Wireless network refers to any type of computer network which is wireless, and is commonly associated with a network whose interconnections between nodes e.g. Laptops, Desktops, Printers etc is implemented without the use of wires.
The popularity in Wireless Technology is driven by two major factors: convenience and cost. A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) allows workers to access digital resources without being locked to their desks. Mobile users can connect to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a Wireless (Radio) connection.
Demand for wireless access to LANs is fueled by the growth of mobile computing devices, such as laptops and personal digital assistants, and by users’ desire for continuous network connections without physically having to plug into wired systems.
For the same reason that WLANs are convenient, their open broadcast infrastructure, they are extremely vulnerable to intrusion and exploitation. Adding a wireless network to an organization’s internal LAN may open a backdoor to the existing wired network.
The IEEE 802.11 standard refers to a family of specifications for wireless local area networks (WLANs) developed by a working group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). This standards effort began in 1989, with the focus on deployment in large enterprise networking environments, effectively a wireless equivalent to Ethernet. The IEEE accepted the specification in 1997. Standard 802.11 specifies an over-the-air interface between a mobile device wireless client and a base station or between two mobile device wireless clients.
