Chapter Three

Data Communication and Transmission Medias

Part II

Data Communication and Computer Networks

(SE 3051)

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Introduction to Wireless Networks
 A wireless network enables people to communicate and access applications and

information without wires.

o This provides freedom of movement and the ability to extend applications to

different parts of a building, city, or nearly anywhere in the world.

 Wireless technologies use electromagnetic waves to carry information between

devices.
o The electromagnetic spectrum includes such things as radio and television

broadcast bands, visible light, x-rays and gamma-rays.

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Contd.

o Certain areas of the spectrum have been set aside to allow public use

without the restriction of having to apply for special permits.

o The most common wavelengths used for public wireless communications

include the Infrared and part of the Radio Frequency (RF) band

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Advantage and Disadvantages of Wireless Technologies

Advantages
o Ability to provide anytime, anywhere connectivity.
o Easy and inexpensive to install
o Enables networks to be easily expanded, without the limitations of cabled
connections
o New and visiting users can join the network quickly and easily
Disadvantage/risk
o Signal interference with other devices such as microwave ovens and
cordless phones that use same frequency ranges
o Security
o Encryption and authentication may be used as a precaution
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Types of Wireless Media
• IEEE 802.11 standards
• Commonly referred to as Wi-Fi.
• Uses CSMA/CA
• Variations include:
• 802.11a: 54 Mbps, 5 GHz
• 802.11b: 11 Mbps, 2.4 GHz
• 802.11g: 54 Mbps, 2.4 GHz
• 802.11n: 600 Mbps, 2.4 and 5 GHz
• 802.11ac: 1 Gbps, 5 GHz
• 802.11ad: 7 Gbps, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 60 GHz

• IEEE 802.15 standard

• Supports speeds up to 3 Mbps
• Provides device pairing over distances from 1 to 100 meters.

• IEEE 802.16 standard

• Provides speeds up to 1 Gbps
• Uses a point-to-multipoint topology to provide wireless
broadband access.
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Wireless Technologies
 Wireless networks can be classified broadly as:
o Wireless personal-area network (WPAN):- Operates in the range of a

few feet (Bluetooth).

o Wireless LAN (WLAN):- Operates in the range of a few hundred feet.

o Wireless wide-area network (WWAN):- Operates in the range of miles.

o Bluetooth:- An IEEE 802.15 WPAN standard; uses a device-pairing process

to communicate over distances up to .05 mile (100m).

o Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity):- An IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard; provides

network access to home and corporate users, to include data, voice and video
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traffic, to distances up to 0.18 mile (300m).
Contd.
o Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) :- An

IEEE 802.16 WWAN standard that provides wireless broadband access of up

to 30 mi (50 km).

o Cellular broadband:- Consists of various corporate, national, and

international organizations using service provider cellular access to provide

mobile broadband network connectivity.

o Satellite Broadband:- Provides network access to remote sites through the

use of a directional satellite dish.

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Contd.
 Despite these distinct categories, it is difficult to place boundary limitations on

a wireless implementation.

o This is because, unlike a wired network, wireless networks do not have

precisely defined boundaries

WPAN

o The smallest wireless network used to connect various peripheral devices

such as mice, keyboards and PDAs to a computer.

o All of these devices are dedicated to a single host with usually use IR or

Bluetooth technology
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Contd.
WLAN

o Typically used to extend the boundaries of the local wired network (LAN).
o Use RF technology and conform to the IEEE 802.11 standards.
o They allow many users to connect to a wired network through a device known
as an Access Point (AP).
 An Access Point provides a connection between wireless hosts and hosts
on an Ethernet wired network
WWAN

o Provide coverage over extremely large areas.

