Analysis of Six Typical WLAN Network Architectures

01 Wireless Typical Networking One: Home Wireless Network

This is a typical home wireless network. In this network, NAT is performed twice, once at the wireless router and once at the optical modem exit. The wireless router converts wired signals into wireless Wi-Fi signals.

The wireless router can also be set to relay mode, with DHCP performed on the optical modem, allowing the wireless router to only perform Layer 2 transparent transmission without the need for NAT.

02 Wireless Typical Networking Two: Ad-Hoc Networking Architecture

Users can create a wireless network on their laptops (Windows 7 and above) for other wireless terminals to connect, enabling local area network communication.

03 Wireless Typical Networking Three: Wireless Networking for Small and Medium Enterprises

Previous articles have introduced the three major components of wireless: wireless AP, wireless controller, and POE switch.

04 Wireless Typical Networking Four: Large-Scale Wireless Networking Architecture

Previous articles have introduced the three major components of wireless: wireless AP, wireless controller, and POE switch.

05 Wireless Typical Networking Five: WDS Wireless Bridging Network

Bridging mainly connects two networks wirelessly. Previous articles have introduced outdoor APs, where traditional outdoor APs can be set to bridge mode. However, using outdoor APs for bridging is too expensive. Generally, manufacturers have dedicated bridging devices for wireless bridging, which are relatively cheaper and allow for longer bridging distances.

Bridging networks can be divided into point-to-point and point-to-multipoint types, as shown in the figure below. For scenarios with many access points, point-to-multipoint networking is recommended to save on the number of APs/bridges.

In production environments, it is recommended to use the 2.4GHz band for WDS bridging backhaul due to lower signal attenuation, while the 5GHz band is used for user terminal access to reduce interference and achieve the best coverage.

06 Wireless Typical Networking Six: MESH Networking

Wireless MESH networking (Wireless Mesh Network, WMN) refers to a mesh dynamic self-organizing and self-configuring wireless network that connects multiple APs via wireless links, ultimately connecting to a wired network through one or two root nodes. The network architecture is shown in the figure below:

MESH architecture is mainly applied in warehouse environments or factories: such scenarios have a large area and are not suitable for wiring, so only MESH architecture can be used. APs are set to MESH mode, automatically negotiating for networking and data backhaul, with edge APs connecting to the wired network, reducing wiring work and providing link redundancy.

In summary, we have introduced several common wireless networking architectures. Bridging and MESH architectures are not used frequently, so everyone should only understand them. The other several networking types are more common and should be further understood.

Source: 5G Communication

Reviewed by: Zhao Lixin