Wi-fi Manager
Abstract:-
Wifi manager is a tool developed to provide wireless internet service within a small
range .In this project we are acting as wireless internet service providers.
This tool is used to provide wireless internet connection to systems in a small office
or an department or at a home using system which acts as a “router “.This system which
acts as a router has a dedicated broadband connection and a wireless network adapter
connected to it.
Other than internet service that is being provided we have other tools within the project
Which gives information regarding the IP address,wireless adapter used,quality of signal,
Firewall tools and the management of wireless network.
A firewall setting option is also provided to either turn of or turn on firewall.Wifi
manager contains functions for enumerating with adapters,enumerating available
networks and getting their settings,
Functions for connecting and disconnecting to network functions for working with
Wireless network profiles.
Wifi was used only to identify products and LAN’s using the 802.11b standard.The wifi
Alliance has chosen to expand the usage of the term to cover any 802.11 product
BLOCK DIAGRAM:-
WES officially begins tomorrow but they’ve already made a few big announcements. The
latest news item is their new BlackBerry Mobile Voice System 5 with voice over Wi-Fi
calling, enabling employees to make and receive enterprise phone calls through the Cisco
Unified Communications Manager.
“BlackBerry Mobile Voice System 5 effectively provides a wireless extension of the
corporate phone system to allow voice over Wi-Fi calling at work, public hotspots and
home. It presents a great opportunity for companies to enhance the productivity of
employees who are often away from their desks or working from home, such as workers
in construction, hospitality, sales and professional services,” said Alan Panezic, VP,
Platform Product Management at Research In Motion. “This latest release enables
businesses to better leverage their investment in the corporate phone system, adapt to the
growing demand by employees for more flexible work arrangements, improve workforce
productivity and save costs on long-distance and international roaming charges.”
Key features include:
• Wi-Fi network access controls to set which Wi-Fi networks employees can access
• Network preference settings with the option of prioritizing the use of Wi-Fi or
cellular for making phone calls
• Authentication to help ensure that only authorized BlackBerry smartphones have
access to the corporate phone system
• Incoming call filtering based on allowed and blocked caller lists .
Literature survey
Wifi history
In the beginning
Wi-Fi would certainly not exist without a decision taken in 1985 by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), America's telecoms regulator, to open several
bands of wireless spectrum, allowing them to be used without the need for a government
licence. This was an unheard-of move at the time; other than the hamradio
channels, there was very little unlicensed spectrum. But the FCC, prompted by
a visionary engineer on its staff, Michael Marcus, took three chunks of spectrum from
the industrial, scientific and medical bands and opened them up to communications
entrepreneurs.
These so-called “garbage bands”, at 900MHz, 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz, were already
allocated to equipment that used radio-frequency energy for purposes other than
communications: microwave ovens, for example, which use radio waves to heat
food. The FCC made them available for communications purposes as well, on the
condition that any devices using these bands would have to steer around
interference from other equipment. They would do so using “spread spectrum”
technology, originally developed for military use, which spreads a radio signal out
over a wide range of frequencies, in contrast to the usual approach of transmitting
on a single, well-defined frequency. This makes the signal both difficult to intercept
and less susceptible to interference.
What is Wi-fi?
The term Wi-Fi suggests Wireless Fidelity, resembling the long-established audio-
equipment classification term high fidelity or Hi-Fi (used since 1950).
The term Wi-Fi, first used commercially in August 1999, was coined by a brand-
consulting firm called Interbrand Corporation that the Alliance had hired to determine a
name that was "a little catchier than 'IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence'Belanger also stated
that Interbrand invented Wi-Fi as a play on words with Hi-Fi, and also created the yin-
yang-style Wi-Fi logo.
The Wi-Fi Alliance initially used an advertising slogan for Wi-Fi, "
The yin-yang logo indicates the certification of a product for interoperability
Why Wi-Fi?
