CompTIA

Network+ Guide
to Networks,
Ninth Edition

Module 6: Wireless Networking

Jill West, CompTIA Network+ Guide to Networks, 9th Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not
be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Module Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. Describe characteristics of wireless transmissions

2. Explain 802.11 standards and innovations

3. Implementing a Wi-Fi network

4. Secure a Wi-Fi network

 Characteristics of Wireless Transmissions
• WLANs (WLANs) use radio frequencies (RFs) that are radiated into the air from an antenna
that creates radio waves.
• Wired and wireless signals share many similarities including the use of the same Layer 3
and higher protocols
• The nature of the atmosphere makes wireless transmission different from wired
transmission
• These waves can be absorbed, refracted, or reflected by walls, water, and metal surfaces,
resulting in low signal strength.
.
 Signal Propagation
• Propagation refers to the way in which a wave travels from one point to another
• LOS (line-of-sight) occurs when the signal travels in a straight line directly from
transmitter to receiver
• Wireless signals do not usually follow a straight line
• When obstacles are in a signal’s way, the signal may:
• Pass through the object
• Be absorbed by the object
• Attenuation – the farther the signal moves away from the transmission source, the more it
weakens
• Wireless signals can be amplified by increasing the power of the transmission or
extended by repeating the signal from a closer broadcast point called a wireless range
extender
• Fading – as a signal runs into obstacles, its energy will gradually fade
• Excessive fading can cause dropped connections or slow data transmission
• Interference – electromagnetic waves can interfere with wireless communications
• Wireless signals are more vulnerable to noise
 Signal Propagation
• Refraction – as a wave travels through objects the wave’s direction, speed,
and wavelength are altered (or refracted)
• Reflection – the wave encounters an obstacle and reflects, or bounces back
toward its source
• Scattering – when a wireless signal encounters an object that has small
surface dimensions compared with the signal’s wavelength, it’s diffused or
scattered in multiple directions
• Diffraction – a wireless signal is diffracted, or split into secondary waves,
when it encounters an obstruction
• Wireless signals follow different paths to destination, known as multipath
signals
 • Because WLANs transmit over radio frequencies, they're regulated by the same types of
laws used to govern things like AM/FM radios.
• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that regulates the use of wireless
LAN devices
• Various agencies have been around for a very long time to help govern the use of wireless
devices, frequencies, standards, and how the frequency spectrums are used. Table 12.1
shows the current agencies that help create, maintain, and even enforce wireless standards
worldwide.1

1 Lammle, T. (2021). CompTIA Network Study Guide (5th ed.). Wiley Professional Development (P&T).
https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781119811640
The Wireless Spectrum
• The wireless spectrum is the frequency range of electromagnetic
waves used for data and voice communication
• The wireless spectrum spans frequency ranges or bands between
9 kHz and 300 GHz
• Wireless Technologies:
• RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) uses electromagnetic fields
to store data on a small chip in an RFID tag, which includes an
antenna that can transmit and receive, and possibly a battery
• RFID is commonly used for inventory management
• NFC (near-field communication) is a form of RFID that transfers
data wirelessly over very short distances
• Signal can be transmitted one way by an NFC tag, or smart
tag
• The NFC tag collects power from the smartphone or other
device by magnetic induction
The Wireless Spectrum
The FCC opened three frequency ranges for public use, many
manufacturers were able to start offering myriad products that
flooded the market, with 802.11AC/AX being the most widely used
wireless network found today.
 The Wireless Spectrum
• Bluetooth technology unites separate entities under a single communication
standard
• Most Bluetooth devices require close proximity to form a connection, with
the exact distance requirements depending on the class of Bluetooth
device
• ANT+ technology is based on the ANT protocol, which is an ad-hoc wireless
protocol operating at about 2.4 GHz
• ANT+ gathers and tracks information from sensors typically embedded in
heart rate monitors, GPS devices, and other activity monitoring devices
• ANT+ can also sync data from multiple devices for the same activity
• Such as a smartwatch, smartphone, bicycle computer, or fitness
equipment
 The Wireless Spectrum

• Z-Wave is a smart home protocol that provides two basic types of functions:
• Signaling to manage wireless connections and control to transmit data and commands
between devices
• A Z-Wave network controller (called a hub) receives commands from a smartphone or
computer and relays the commands to various smart devices on its network
• ZigBee is a low-powered, battery-conserving wireless technology
• It is designed to handle small amounts of data
• Zigbee is used in IoT devices for purposes such as building automation, HVAC control,
AMR (Automatic Meter Reading), and fleet management
 The Wireless Spectrum

• IR (infrared) technology is used primarily to collect data through various sensors

• A form of light; requires a nearly unobstructed LOS(line of Sight) transmission
• IR exists just below the spectrum visible to the human eye
• IR sensors are used to collect information such as the following:
• Presence or level of liquid
• Variations in reflections from skin caused by variations in blood flow
• Proximity to the device
• Commands from a control device
 802.11 WLAN Standards
• WLANs work at OSI Layers 1 and 2
• They support TCP/IP higher-layer OSI protocols and operating systems
• Most popular standards used by WLANs is referred to as Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity)
• Notable Wi-Fi standards
• 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax
• 802.11n and later modify the way frames are used at the MAC sublayer (lower portion of
the Data Link layer)
• The Wi-Fi Alliance grants certification for interoperability among 802.11 products offered
by various vendors. This certification provides a sort of comfort zone for the users
purchasing the many types of products, although in my personal experience, it's just a
whole lot easier if you buy all your access points from the same manufacturer.
 Wireless LAN history
• WLAN history that is important to us. Although wireless transmissions date back many,
many years, the type we really care about is wireless as related to WLANs starting in the
1990s. Use of the ISM band started in early 1990, and it's deployed today in multiple
environments, including outdoor links, mesh networks, office buildings, healthcare facilities,
warehouses, and homes.
 Implementing a Wi-Fi Network

