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Native 802.11 (Windows CE 5.0)

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Native 802.11 specifies a wireless LAN framework that provides improved 802.11 user experience, and lower 802.11 device and infrastructure deployments costs. Native 802.11 provides such enhanced wireless networking options as security power management, roaming, load balancing, Quality of Service (QoS), and location awareness.

Native 802.11 is a unified infrastructure, and lets you configure a wireless network adapter into either a station (STA) or an access point (AP) through a user interface. By supporting Native 802.11 miniport driver interfaces, a network adapter can take advantage of all the Native 802.11 services. These include cooperative roaming, location awareness, and power management. Native 802.11 lets you configure a single network adapter for use both in infrastructure networks, where an AP bridges wired and wireless LANs, as well as in ad hoc networks.

The Native 802.11 implementation in Windows CE supports the following technologies:

  • AP support: A wireless network adapter can be configured into an AP.
  • STA support: A wireless network adapter can be configured into an STA.
  • Combined support for AP and STA.
  • Frame translation: Native 802.11 supports IEEE 802.11-to-IEEE 802.3 and IEE 802.3-to-IEEE 802.11 frame translations.
  • Fundamental IEEE 802.11 services: Native 802.11 incorporates all of MAC upper layer functions such as MAC sub-layer fragmentation, association, and authentication services. In addition, Native 802.11 also provides MAC and physical layer management functions.
  • Basic service set (BSS) bridging: Native 802.11 supports bridging on Ethernet-type interfaces.

See Also

802.11 Overview | Native Wi-Fi WLAN

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