Internet Architecture - Lecture 9

Internet Architecture
Lecture 9:
-How Wireless (WiFi) and WiMax Networks Work
-How Home Networks Work

How Wireless (WiFi) Networks Work
1* A key component of an 802.11 network (also called a WiFi network) is an access point or router also called an AP). The access point consists of a radio transmitter and receiver as well as an interface to a wired network such as an Ethernet network, or directly to the Internet. The access point serves as a base station and a bridge between the wireless network and a larger Ethernet network or the Internet.

How WiMax Works
1* WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is similar to WiFi, but broadcasts over an entire metropolitan area, rather than just a single location, using the 802.16 standard. A wireless Internet service provider (WISP) provides WiMax Internet service. The WISP, like other ISPs, needs to connect to the Internet via a high-speed backbone, so that it can provide Internet service to its subscribers.

How Home Networks Work
1* The main reason people set up home networks is to share high-speed Internet access, such as via a cable modem or DSL modem, among several computers. To give the home network access to the Internet, an Ethernet cable runs from the cable modem or DSL modem to the networking device, called a router.