreign network allows visiting users on their network. There must be special authentication and billing systems for mobile services in a foreign network.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify"><span title="The text near this tag may need clarification or removal of jargon. (January 2018)">clarification needed</span></a></i>]</sup><sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup></li></ol> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Common_issues">Common issues</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Common issues"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>WLAN signals often extends beyond the boundaries of a building and can create coverage where it is unwanted, offering a channel through which non-residents or other unauthorized people could compromise a system and retrieve personal data. To prevent this it is usually sufficient to enforce the use of authentication, encryption, or <a href="/wiki/VPN" class="mw-redirect" title="VPN">VPN</a> that requires a password for network connectivity.<sup id="cite_ref-wifichallenge_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-wifichallenge-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wireless_WAN" title="Wireless WAN">Wireless WAN</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indoor_positioning_system" title="Indoor positioning system">Indoor positioning system</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wireless_LAN&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070210131824/http://www.jhsph.edu/wireless/history.html">"History of Wireless"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Johns_Hopkins_Bloomberg_School_of_Public_Health" title="Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health">Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.jhsph.edu/wireless/history.html">the original</a> on 2007-02-10<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2007-02-17</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=History+of+Wireless&rft.pub=Johns+Hopkins+Bloomberg+School+of+Public+Health&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jhsph.edu%2Fwireless%2Fhistory.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWireless+LAN" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWayne_Caswell2010" class="citation web cs1">Wayne Caswell (November 17, 2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cazitech.com/HomeRF_Archives.htm">"HomeRF Archives"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180529095623/http://www.cazitech.com/HomeRF_Archives.htm">Archived</a> from the original on May 29, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 16,</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=HomeRF+Archives&rft.date=2010-11-17&rft.au=Wayne+Caswell&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cazitech.com%2FHomeRF_Archives.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWireless+LAN" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation cs2"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.hawaiian-study.info/mesh-routing-and-wireless-distribution"><i>Wireless Mesh Routing Compared WDS</i></a>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230117221059/https://www.hawaiian-study.info/mesh-routing-and-wireless-distribution">archived</a> from the original on 2023-01-17<span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">2022-11-11</span></span></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Wireless+Mesh+Routing+Compared+WDS&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian-study.info%2Fmesh-routing-and-wireless-distribution&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWireless+LAN" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130830054611/https://www.wi-fi.org/knowledge-center/faq/same-ad-hoc-mode">"Is this the same as Ad Hoc mode?"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.wi-fi.org/knowledge-center/faq/same-ad-hoc-mode">the original</a> on 2013-08-30.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Is+this+the+same+as+Ad+Hoc+mode%3F&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wi-fi.org%2Fknowledge-center%2Ffaq%2Fsame-ad-hoc-mode&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWireless+LAN" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php?title=WDS_Linked_router_network">"Wireless Distribution System Linked Router Network"</a>. <i>DD-WRT Wiki</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170630160927/http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php?title=WDS_Linked_router_network">Archived</a> from the original on June 30, 2017<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 31,</span> 2006</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=DD-WRT+Wiki&rft.atitle=Wireless+Distribution+System+Linked+Router+Network&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dd-wrt.com%2Fwiki%2Findex.php%3Ftitle%3DWDS_Linked_router_network&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWireless+LAN" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.wireless-nets.com/resources/tutorials/how_roaming_works.html">"How Wi-Fi Roaming Really Works"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190223170013/http://www.wireless-nets.com/resources/tutorials/how_roaming_works.html">Archived</a> from the original on 2019-02-23<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-10-09</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=How+Wi-Fi+Roaming+Really+Works&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wireless-nets.com%2Fresources%2Ftutorials%2Fhow_roaming_works.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWireless+LAN" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-wifichallenge-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-wifichallenge_7-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Wangerien, Brian. "The Challenges of Wi-Fi." Communications News. Encyclopædia Britannica. Web <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/21597846/The-challenges-of-WiFi">http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/21597846/The-challenges-of-WiFi</a>.</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox-styles+.navbox{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output .navbox-inner,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{width:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-title,.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow{padding:0.25em 1em;line-height:1.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output 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