Data Communication &

Computer Networks
Course Instructor:
Mr Aizaz Raziq
Physical Layer outline
6.1 Introduction

Wireless
6.2 IEEE 802.11 wireless
LANs (“ Wi-Fi” )
Elements of a wireless network

network
infrastructure
Elements of a wireless network
wireless hosts
 laptop, smartphone
 run applications
 may be stationary (non-
mobile) or mobile
network
infrastructure  wireless does not always
mean mobility
Elements of a wireless network
base station
 typically connected to
wired network
 relay - responsible for
sending packets between
wired network and wireless
network host(s) in its “ area”
infrastructure  e.g., cell towers,
802.11 access points
Elements of a wireless network
wireless link
 typically used to connect
mobile(s) to base station
 also used as backbone link
 multiple access protocol
network coordinates link access
infrastructure  various data rates,
transmission distance
Characteristics of selected wireless links

200 802.11n

54 802.11a,g 802.11a,g point-to-point

Data rate (Mbps)

5-11 802.11b 4G: LTWE WIMAX

4 3G: UMTS/WCDMA-HSPDA, CDMA2000-1xEVDO

1 802.15

.384 2.5G: UMTS/WCDMA, CDMA2000

.056 2G: IS-95, CDMA, GSM

Indoor Outdoor Mid-range Long-range

10-30m 50-200m outdoor outdoor
200m – 4 Km 5Km – 20 Km
Elements of a wireless network
infrastructure mode
 base station connects
mobiles into wired
network
 handoff: mobile changes
network
base station providing
infrastructure
connection into wired
network
Elements of a wireless network
ad hoc mode
 no base stations
 nodes can only transmit to
other nodes within link
coverage
 nodes organize themselves
into a network: route
among themselves
Wireless network taxonomy
single hop multiple hops
host connects to host may have to
infrastructure base station (WiFi, relay through several
WiMAX, cellular) wireless nodes to
(e.g., APs)
which connects to connect to larger
larger Internet Internet: mesh net

no base station, no
connection to larger
no no base station, no
Internet. May have to
infrastructure connection to larger
relay to reach other
Internet (Bluetooth,
a given wireless node
ad hoc nets)
Physical Layer outline
6.1 Introduction

Wireless
6.2 IEEE 802.11 wireless
LANs (“ Wi-Fi” )
WLAN Technology Overview

 Physical layer technologies

 Architecture
 Transmission
 Medium access control technologies
 Architecture
• Network connectivity life time
•Ad-hoc
 Architecture (Cont.)
• Network connectivity life time
•Infrastructure BSS 1
direct connection

STA STA
AP

Distribution System Portal

DS

AP Wired 802.3 LAN

BSS 2
STA STA
 Architecture (Cont.)
• Connection type
•Point-to-point
 Architecture (Cont.)
• Connection type
•Broadcast
 Transmission Medium
• Radio frequency transmission
• Narrow-band transmission
• Spread spectrum transmission

• Infrared transmission
• Laser diode sources
• Light emitting diode sources
Wireless LAN Standards

•IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN standards

IEEE 802.11 Physical Layer

 Medium type
 2.4 GHz (2400 - 2483.2 GHz)
 Diffused infrared (850 - 950 nm)
 Rates: basic=1 Mbps, enhanced=2 Mbps
Overview of the Protocol Layers

 IEEE 802.11 specifies a MAC layer that is designed to operate over wireless channel
 IEEE 802.11 is in the same protocol layer as the IEEE 802.3

Network Layer
Data Link
Layer IEEE 802.2 Logical Link Control (LLC)

MAC Layer
IEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.4 IEEE 802.5 IEEE 802.11
Physical Ethernet Token Bus Token Ring Wireless Ethernet
Layer
IEEE 802.11 – CSMA/CA
 CS – Carrier Sense
• Each transmitter listens to the physical link before
transmitting
 MA – Multiple Access
• Many nodes are connected to the same physical link.
 CA – Collision Avoidance
• Methods used to avoid collision
Q/A