1-1Chapter 1IntroductionThe 2.4GHz/5GHz Wireless Access Point is an IEEE 802.11a/gaccess point that provides transparent, wireless high-speed datacommunications between a wired LAN and fixed, portable ormobile devices equipped with an 802.11a, 802.11b or 802.11gwireless adapter.This solution offers fast, reliable wireless connectivity withconsiderable cost savings over wired LANs (which includelong-term maintenance overhead for cabling). Using 802.11a and802.11g technology, this access point can easily replace a10 Mbps Ethernet connection or seamlessly integrate into a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN.In addition, the access point offers full network managementcapabilities through an easy to configure web interface, acommand line interface for initial configuration andtroubleshooting, and support for Simple Network Managementtools, such as HP’s OpenView.Radio Characteristics – The IEEE 802.11a/g standard uses aradio modulation technique known as Orthogonal FrequencyDivision Multiplexing (OFDM), and a shared collision domain(CSMA/CA). It operates at the 5 GHz Unlicensed NationalInformation Infrastructure (UNII) band for connections to 802.11aclients, and at 2.4 GHz for connections to 802.11g clients.IEEE 802.11g includes backward compatibility with the IEEE802.11b standard. IEEE 802.11b also operates at 2.4 GHz, butuses Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) modulationtechnology to achieve a communication rate of up to 11 Mbps.