Scenario: You want to add a standalone device, or two, to your wireless network. These devices might include an MP3 player, such as the Compaq IPaq Music Center for about $800, or a printer server, which can run from $75 to $200. Not all of your equipment needs to be connected to a PC. You can use devices that will speed up your network, such as a wireless printer server, which needs no physical connection to the network. You can also make a device that everyone uses, such as a scanner or MP3 player, more easy to access by connecting it to an access point that has ports for a hub (many do, and it won't add much to the price). Figure 4.14. You can connect standalone elements, such as a network MP3 player, using a hub with a built-in Ethernet hub.
In the next section we'll consider how older equipment can be used with equipment that is introduced later, and typically helps speed up elements of your network. |