TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Wireless Communications and Mobile

Computing

Prepared by: Samuel M.

 CHAPTER FOUR
Wireless Local Area Networks(WLANs)
 Outline 3

 Wireless LAN Overview

 Classification of Wireless Networks
 WLAN Architecture
 Components of 802.11
 IEEE Standards
 WLAN Benefits
 HIPERLAN
 Wireless Sensor Networks
 WLAN Technology Problems
 WLAN Implementation Problems
 MANETs
 Wireless Sensor Networks Applications
Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023
 Wireless LAN Overview 4

• A wireless LAN or WLAN is a wireless

local area network that uses radio waves
as its carrier.
• The last link with the users is wireless, to
give a network connection to all users in a
building or campus.
• The backbone network usually uses cables

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Common Topologies 5

The wireless LAN connects to a wired LAN

 There is a need of an access point

that bridges wireless LAN traffic into
the wired LAN.
 The access point (AP) can also act
as a repeater for wireless nodes,
effectively doubling the maximum
possible distance between nodes.

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Classification of Wireless Networks 6

• Base Station (BS): all communication through an

Access Point (AP). Other nodes can be fixed or
mobile.

• Infrastructure Wireless: AP is connected to the

wired Internet.

• Ad Hoc Wireless: wireless nodes communicate

directly with one another.

• MANETs (Mobile Ad Hoc Networks) :: ad hoc

nodes are mobile.
Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023
 Wireless LANs 7

(a) Wireless networking with a base station. (b) Ad hoc networking.

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 WLAN Architecture 8

• Infrastructured Wireless LAN

• Ad-Hoc LAN
Independent Basic Service Set Network

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Extended Service Sets (ESSs) 9

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Ad Hoc Wireless Networks 11

• IEEE 802.11 stations can dynamically form a

group without AP
• Ad Hoc Network: no pre-existing infrastructure
• Applications: “laptop” meeting in conference
room, car, airport; interconnection of “personal”
devices (see bluetooth.com); battlefield; pervasive
computing (smart spaces)
• IETF MANET
(Mobile Ad hoc NETworks)
working group

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Components of 802.11 12

• A MAC, PHY layer specification

. BSS (1)
• Should serve mobile and portable devices
• Should provide transparency of mobility
STA 1

(AP)
• Should appear as 802 LAN to LLC (“messy
MAC”)
DS • Basic Service Set (BSS)
STA 2 • Distribution System (DS)
(AP) • Station (STA)
• STA that is providing access to Distribution
System Service (DSS) is an Access Point
BSS (2) (AP)
• 802.11 supports Ad-hoc networking
• Provide “link level security”

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Integration with Existing Networks 13

• Wireless Access Points (APs) - a small device

that bridges wireless traffic to your network.

• Most access points bridge wireless LANs into

Ethernet networks, but Token-Ring options are
available as well.

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 802.11 Wireless LAN 15

LAN Technologies
Desktop
with PCI 802.11 LAN card
Network
connectivity
to the legacy
wired LAN
Access Point Laptop
with PCMCIA 802.11 LAN card

 Provides network connectivity over wireless media

 An Access Point (AP) is installed to act as Bridge between
Wireless and Wired Network
 The AP is connected to wired network and is equipped with
antennae to provide wireless connectivity

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 802.11 Wireless LAN 16

LAN Technologies
 Range (Distance between Access Point and WLAN client) depends
on structural hindrances and RF gain of the antenna at the Ap
 To service larger areas, multiple APs may be installed with a 20-30%
overlap
 A client is always associated with one AP and when the client moves
closer to another AP, it associates with the new AP (Hand-Off)
 Three flavors:
 802.11b
 802.11a
 802.11g
Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023
 How are WLANs Different? 17

• Use specialized physical and data link protocols

• Integrate into existing networks through Aps
• Make stay connected while roaming from one coverage
area to another
• Have unique security considerations
• Have specific interoperability requirements
• Require different hardware
• Offer performance that differs from wired LANs.