o A good example of a WWAN is the cell phone network.
o Often regulated by government agencies
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Wireless LAN Standards
 A number of standards have been developed to ensure that wireless devices can
communicate.
o They specify the RF spectrum used, data rates, how the information is
transmitted...
 The IEEE 802.11 standard governs the WLAN environment.
 There are 6 amendments to the IEEE 802.11 standard
o 802.11a
o 802.11b
o 802.11g
o 802.11n
o 802.11ac
10 o 802.11ad
Contd.
802.11a: (Released October 1999)
o Uses 5 GHz RF spectrum
o Maximum data rate 54 Mbps
o Not compatible with 2.4 GHz spectrum, i.e. 802.11 b/g/n devices
o Maximum range is 50 m
o Relatively expensive to implement compared to other technologies
o Increasingly difficult to find 802.11a compliant equipment
802.11b: (Released October 1999)
o First of the 2.4 GHz spectrum technologies
o Maximum data-rate of 11 Mbps
o Maximum range is 100 m

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Contd.
802.11g: (Released in June 2003)
o 2.4 GHz spectrum technologies
o Maximum data-rate 54 Mbps
o Same range as the 802.11b (100m)
o Backwards compatible with 802.11b
802.11n: (2nd draft released in March 2007)
o Newest standard in development
o 2.4 GHz technologies (draft standard specifies support for 5 GHz)
o Maximum data-rate 540 Mbps
o Maximum range is 250m
o Backwards compatible with existing 802.11g and 802.11b equipment
(draft standard specifies 802.11a support)
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Wi-Fi(802.11) Standards
Maximum Backwards
Standard Frequency
Speed compatible

802.11a 54 Mbps 5 GHz No

802.11b 11 Mbps 2.4 GHz No

802.11g 54 Mbps 2.4 GHz 802.11b

802.11n 600 Mbps 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz 802.11b/g

1.3 Gbps 2.4 GHz and 5.5
802.11ac 802.11b/g/n
(1300 Mbps) GHz
7 Gbps 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
802.11ad 802.11b/g/n/ac
(7000 Mbps) and 60 GHz

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Wi-Fi Certification
The Wi-Fi Alliance certifies Wi-Fi and the following product compatibility:

• IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad-compatible.

• IEEE 802.11i secure using WPA2™ and Extensible Authentication Protocol

(EAP)

• Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) to simplify device connections.

• Wi-Fi Direct to share media between devices

• Wi-Fi Passpoint to simplify securely connecting to Wi-Fi hotspot networks

• Wi-Fi Miracast to seamlessly display video between devices

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Comparing WLANs to LANs

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Wireless Network Components

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Components and Structure of a WLAN

There are various components that must be considered in a WLAN including:

1. Wireless client or station (STA):

• Any host device that can participate in a wireless network

2. Access Point (APs)

• Controls access between a wired and a wireless network.

 allows wireless clients to gain access to a wired network and vice versa.
• Acts as a media converter accepting the Ethernet frames from the wired network
and converting them to 802.11 compliant frames before transmitting them on
the WLAN, and vice versa.
• APs support wireless connections within a limited area, known as a cell or Basic
Service Set (BSS)
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Contd.
3. Wireless Bridge
• Used to connect two wired networks via a wireless link

• Allows long range point-to-point connection between networks (up to 40 KM)

• Uses unlicensed RF frequencies

4. Antenna
• Used on APs and Wireless bridges

• Increases the output signal strength from a wireless device

• Receives wireless signals from other devices such as STAs

• Antennas are of three types: Directional antennas, Omni-directional

antennas and Yagi antennas.
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Contd.
 Directional Wi-Fi Antennas concentrate the signal strength into one
direction (used in wireless bridges)
o Directional antennas focus the radio signal in a given direction, which enhances
the signal to and from the AP in the direction the antenna is pointing.

 Omni-directional Wi-Fi Antennas are designed to emit equally in

all directions (used in APs)
o Factory Wi-Fi gear often uses basic dipole antennas, also referred to as “rubber
duck” design, similar to those used on walkie-talkie radios.

o Omnidirectional antennas provide 360-degree coverage.

 Yagi antennas:- Type of directional radio antenna that can be used for long-distance
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Wi-Fi networking.
Contd.
 When building a wireless network, the wireless components

connect to the appropriate WLAN using a Service Set Identifier (SSID)

 The SSID is a case-sensitive, alpha-numeric string that is up to 32-

characters.

