Wireless Network Software

Wireless Networking And WLAN Software

A wireless LAN allows you to share your internet connection with others without attaching a cable to your wireless gateway. WLANs have become popular recently due to the ease of installation and the rise in popularity of laptop computers and other devices that can access wi fi or 802.11x.

Although the wi fi is the dominant protocol for wireless networks, new protocols like 802.16 or WIMAX are likely to solve some difficult problems currently observed with wi fi, but lack the popularity and price point of the current protocols.

In a wired network all of the users have physical access to a computer or network hub and can use or abuse the network resources. Limiting physical access is the best way to secure a wired network. With a wireless network, anyone with a high gain antenna can gain access to your network. WLAN software can be used to monitor all users on a network and remove unauthorized users.

WLAN software can be used to connect to an existing network or create an ad hoc network. A decent version will support most types of encryption including WEP, WPA, PSK and WPA2.  It should also include sniffer tools to detect all available wireless networks and some sort of traffic control manager.

With the tools on the market today, even an inexperienced user can set up a WLAN connecting to an existing LAN or even VLAN. As the number of devices that connect to a wi fi network continues to grow, the popularity and use of hardware and software for these networks will continue to grow as well.

WLAN software can be found as freeware or shareware or can be purchased from any of the major communications and networking vendors, like Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Nokia or Sony-Ericsson.

Deciding on what type of WLAN software you need for your network will depend on your level of skill in setting up a network and the resources you have available to you. For most users setting up a P2P or ad hoc network for the home to connect your computers is the easiest way to go and requires the least amount of experience.