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Physical and Data Link Layers 18

Physical Layer:
• The wireless NIC takes frames of data from the link
layer, scrambles the data in a predetermined way, then
uses the modified data stream to modulate a radio
carrier signal.

Data Link Layer:

• Uses Carriers-Sense-Multiple-Access with Collision
Avoidance (CSMA/CA).
• MACA Protocol for Hidden, Exposed, Far and Near
Terminal Problems

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 What is IEEE 802.11? 19

• Standard for wireless local area networks (wireless LANs)

developed in 1990 by IEEE
• Intended for home or office use (primarily indoor)
• 802.11 standard describes the MAC layer, while other sub-
standards (802.11a, 802.11b) describe the physical layer
• Wireless version of the Ethernet (802.3) standard

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 IEEE 802 Standards Process 20

IEEE
802

802.11 802.15 802.16 802.20 802.18

WLAN WPAN WMAN WMAN Regulatory
Mobile Matters

802.11b 802.15.1 802.16d 802.18 SG1

11 Mbit/s Bluetooth Fixed Use of VHF/
UHF TV
802.11g 802.15.3 802.16e bands by LE
54 Mbit/s High rate Mobile equipment
802.11n 802.15.4 802.11j
100 Mbit/s Zigbee Relay
Wi-Fi
… … Wi-MAX
…
Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023
 IEEE 802 Standards Process 21

IEEE
802

802.11 802.15 802.16 802.20 802.18 802.22

…
WLAN WPAN WMAN WMAN Regulatory WRAN
Mobile Matters
802.22.1
Enhanced
802.11b 802.15.1 802.16d Part 74
11 Mbit/s Bluetooth Fixed protection

802.11g 802.15.3 802.16e

54 Mbit/s High rate Mobile 802.22.2
Recommended
802.11n 802.15.4 802.11j Practice
100 Mbit/s Zigbee Relay

… … …
Wi-Fi Wi-MAX
Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023
 IEEE Standards 22

“Regional Area
RA Network”
30-100 km N IEEE 802.22

54 - 862 MHz

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Wireless LANS 23

• Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)

– Operates
• In the same manner as the Ethernet networks
• A device waits for silence on the radio frequency
– Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA)
– Operates in
• AD-Hoc mode or
• Uses a Access point (AP) to allow connection to wired
infrastructure

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Wireless LANS 24
Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)

CSMA RTS Access Point

CTS
RTS = Request to Send
Data CTS = Clear to Send
Data =
ACK ACK = Acknowledgment

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Wireless LAN Protocols 25

• MACA protocol solved hidden and exposed terminal

problems. How?
 Sender broadcasts a Request-to-Send (RTS) and the intended
receiver sends a Clear-to-Send (CTS).
 Upon receipt of a CTS, the sender begins transmission of the
frame.
 RTS, CTS helps determine who else is in range or busy
(Collision Avoidance).
– Can a collision still occur?

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 802.11 WLAN Technologies 26

IEEE 802.11 standards and rates

IEEE 802.11 (1997) 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps (2.4 GHz band )
IEEE 802.11b (1999) 11 Mbps (2.4 GHz band) = Wi-Fi
IEEE 802.11a (1999) 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps (5 GHz band)
IEEE 802.11g (2001-2003) up to 54 Mbps (2.4 GHz) backward
compatible to 802.11b
• IEEE 802.11 networks work on license free industrial, science, medicine (ISM)
bands: 26 MHz 83.5 MHz 200 MHz 255 MHz

902 928 2400 2484 5150 5350 5470 5725 f/MHz

EIRP power
100 mW 200 mW 1W
in Finland
indoors only
EIRP: Effective Isotropically Radiated Power - radiated power measured immediately after
antenna. Equipment technical requirements for radio frequency usage defined in ETS 300 328