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you've seen the term "Wi-
Fi." You've probably figured out that it's shorthand for "wireless fidelity." You may even
know that it's got something to do with accessing the Internet or a private network
through the air instead of through cables.
What you're probably still wondering is: Why should I care?
Because chances are that, within the next year or so, you'll use Wi-Fi regularly at work, at
home, or on the road. You may well depend on Wi-Fi as much as you do your cell phone,
your laptop computer, or your personal digital assistant (PDA).
In fact, all those devices increasingly come ready to work with Wi-Fi. (One example: By
2007, according to IDC Research of Framingham, Mass., 98% of all new notebok PCs
will be sold with Wi-Fi capability). That means the next time you invest in hardware,
you're likely to invest in the Wi-Fi label as well. So it makes sense to learn what Wi-Fi
does well -- and where it still needs work.
Wi-Fi refers to products certified to work with the high-tech industry's global standard for
high-speed wireless networking Hardware carrying the Wi-Fi logo has passed rigorous
testing by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a trade association based in Mountain View, Calif.
Certification means that, regardless of which company manufactured it, the equipment
should play nicely with other Wi-Fi devices and networks..
Why is Wi-Fi so widespread -- and what's in it for businesses?
It's fast. Wi-Fi's latest version is many times faster than DSL or cable connections, and
literally hundreds of times faster than those old dial-up connections. That's particularly
handy when you're working on the run, on the road, or from home: If you've ever
watched seconds tick by while watching Web pages load, you'll appreciate the potential
productivity gain.
It's convenient. As soon as a Wi-Fi-equipped device is within range of a base station, it's
online. With no wires, you can move your laptop computer from place to place -- for
instance, from your office to a conference room down the hall -- without losing your
network connection. (For an online calculator that can help determine ROI on an in-house
wireless network," Resources."). When traveling, you can set up shop anyplace equipped
with a Wi-Fi network: another company's office, a hotel room, or a convention center.
It's everywhere. Public Wi-Fi access sites -- or "hot spots" -- are multiplying faster than
rabbits on Viagra. They're in bookstores, airport lounges, fast-food restaurants (including
some McDonald's and Schlotzky's Deli outlets), and coffee shops (including many
Starbucks outlets). In addition, local merchants from Cincinnati to Athens, Ga., to
Portland, Ore., are footing the bill for bigger hot spots, accessible throughout a business
district or neighborhood.
Some companies charge for hot-spot use; others offer free access. All hope they're
creating environments where tech-savvy customers will linger -- and, presumably --
spend more money on coffee, books, sandwiches, or whatever the hot-spot host sells.
Does the idea pay off? Overall, it's too early to tell. Ultimately, the answer will affect
how fast the public hot-spot market heats up. In June 2003, IDC, the Framingham, Mass.-
based research company, estimated that the number of commercial Wi-Fi sites would
grow 57% annually over the next five years -- but warned that the market is young,
volatile, and based on unproven business models.
Advantages of WI-FI
Flexible Working:Access the Internet, do File Transfers, even Print from anywhere
within 100 meters of the Wi-Fi Access Point.
Reduce Cable Clutter:Reduce the clutter of wires and cables behind your Desktop/
Notebook
Reduce Setup Cost:If you are setting up a new office, you can reduce the IT setup cost
by implementing Wi-Fi - you can save the cost of cabling and the cost on Network
sockets
Avoid Deterioration with Time:Network Cables and Sockets tend to deteriorate over
time, while Wi-Fi does not have this disadvantage
Effect of Climatic Conditions:Wi-Fi signals are likely to be adversely affected by
climatic conditions such as thunderstorms.
Eliminate Re-configuring Computers:-If you have more than one office location and
your staff travel between offices, installing Wi-Fi Networks at each location makes good
sense. Your staff can then access the Internet and Network at all locations, without
having to re-configure their Internet settings each time.
