Plans are under way for operating in the 5-GHz range and offering data rates up to 54 Mbps. WEP not only offers privacy, but also adds authentication by requiring an encryption key for access. Support for WEP was spotty in the original implementation, but most 802.11b products include it. Just be forewarned that enabling WEP may decrease performance in some cases. Wireless Networking Wireless LANs are not terribly complicated to design.
Any client can talk to any other device, including another client.
It's just a matter of how you configure your software. No access points are involved. You can set up a network in your conference room in a matter of minutes and transfer files between laptops at 11 Mbps. If you are having difficulty, keep in mind that some vendors, including Apple Computer, work in ad hoc mode on only a single, unchangeable channel. Ad hoc wireless LANs can be considered a temporary setup that will not get you access to other corporate network resources.