Wireless Networks

6CS029 Advanced Networking

Elements of a wireless network
Types of Wireless Networks
• Wireless Personal-Area Network (WPAN) – Low power and short-range (20-30ft or 6-9
meters). Based on IEEE 802.15 standard and 2.4 GHz frequency. Bluetooth and Zigbee are
WPAN examples.
• Wireless LAN (WLAN) – Medium sized networks up to about 300 feet. Based on IEEE 802.11
standard and 2.4 or 5.0 GHz frequency.
• Wireless MAN (WMAN) and Wireless WAN (WWAN) – Large geographic area such as city or
district or Extensive geographic area for national or global communication
• Uses specific licensed frequencies.

• WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) – Alternative broadband

wired internet connections. IEEE 802.16 WLAN standard for up 30 miles (50 km).
• Cellular Broadband – Carry both voice and data. Used by phones, automobiles, tablets,
and laptops.
• Satellite Broadband – Uses directional satellite dish aligned with satellite in geostationary
orbit. Needs clear line of site. Typically used in rural locations where cable and DSL are
unavailable.
802.11 Standards
IEEE Standard Radio Frequency Description
802.11 2.4 GHz Data rates up to 2 Mb/s
802.11a 5 GHz Data rates up to 54 Mb/s
Not interoperable with 802.11b or 802.11g
802.11b 2.4 GHz Data rates up to 11 Mb/s
Longer range than 802.11a and better able to
penetrate building structures
802.11g 2.4 GHz Data rates up to 54 Mb/s
Backward compatible with 802.11b
802.11n 2.4 and 5 GHz Data rates 150 – 600 Mb/s
Require multiple antennas with MIMO technology
802.11ac 5 GHz Data rates 450 Mb/s – 1.3 Gb/s
Supports up to eight antennas
802.11ax 2.4 and 5 GHz High-Efficiency Wireless (HEW)
Capable of using 1 GHz and 7 GHz frequencies
Radio Frequencies
All wireless devices operate in the range of the electromagnetic spectrum. WLAN
networks operate in the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands.
– 2.4 GHz (UHF) – 802.11b/g/n/ax
– 5 GHz (SHF) – 802.11a/n/ac/ax
WLAN Components
Wireless Home Router

A home user typically interconnects

wireless devices using a small, wireless
router.
Wireless routers serve as the following:
–Access point – To provide wires access
–Switch – To interconnect wired devices
–Router - To provide a default gateway to
other networks and the Internet
 Wireless Access Point
• Wireless clients use their
wireless NIC to discover
nearby access points (APs).
• Clients then attempt to
associate and authenticate
with an AP. Cisco Meraki Go access points

• After being authenticated, Types of external antennas:

• Omnidirectional – Provide 360-degree
wireless users have access coverage. Ideal in houses and office areas.
to network resources. • Directional – Focus the radio signal in a
specific direction. Examples are the Yagi
and parabolic dish.
• Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) –
Uses multiple antennas (Up to eight) to
increase bandwidth.
AP Categories
• Autonomous APs – Standalone
devices. Each autonomous AP
acts independently of the others
and is configured and managed
manually by an administrator.
• Controller-based APs – Also
known as lightweight APs (LAPs).
Use Lightweight Access Point
Protocol (LWAPP) to
communicate with a LWAN
controller (WLC). Each LAP is
automatically configured and
managed by the WLC.
WLAN Operation
802.11 Wireless Topology Modes
Ad hoc mode - Used to connect clients
in peer-to-peer manner without an AP.

Infrastructure mode - Used to connect

clients to the network using an AP.

Tethering - Variation of the ad hoc

topology is when a smart phone or
tablet with cellular data access is
enabled to create a personal hotspot.
BSS and ESS
Infrastructure mode defines two topology
blocks:
Basic Service Set (BSS)
– Uses single AP to interconnect all
associated wireless clients.
– Clients in different BSSs cannot
communicate.
Extended Service Set (ESS)
– A union of two or more BSSs
interconnected by a wired
distribution system.
– Clients in each BSS can
communication through the ESS.
Transition Types Based On Mobility
• No transition
– Stationary or moves only within BSS
• BSS transition
– Station moving from one BSS to another
BSS in same ESS
• ESS transition
– Station moving from BSS in one ESS to BSS
within another ESS
Wireless Link Characteristics
Important differences from wired link ….

