Wireless Network Topologies

The widespread interest in networks without wires and the push toward obtaining “anywhere, anytime” Internet access has encouraged rapid growth in wireless standards and related technologies. The IEEE 802.11 wireless standards in particular have experienced considerable success. Several wireless standards fall under the 802.11 banner, each with its own speeds, radio frequencies, and transmission ranges. These standards create the possibility for wireless local area networking (WLAN) and put the possibility of complete mobile computing within reach.

When working with wireless technologies, you need to be aware of several types of topologies. These include the infrastructure, or managed, wireless topology, the ad-hoc, or unmanaged, wireless topology, point-to-point wireless design, point-to-multipoint, mesh wireless, and hybrid topologies.