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 802.11 LAN Architecture 27

r wireless host communicates with

Internet base station
m base station = access point (AP)
r Basic Service Set (BSS) (aka
“cell”) in infrastructure mode
hub, switch contains:
AP or router
m wireless hosts
m access point (AP): base station
BSS 1
m ad hoc mode: hosts only
AP

BSS 2

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) 28

 k is the shared key

 Message + checksum(message) = plaintext
Ek(PlainText) = CipherText
Dk ( CipherText) = Dk (Ek(PlainText) ) = PlainText
• Integrity Check (IC): checksum of message
– Message + checksum(message) = plaintext
• Encryption
– Generates keystream (PseudoRandom string of bytes
• XOR () keystream and plaintext = ciphertext
• Send ciphertext over network XOR
0 1
0 0 1
1 1 0

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 WEP at the receiver 29
• Sender and receiver use same key
– Sender encrypts
• Receiver decrypts
– Sender XOR keystream and plaintext to get ciphertext
– Receiver XOR ciphertext with same key to get
plaintext
… RC4(x)  keystream = x
– RC4 (Rivest Cipher 4) is a simple & most widely used
form of stream cipher. It encrypts messages one byte at
a time.
Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023
 MANETs 34

• MANETs (Mobile Ad Hoc Networks)

– MANET is a continuously self-configuring, self-
organizing, infrastructure-less network of mobile
devices connected without wires.
– It is sometimes known as "on-the-fly" networks or
"spontaneous networks".

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 MANETs 35

• MANET is autonomous system of nodes or

MSs(serving as routers) connected by wireless
links, union of which forms a communication
network modeled in the form of an arbitrary
communication graph.

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 MANET 36
• MANET = Mobile Ad Hoc Networks
– multi-hop communication
• Coverage area is larger than radio range of single nodes
• Therefore, to reach some destination a node can use other nodes as relays.
– needs support of dynamic routing protocols (discover
routes, adapt to changes)

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 MANET 37

• MANET is autonomous system of nodes or MSs(also serving as

routers) connected by wireless links, the union of which forms a
communication network modeled in the form of an arbitrary
communication graph.

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 What is HIPERLAN/2? 38

 European standard developed by ETSI/BRAN

(European Telecommunications Standards
Institute/Broadband Radio Access Networks)
 Physical Layer is very similar to 802.11a
 Standard based on Wireless ATM (Asynchronous
Transfer Mode)
 ATM asynchronous time-division multiplexing to
encode data into small, fixed-sized cells.

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 HIPERLAN PROTOCOL 39

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 HiperLAN2 42

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 HiperLAN2 43

 IEEE 802.11 is a widely accepted standard in the

United States for wireless LANs
 Primarily a “cellular” random access scheme with ad
hoc networking and contention free access
 802.11b products are available now, but 802.11a are
better
 HIPERLAN/2 is being pushed in Europe
 Wireless ATM solution for real-time traffic
 Standard reflects the network topology
 There is an effort to agree on one world-wide
standard, keep your fingers crossed
Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023
 Wireless Sensor Networks 44
• sensor
– A transducer – convert physical quantity, such as pressure or brightness, into
an electrical signal, or vice versa.
– converts physical phenomenon e.g. heat, light, motion, vibration,
and sound into electrical signals
• sensor node
– basic unit in sensor network
– contains on-board sensors, processor, memory, transceiver, and
power supply
• sensor network
– consists of a large number of sensor nodes
– nodes deployed either inside or very close to the sensed
phenomenon
Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023
 Summary
of
WLAN
Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023
Classification of Wireless Networks 53

• Base Station: all communication through an Access

Point (AP). Other nodes can be fixed or mobile.
• Infrastructure Wireless: AP is connected to the wired
Internet.

• Ad Hoc Wireless: wireless nodes communicate directly

with one another.

• MANETs (Mobile Ad Hoc Networks): ad hoc nodes

are mobile.