• Decreased signal strength: radio signal attenuates as it

propagates through matter (path loss)
• Interference from other sources: standardized wireless network
frequencies (e.g., 2.4 ghz) shared by other devices (e.g., Phone);
devices (motors) interfere as well
• Multipath propagation: radio signal reflects off objects
ground, arriving at destination at slightly different times

Make communication across (even a point to point) wireless link much

more “difficult”
Medium Access Control
MAC layer covers three functional areas:
• Reliable data delivery
• More efficient to deal with errors at the MAC level than higher layer
(such as TCP)
• Frame exchange protocol
• Source station transmits data
• Destination responds with acknowledgment (ACK)
• If source doesn‘t receive ACK, it retransmits frame
• Access control
• Avoiding collisions
• Carrier Sense Multiple Access/ Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA)
• Security
CSMA/CA
WLANs are half-duplex and a client cannot “hear” while it is sending, making it
impossible to detect a collision.
WLANs use carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) to
determine how and when to send data. A wireless client does the following:
1. Listens to the channel to see if it is idle, i.e. no other traffic currently on the
channel.
2. Sends a ready to send (RTS) message the AP to request dedicated access to
the network.
3. Receives a clear to send (CTS) message from the AP granting access to send.
4. Waits a random amount of time before restarting the process if no CTS
message received.
5. Transmits the data.
6. Acknowledges all transmissions. If a wireless client does not receive an
acknowledgment, it assumes a collision occurred and restarts the process
Collision Avoidance: RTS-CTS exchange

A B
AP

reservation
collision

DATA (A)
defer

time
IEEE 802.11
Medium
Access
Control Logic
Wireless Client and AP Association
Wireless devices must associate with an
AP or wireless router.
Wireless devices complete the following
three stage process:
– Discover a wireless AP
– Authenticate with the AP
– Associate with the AP

A wireless client and an AP must

agree on specific parameters:
SSID – The client needs to know the name of the network to connect.
Password – This is required for the client to authenticate to the AP.
Network mode – The 802.11 standard in use.
Security mode – The security parameter settings, i.e. WEP, WPA, or WPA2.
Channel settings – The frequency bands in use.
Discover Mode
Wireless clients connect to the AP
using a passive or active scanning
(probing) process. Passive mode

