Wireless networking for computers works in a similar way as cordless phones. The cradle, or phone holder, would be the Access Point (AP) and the computer would be the phone itself –allowing you to roam around and still transfer files or even stream audio to other computers and LAN’s (Local Area Networks). In fact, the most popular form of wireless, 802.11b, works on the same frequency of your cordless phone -2.4GHz.

Sadly, 802.11b only allows for an 11-15 MBPS transfer rate (not something you’d want to send audio files over, for example). However, 802.11g ups the ante with a theoretical transfer rate of 54 MBPS as well as being backward compatible with 802.11b.

One of the biggest problems facing 802.11b and g is the fact that it runs at 2.4GHz, just like your cordless phone and microwave which means interference can come into play. On the flip side, 802.11a utilizes the 5GHz band and is less susceptible to interference as well as supporting 54 MBPS, but unfortunately it is also much more directional and can have problems with its range. Additionally, 802.11a is not backwards compatible with the almost universal 811.2b.