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 WLAN Architecture 54
• Infrastructured Wireless LAN = AP connected to Wired Network
(Ethernet)

• Ad-Hoc Wireless LAN

IBSS(Independent Basic Service Set Network)
Ad Hoc Network: dynamically form a group with no pre-
existing infrastructure (without AP)
Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023
 802.11 LAN Architecture 55

Internet r Wireless host communicates with

base station
m Base Station = Access Point (AP)
r Basic Service Set (BSS) (aka “cell”)
in infrastructure mode contains:
hub, switch
m Wireless Hosts = Nodes
AP or router
m Access point (AP): Base Station

BSS 1 m Ad hoc mode: Hosts only

AP

Mobile2Computing – Computer Engineering

Wireless Communication and BSS 4/21/2023
 Components of 802.11 56

BSS (1) • Basic Service Set (BSS) = Cell

STA 1 • Distribution System (DS)

(AP)

DS • Station (STA) = Base Station (BS) = Access

Point (AP) that provide access to Distribution
STA 2 System Service (DSS)
(AP)

• Wireless Hosts = Nodes

BSS (2)

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 IEEE Standards 57

“Regional Area
RAN Network”
30-100 km IEEE 802.22

54 - 862 MHz
Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023
 802.11 WLAN Technologies 58

IEEE 802.11 standards and rates = WLAN

 IEEE 802.11 (1997) 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps (2.4 GHz band ),
 IEEE 802.11b (1999) 11 Mbps (2.4 GHz band) = Wi-Fi,
33 meter radius
 IEEE 802.11a (1999) 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps (5
GHz band), 20m
 IEEE 802.11g (2001-2003) up to 54 Mbps (2.4 GHz) backward
compatible to 802.11b, 20m
 IEEE 802.11n 100 Mbps
 HIPERLAN2 11 Mbps (2.4 GHz band) = 33 meter radius

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 802.11 WLAN Technologies 59

IEEE 802.11 standards and rates = WLAN

 IEEE 802.15 standards and rates = WPAN
 Bluetooth (802.15) 1 Mbps (2.4 GHz band) = 10
meter radius
• IEEE 802.16 standards and rates = WMAN
 WiMax (802.16) 54 Mbps (5 GHz band), 1-2 kms
radius
 HIPERMAN 54 Mbps (5 GHz band), 1-2 kms radius
 IEEE 802.22 standards and rates = WRAN
 Broadband Services (802.22) 18 Mbps (54-862 MHz band),
30-100 kms radius

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Wireless LANS 60

• Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)

CSMA/CA Access Point

RTS
RTS = Request to Send
CTS
CTS = Clear to Send
Data = Content
Data
ACK = Acknowledgment

ACK

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 Wireless LAN Protocols 61

• MACA protocol solved hidden and exposed terminal

problems:
 Sender broadcasts a Request-to-Send (RTS) and receiver
sends a Clear-to-Send (CTS).
 Upon receipt of a CTS, the sender begins transmission of the
frame.
 RTS, CTS helps determine who else is in range or busy
(Collision Avoidance).
– Can a collision still occur?

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

WEP = Wired Equivalent Privacy 62

 k = shared key

 Message + checksum(message) = plaintext

• Ek(PlainText) = CipherText

• Dk ( CipherText) = Dk (Ek(PlainText) ) = PlainText

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

 WSN =Wireless Sensor Networks 63

• Sensor
– Transducer – Physical quantity <==> Electrical Signal
– Physical quantity = pressure, brightness, heat, light, motion,
vibration, and sound
• Sensor Node
– basic unit in sensor network
– Contains on-board sensors, processor, memory, transceiver, and
power supply
• Sensor Network
– consists of a large number of sensor nodes
– nodes deployed either inside or very close to the sensed phenomenon

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023

Wireless Communication and Mobile Computing – Computer Engineering 4/21/2023