Disadvantages of WI-FI
Password and Security:It is important to secure your Wi-Fi connection at home or the
office. Otherwise, anyone with a Wi-Fi-enabled computer can access your data and
Internet connection! Password-protecting your Wi-Fi connection is an easy process
andonce you set up all your Computers and devices to access your Wi-Fi network, you do
not need to type in passwords each time thereafter.
Signal Strength Sensitivity:Wi-Fi Networks are sensitive to signal strength. To ensure
good connectivity, you must ensure that all computers and gadgets receive adequate
signal strength at all times.
Effect of Climatic Conditions:Wi-Fi signals are likely to be adversely affected by
climatic conditions.
Increased number of Network Devices:You are increasing the number of devices on
your Network, by incorporating a Wi-Fi Access point (this is a must, for Wi-Fi access).
Also, you will need a power socket to plug in and power the Wi-Fi Access Point.such as
thunderstorms.
How Does WiFi Work
WiFi network transmits the information in the form of radio waves. The working of WiFi
is pretty simple to understand. The components of wireless network include a
communication device such as computer, mobile phone etc., a router and Internet. The
communication device which has a wireless compatibility, converts the data in the form
of radio waves and transmits it to the router, through an antenna. The router decodes the
information and transmits it to the Internet via a physical Ethernet connection. The
reverse communication follows the same path, i.e the information from Internet is
converted into radio waves by the wireless router. These radio waves are then transmitted
by the router to the wireless adapter of the communication device, where the information
is encoded in binary format.
802.11
The 802.11 suite has been developed to enable wireless local area networking in
either the 2.4 GHz or 5.2 GHz frequency bands.
a)802.11a
• In 802.11a, radio signals are generated using a method called Orthogonal
Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM).
• OFDM is defined over the lower two bands (low and middle).
• In OFDM, a transmitter can select some number of subcarriers to transmit
a signal over.
Advantage of 802.11a-fastest maximum speed, supports more
simultaneous users,regulated frequencies prevent signal interference from other
devices
Disavantage of 802.11a-highest cost,shorter range signal ie more easily
obstructed.
b)802.11b
• It was the first successful standard produced in 1999.it uses a radio
frequency of 2.4GHz and can support data transfer rates of 11mbps.
Advantage of 802.11b- lowest cost,signal range is best and is not easily o
bstructed.
Disavantage of 802.11b-slowest maximum speed,supports fewer
simultaneous users,applicances may interfere on the unregulated
frequency band.
c)802.11g
• 802.11g offers throughput of 802.11a with backward compatibility of
802.11b.
• 802.11g operates over 3 non-overlapping channels.
• 802.11g operates in 2.4 GHz band but it delivers data rates from 6 Mbps to
54 Mbps.
• 802.11g also uses OFDM but supports spread-spectrum capabilities if any
one component of the system has older equipment, i.e., 802.11b
equipment.
Advantage of 802.11g-fastest maximum ,supports more simulataneous
users,singal range is best and is not easily obstructed.
Disavantage of 802.11g-costs more than 802.11b,appliances may interface
on the unregulated signal frequency.
What is Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is the name of a wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide
high-speed network and Internet connections.
The Wi-Fi Alliance, the organization that owns the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) term
specifically defines Wi-Fi as "wireless local area network (WLAN) products that are
based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.11 standards."
Initially, Wi-Fi was used in place of only the 2.4GHz 802.11b standard, but the Wi-Fi
Alliance has expanded the generic use of the Wi-Fi term to include any type of network
or WLAN product based on any of the 802.11 standards, including 802.11b, 802.11a,
dual-band, and so on, in an attempt to stop confusion about wireless LAN
interoperability.
Requirements:-
System Requirements
Hardware
• Any 32-bit x86 compatible Processor running above 700 MHz
• 512 MB RAM
• 200 MB Hard disk space
• 24-bit color display
Supported Operating Systems
• Windows NT, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Professional,
Windows Vista
• Red Hat Linux 8.0 & 9.0
Supported Browsers
• IE 5.5 & above, Opera 7.2 & above, Netscape 7.0 & above
