(n.) A local area network that uses radio frequency (RF) technology to transmit data through the air, spanning relatively short distances within a building or small campus. A wireless LAN often serves as an extension to an existing wired LAN, with base stations as nodes. An unlicensed frequency, such as the 2.4 GHz band, is commonly used. Unlike Infrared Data Association (IrDA) products, line-of-sight transmission is not required. Radio frequency is broadcast over an area of
several hundred to a thousand feet and can penetrate walls and other nonmetal barriers. Roaming users are handed off from one access point to another, as in a cellular phone system.
The protocol used is 802.11.
Wireless LAN
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