Networking Fundamentals

Infrastructure mode

In an infrastructure mode wireless network, wireless clients must connect to an intermediary wireless network device, such as a WAP or wireless router, to be able to communicate to other devices on the network. This network may involve just one WAP or multiple WAPs and usually connects to a wired backbone network. Regardless of which method you implement, the SSID will be the same for all WAPs. A single WAP and its associated devices are referred to as a Basic Service Set (BSS) and are identified by a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), which is the MAC address of the WAP. A collection of BSSes using the same SSID form an Extended Service Set (ESS) and are identified by an Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID), which ...