• Passive mode – AP openly

advertises its service by
periodically sending broadcast
beacon frames containing the
SSID, supported standards, and
security settings.
• Active mode – Wireless clients
must know the name of the
SSID. The wireless client
initiates the process by
broadcasting a probe request
frame on multiple channels. Active mode
Association-Related Services
• Association
– Establishes initial association between station and
AP
• Reassociation
– Enables transfer of association from one AP to
another, allowing station to move from one BSS to
another
• Disassociation
– Association termination notice from station or AP
Control and Provisioning of
Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP)
CAPWAP
• IEEE standard protocol that enables a
WLC to manage multiple APs and
WLANs.
• Based on LWAPP but adds additional
security with Datagram Transport Layer
Security (DLTS).
• Encapsulates and forwards WLAN client
traffic between an AP and a WLC over
tunnels using UDP ports 5246 and 5247.
• Operates over both IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4
uses IP protocol 17 and IPv6 uses IP
protocol 136.
• MAC functions are split between WLC
and APs
DTLS Encryption
• DTLS provides security between
the AP and the WLC.
• It is enabled by default to secure
the CAPWAP control channel and
encrypt all management and control
traffic between AP and WLC.
• Data encryption is disabled by
default and requires a DTLS license
to be installed on the WLC before it
can be enabled on the AP.
Flex Connect APs
FlexConnect enables the configuration and control of Aps over a WAN link.
– Connected mode – The WLC is reachable. The FlexConnect AP has
CAPWAP connectivity with the WLC through the CAPWAP tunnel. The WLC
performs all CAPWAP functions.
– Standalone mode – The WLC is unreachable. The FlexConnect AP has lost
CAPWAP connectivity with the WLC. The FlexConnect AP can assume
some of the WLC functions such as switching client data traffic locally and
performing client authentication locally.
Channel Management
Frequency Channel Saturation
Channel saturation can be mitigated using
techniques that use the channels more efficiently.
• Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) - A
modulation technique designed to spread a signal
over a larger frequency band.
• Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) -
Transmits radio signals by rapidly switching a
carrier signal among many frequency channels.
Sender and receiver must be synchronized to
“know” which channel to jump to. Used by the
original 802.11 standard.
• Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing
(OFDM) - A subset of frequency division
multiplexing in which a single channel uses
multiple sub-channels on adjacent frequencies.
OFDM is used by a number of communication
systems including 802.11a/g/n/ac.
Channel Selection
• The 2.4 GHz band is subdivided into multiple channels each allotted 22 MHz bandwidth
and separated from the next channel by 5 MHz.
• A best practice for 802.11b/g/n WLANs requiring multiple APs is to use non-overlapping
channels such as 1, 6, and 11.
Channel Selection
• For the 5GHz standards 802.11a/n/ac, there are 24 channels. Each channel is
separated from the next channel by 20 MHz.
• Non-overlapping channels are 36, 48, and 60.
Plan a WLAN Deployment
The number of users supported by a
WLAN depends on the following:
– The geographical layout of the
facility
– The number of bodies and
devices that can fit in a space
– The data rates users expect
– The use of non-overlapping
channels by multiple APs and
transmit power settings
When planning the location of APs,
the approximate circular coverage
area is important.
Wireless Security
A WLAN is open to anyone within range of an AP and the appropriate
credentials to associate to it.
Wireless networks are specifically susceptible to several threats, including the
following:
• Interception of data
• Wireless intruders
• Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks
• Rogue Aps
Secure WLANs
• SSID cloaking
• MAC addresses filtering
• Authentication and Encryption Systems
WLAN Configuration
The Wireless Router
Remote workers, small branch offices, and
home networks often use a small office and
home router.
• These “integrated” routers typically include a
switch for wired clients, a port for an internet
connection (sometimes labeled “WAN”), and
wireless components for wireless client
access.
• These wireless routers typically provide
WLAN security, DHCP services, integrated
Name Address Translation (NAT), quality of
service (QoS), as well as a variety of other
features.
• The feature set will vary based on the router
model.
Basic Network Setup
Basic network setup includes the following steps:
• Log in to the router from a web browser.
• Change the default administrative password.
• Log in with the new administrative password.
• Change the default DHCP IPv4 addresses.
• Renew the IP address.
• Log in to the router with the new IP address.
Basic wireless setup includes the following steps:
• View the WLAN defaults.
• Change the network mode, identifying which 802.11 standard is to be
implemented.
• Configure the SSID.
• Configure the channel, ensuring there are no overlapping channels in use.
• Configure the security mode, selecting from Open, WPA, WPA2 Personal,
WPA2 Enterprise, etc..
• Configure the passphrase, as required for the selected security mode.
Wireless Mesh Network
In a small office or home network, one wireless router may suffice to
provide wireless access to all the clients.
• If you want to extend the range
beyond approximately 45 meters
indoors and 90 meters outdoors, you
create a wireless mesh.
• Create the mesh by adding access
points with the same settings, except
using different channels to prevent
interference.
• Extending a WLAN in a small office
or home has become increasingly
easier.
• Manufacturers have made creating a
wireless mesh network (WMN)
simple through smartphone apps.
WLC Topology
• The access point (AP) is a controller-
based AP as opposed to an autonomous
AP, so it requires no initial configuration
and is often called lightweight APs
(LAPs).
• LAPs use the Lightweight Access Point
Protocol (LWAPP) to communicate with
a WLAN controller (WLC).
• Controller-based APs are useful in
situations where many APs are required
in the network.
• As more APs are added, each AP is
automatically configured and managed
by the WLC.
Questions?