802.11 Demystified: Wi-Fi Made Easy (Telecommunications) (Paperback)

~ James LaRocca (Author), Ruth LaRocca (Author) "Wireless communication is changing the way we work and play..." (more)
Key Phrases: Working Group, Task Group, North America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

indispensable for network planners, IT executives, technology product managers, application designers...technical sales and marketing representatives... -- Poptronics, November 2002

Review

Offering technical information necessary for understanding and examining wireless LAN technology standards, this book is indispensable for network planners, IT executives, technology product managers, application designers, and technical sales and marketing representatives. The text covers the strengths, and weaknesses of 802.11; and addresses in underlying technology including RF implementations, network topologies, and mobility management, as well as data security. (Poptronics )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 291 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (June 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071385282
• ISBN-13: 978-0071385282
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #997,248 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too much fluff, November 27, 2002

By A Customer

This book contains too much fluff. The title is somewhat misleading in my opinion. It has almost 300 pages but only about 150-170 of those pages actually deal with 802.11. Even of those pages, a considerable amount of space is devoted to covering the other 802.11 working groups leaving me disappointed in the 802.11b coverage. The rest of the book covers other wireless networking technologies (such as hiperlan, homeRF and countless others that most of us will never encounter). It also spends way too many pages on vague, 1-2 paragraph descriptions of how business x has implemented a 802.11 network to enhance productivity. And finally, the last 61 pages (aka appendix A), is a word-for-word reprint of the FCC regulations covering unlicensed emissions. These regulations apply to, but are not specific to, 802.11 and are surely available for free on the internet if you really have to have them. I'm still looking for a good WiFi book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taking the mystery out of wireless., September 13, 2002

By	Michael J Woznicki "Michael J Woznicki" (Holland, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The newest technology for networking is wireless and the protocol that covers this is 802.11. In just over 280 pages I found a wealth of information that not only simplifies the concepts but also helped me understand how this new technology will enhance networking as we know it.

What the authors do in this book, which I haven't seen in any others is breakdown the protocol first, explaining how the different levels of 802.11, BlueTooth and 3G work. This includes 802.11, 11A, 11B and 11G, each having a specific purpose and function.

I found that not only is there different types of protocols but also hardware and carriers for wireless LANs as well, the book does a good job of distinguishing each from the other. The authors also cover the process of implementation and planning which makes this a fairly well rounded manual.

One thing I like most about the book was the coverage of the applications you can use and what groups are already using the technology. While this book isn't written to any certification per say, this book will be a handy reference for the CWNA exam and beyond

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too simple without insight, October 3, 2002

By	Meng-Ru Li (Taipei, Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This book severs as an introductory book. If you are an engineer with backgound on ethernet, you can skip this. This book is supposed for non-technical people, like marketing. Go for 802.11 wireless network if you want to know more.