 The SSID is used to tell wireless devices which WLAN they belong

to and with which other devices they can communicate

o Regardless of the type of WLAN installation, all wireless devices in a

WLAN must be configured with the same SSID in order to

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802.11 Wireless Topology Modes

There are two basic forms of WLAN installations:

1. Ad-hoc network:- The simplest form of a wireless network

 Created by connecting two or more wireless clients together in a peer-to-peer

network.
 does not include an AP

 The area covered by this network is known as an Independent Basic Service

Set (IBSS)
 Can be used to exchange files and information between devices without the

expense and complexity of purchasing and configuring an AP

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Contd.

2. Infrastructure Mode
 Larger networks require an Access Point to control communications in the

wireless cell.
 AP controls who can talk and when.

 In this form of WLAN, individual STAs can not communicate directly with

each other.
 To communicate, each device must obtain permission from the AP.

 The area covered by a single AP is known as a Basic Service Set (BSS) or cell.

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Contd.

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Contd.
 The Basic Service Set (BSS) is the smallest building block of a WLAN.

 To expand the coverage area, it is possible to connect multiple BSSs through a

Distribution System (DS)

 This forms an Extended Service Set (ESS). An ESS uses multiple APs.

o Each AP is in a separate BSS

 In order to allow movement between the cells without the loss of signal, BSSs

must overlap by approximately 10% (see picture in next slide)

o This allows the client to connect to the second AP before disconnecting

from the first AP

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Contd.

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CSMA/CA
 Wireless technology uses an access method called Carrier Sense Multiple Access
with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA)

CSMA/CA creates a reservation on the channel for use by a specific

conversation.
o While a reservation is in place, no other device may transmit on the
channel thus possible collisions are avoided
 In CSMA/CA, a device before transmission must ask permission from the AP
[Request to Send (RTS)]
 If the channel is available, the AP will respond to the device [Clear to Send (CTS)
message]
o A CTS is broadcast to all devices within the BSS. Therefore, all devices in the BSS
28 know that the requested channel is now in use.
Contd.
Once the conversation is complete, the
device that requested the channel sends
another message to the AP known as an
Acknowledgement (ACK).
o The ACK indicates to the AP that the
channel can be released.

o This message is also broadcast to all

devices on the WLAN.

o All devices within the BSS receive

the ACK and know that the channel
is once again available.
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Planning the WLAN
 When implementing a wireless network solution, it is important to plan before
performing any installation. This includes:
o Determining the type of wireless standard to use
o Determining the most efficient layout of devices
o An installation and security plan
o A strategy for backing up and updating the firmware of the wireless devices

Wireless standard
 Consider factors when determining which WLAN standard to use
o Bandwidth requirements
o Coverage areas
o Existing implementations, and  This information is gathered by determining
o Cost. end-user requirements.

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Contd.
Coverage areas.
 The 2.4 GHz signal, used in 802.11 b/g/n technologies, travels a greater distance
than does the 5 GHz signal, used in 802.11a technologies.
o Thus 802.11 b/g/n supports a larger BSS.

o This translates into less equipment and a lower cost of implementation.

The existing network

 Also affects new implementation of WLAN standards.
o For example, the 802.11n standard is backward compatible with 802.11g and
802.11b but not with 802.11a.
o If the existing network infrastructure and equipment support 802.11a, new
implementations must also support the same standard.

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Contd.
Securing the AP
Security measures should be planned and configured before connecting the AP to
the network or ISP.
Some of the more basic security measures include:
o Change default values for the SSID, usernames and passwords

o Disable broadcast SSID

o Configure MAC Address Filtering

Some of the more advanced security measures include:

o Configure encryption using WEP or WPA

o Configure authentication

o Configure traffic filtering

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 Summary

 Wireless technologies use electromagnetic radiation in the

form of radio signals to carry information between devices.

 Ease and convenience of connecting devices wirelessly creates

security concerns that need to be addressed.

 Before installing wireless devices, an installation plan should

be created which includes strategies for layout and security.

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