Chapter 3. Network Layout

A common mistake that peoplemake when trying to design somethingcompletely foolproof is to underestimatethe ingenuity of complete fools.

—Douglas Adams

As we saw in Chapter 2, there is an astounding variety of wireless networking equipment available on the consumer market today. While the champion technology of wireless community networks is still 802.11b, simply choosing equipment that is "Wi-Fi" compliant won't necessarily guarantee a successful network project.

While equipment features, capabilities, and prices tend to change drastically in a short time, the essential network functions that they perform are still very straightforward. Let's look at what your devices need to provide in order to fulfill your wireless networking dreams.