Wireless network
Frank Rennie, Keith Smyth · 2019
In general terms, this is any network that operates without cables and relies on radio communication to carry a signal. Wireless networks may support a variety of devices, including telephones, computers and personal digital assistants, usually to give users access to the internet or a LAN such as an organisational intranet . A wireless network may cover a single room, a building, or a wider geographical area. The advantage of a wireless connection to the internet is that it potentially allows users to go online from anywhere, not simply at a designated campus or learning centre. A wireless broadband connection offers the learner the possibility of accessing information such as a database or a VLE in the pursuit of field-based activities, and therefore extends the boundaries of the learning environment even further outside the conventional classroom. In practice, the current coverage of wireless broadband connections is geographically quite limited and places practical restrictions on the flexibility of wireless network access.