• This section describes:

• WLAN technologies and how to design small WLANs
• How to install and configure access points and clients on larger networks
 Determine the Design
• Home or small office network, called a SOHO network, might call for only one access point
• The AP device often combines switching, routing, and other network functions (Wireless
Router)
• It connects wireless clients to LAN and acts as an Internet gateway
• Many home or office networks include IoT (Internet of Things) devices
• Examples of IoT devices that might be a part of a home or office network include the
following:
• Health monitors, exercise equipment, GPS locators, and smartwatches
• Smart speakers
• Smart thermostats
• Smart doorbells
• Security cameras
• Smart refrigerators
WiFi Router
Determine the Design
• Does not include
routing or switching
functions

Determine weather certain

floors require multiple APs:
Measure the signal coverage

Figure 6-26 An enterprise-

scale wireless network
 Determine the Design
• Consider the following when deciding where to install an AP:
• Distance
• Type and number of obstacles
• Coverage
• Interference
 WAP VS WI-FI ROUTERS
WAP
• Allows connection to wireless
devices.
• Does not have firewall
• Requires a wifi router
• Does not includes DHCP
service
• Does not Includes a
WAN(Internet) port
• Used to extend the wireless
signal
WIFI ROUTERS
• Provides Internet
connection through cable
Ethernet and broadcast
the WIFI for connection
wireless.
• Includes firewall
• Includes DHCP service –
assigns IP address to
devices
• Includes a WAN(Internet)
port
 Configure Wi-Fi Connectivity Devices

• APs vary in which wireless standards they support, their antenna strength, and other
features
• Variables set during installation include the following:
1. Administrator password
2. SSID and whether or not the SSID is broadcast
• SSID (service set identifier) A character string used to identify an access point on an
802.11 network
3. Security options
4. Whether or not DHCP is used
• If something goes awry during your SOHO router configuration, you can force a reset of all
the variables you changed
 Configure Wi-Fi Clients

• Configuration varies from one client type to another

• As long as an AP is broadcasting its SSID, clients in its vicinity will detect it and offer the
user the option to associate with it
• By default, the 802.11 standard offers no security
• Authentication – allows a client to log on to the network either by providing the correct
password for the SSID or by providing user credentials processed by an authentication
server
• MAC filtering prevents the AP from authenticating any device whose MAC address is
not listed
• Encryption algorithms – scramble data into a format that cannot easily be interpreted if
the signal is intercepted
 WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)

• WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) dynamically assigns every transmission its own key
• 802.11i incorporates an encryption key generation and management scheme known as
TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) to improve security for legacy WEP-based
devices
• TKIP accomplished the following improvements:
• Message integrity - ensures incoming packets are, in fact, coming from their declared
source
• Key distribution-—Assigns every transmission its own key
• Encryption-Includes encryption originally provided by rC4 (rivest Cipher 4), a now
insecure encryption cipher that is still widely used.
 WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access, Version 2)

• WPA2 uses stronger data confidentiality methods

• CCMP, which is short for Counter Mode with CBC (Cipher Block Chaining) MAC (Message
Authentication Code) Protocol, helps ensure data confidentiality with both encryption and
packet authentication by providing the following:
• Message integrity – ensures incoming packets are coming from their declared source
• Encryption – uses AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), which provides faster and more
secure encryption than TKIP
 Personal and Enterprise
• The most secure communication is made
possible by combining a RADIUS server with
WPA/WPA2
• Known as WPA-Enterprise or WPA2-
Enterprise
• RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-in User
Service) is an open source authentication and
authorization service
• A RADIUS server is used in cooperation with
an authentication mechanism called EAP
• EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol)
provides the framework for authenticating
clients and servers
 Security Threats to Wi-Fi Networks
• War driving – a hacker searches for unprotected wireless networks by driving around with a
laptop configured to receive and capture wireless data transmissions
• War chalking – hackers draw symbols with chalk on the sidewalk or wall near a vulnerable AP to
make it known to other hackers
• Evil twin – a rogue AP planted in a network’s geological area to pose as an authorized AP
• One type of rogue access point, an evil twin, can be used to trick a device into connecting to
the wrong network by broadcasting the same SSID as the authorized network or another
SSID that appears just as legitimate to the user.
• WPA attack – involves an interception of the network keys communicated between stations and
APs
• Also called WPA cracking
• WPS attack – involves cracking a PIN in order to access an APs settings
• The pin can be easily cracked through a brute force attack, which means simply trying
numerous possible character combinations to find the correct combination.

• (43) Wireless security – YouTube

• Securing Wireless Networks | CISA
 Summary
Now that the lesson has ended, you should be able to:
• Describe characteristics of wireless transmissions
• Explain 802.11 standards and innovations
• Plan a Wi-Fi network
• Secure a Wi-Fi network
• Troubleshoot a Wi-Fi network