Chapter 3

Wireless LANs
 Wireless LANs
Each mobile device in the wireless LAN has a wireless
LAN adapter
Connectivity to wired networks is provided through an
“access point,” also known as a local bridge.
The mobile devices (e.g., laptops, wireless printers,
headsets) connect to the AP when they are in the range
of the AP – a cell that may span 10 to100 meters.
Once connected to the AP, the mobile devices can
communicate with other devices in the cell or other
resources through the AP.
IEEE 802.11 standard
Important niche and enterprise applications (e.g.
hospitals)
Wireless LANs

Wired LAN

Access Point

Wireless LAN
(Cell size 10 Meters to 100 Meters)
 Benefits of WLAN
1. Flexibility: Wireless technology allows the users to
roam around a building (without restriction) with their
laptops.
2. Improvements in Productivity: Wireless LANs can
provide LAN users with access to real-time
information anywhere in their organization. This
improves productivity.
3. Installation Speed and Simplicity: Wireless LANs
can be installed quickly because they eliminate the
need to pull cable through walls and ceilings.
 Cont…

4. Reduced Cost: The initial investment required for

wireless LAN hardware can be higher than the cost of
wired LAN hardware. However, the overall installation
expenses, especially in dynamic environments, are lower
due to savings in cabling costs.
5. Scalability: Wireless LANs can be configured in a
variety of topologies to meet the needs of specific
applications and installations.
 Characteristics of Wireless LANs

1. Security: It provisions such as encryption are typically

built into wireless LANs. The wireless LAN nodes
must be security-enabled before they are allowed to
participate in network traffic.
2. Interoperability : It can be defined at two levels:
• Wireless to wired LANs/WANs. Industry-standard
interconnections exist between wireless LANs and
wired systems i.e.(802.3) and Token Ring (802.5).
• Wireless to wireless LANs IEEE 802.11.
3. Interference : Radio-based wireless LANs operate in
unlicensed frequency ranges.
 Cont…
4. Cost: Cost of a wireless LAN includes:
• Wireless LAN adapter cost
• Interconnectivity costs (also known as “infrastructure
costs”).
• Installation and maintenance cost: This is generally
lower than the cost of installing and maintaining
5. Scalability : Wireless networks can support large numbers
of nodes and/or large physical areas by adding access points
to boost or extend coverage.
6. Battery : End-user wireless products are capable of being
completely untethered, and run off the battery power from
 Wireless LAN Applications
1. LAN Extension: Wireless LAN linked into a wired LAN
on same premises
Wired LAN for Backbone
Wireless LAN (Stations in large open areas)
2. Cross-building interconnect: Connect LANs in nearby
buildings
Point-to-point wireless (Devices connected are typically
bridges or routers)
3. Ad hoc networking: Temporary peer-to-peer network set
up to meet immediate need
Example: link computers in a temporary network for
duration of meeting
Wireless LAN Applications
 Cont…
 In building 1, there are two wireless LANs that are linked
into a wired LAN through access points. This is an example of
LAN Extension.
In LAN extensions, the wired LAN is used for backbone that
interconnects several wireless LAN stations in large open
areas such as a classroom or office.
A nomadic station (e.g., a laptop) can connect to wireless
LAN1 or wireless LAN2. This, known as Nomadic Access,
provides wireless links between a LAN hub and mobile
stations equipped with antennas.
One of the wireless LANs (LAN1) uses Ad Hoc Networking,
which allows mobile devices to talk to each other without the
need for an access point.
 Cont…
In Ad hoc Network configuration, temporary peer-to-peer
networks are set up to meet immediate customer needs.
The other wireless LAN (LAN2 uses a Master/Slave,
also known as Centralized, LAN configuration. In this
case, the devices communicate with each other through a
master (an access point in this case).
It used also for Cross-building Interconnection:
Wireless LANs connect LANs in nearby buildings (in our
case between building 1 and 2) by using point-to-point
wireless. The devices connected are typically bridges or
routers on top of buildings.
 Wireless LAN Requirements
Throughput needs to be high – i.e. more work
completed per unit time
Number of nodes - hundreds across cells
Connection to backbone LAN - for corporate support
Service area - 100+ meters
Battery power consumption - sleep when not in use
Transmission robustness and security- reliable
transmission, and maintain security
Collocated network operation supported by minimizing
interference between neighboring networks
 Wireless LAN Categories/technologies

1. Spread spectrum LANs

2. Infrared (IR) LANs
3. Narrowband microwave
Spread spectrum is most widely used in wireless
LANs. These LANs transmit in the industrial, scientific,
and medical (ISM)bands designated by the (federal
communication commission) FCC.
Spread-spectrum technology is a wideband radio
frequency technique that basically transmits different
data bits on different signals.
The receiver must know the parameters of the spread-
spectrum signal being broadcast to understand the signal.
 Cont…
If a receiver is not tuned to the right frequency, a
spread-spectrum signal looks like background noise.
In spread-spectrum systems, more bandwidth is
consumed than in the case of narrowband transmission,
but the tradeoff produces a signal that is secure and
louder.
Narrowband microwave technology uses the 18.82 to
18.87 GHz and 19.6 to 19.21 GHz frequency ranges.
These frequency ranges are licensed by the FCC, which
means that a vendor must be approved by the agency to
use these frequency ranges.
A narrowband radio system transmits and receives user
information on a specific radio frequency.
Narrowband radio keeps the radio signal frequency as
narrow as possible just to pass the information.
Narrowband Microwave LANs use a microwave radio
frequency band for signal transmission
Infrared signals operate at very high frequencies (300
GHz and above) and behave like ordinary light (they
cannot penetrate solid objects).
Thus, infrared wireless LANs are limited to data
transmission along line of sight.
Infrared technology is simple and well proven (it is
used commonly in remote controls for VCRs and TVs).
In addition, infrared signals are not regulated by the
regulatory bodies (Like FCC).
Typically are used for personal area networks (PANs)
such as appliances in the kitchens of the future.
IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN
Standard
 IEEE 802.11 Architecture

Key terms used in the 802.11 standard

Station: Any device that contains an IEEE 802.11-
conformant MAC and physical layer
Access point (AP): A station that provides access to the
distribution system
Basic service set (BSS): A collection of stations (a
cell)competing for access to a shared wireless medium. A
BSS is isolated or connected to the backbone DS through an
AP.
Distribution system (DS): A system that interconnects
several BSSs
Extended service set (ESS): Two or more basic service
sets interconnected by DS
 Cont…
The IEEE802.11b LANs operate in a manner very
similar to the wired Ethernet LANs.
Of course, there are no cables – the data packets are sent
over radio waves.
The 802.11b schema divides the frequency spectrum into
14 slightly overlapping channels, each 22 MHz wide.
So, if each wireless LAN is configured to use one
channel, then an office building or a high school can
operate 14 wireless LANs in the same physical space.
General LAN Protocol Architecture
1. Functions of Physical Layer:
Encoding/decoding of signals
Preamble generation/removal (for synchronization)
2. Functions of Medium Access Control (MAC) layer:
On transmission, assemble data into a frame with
address and error detection fields
On reception, disassemble frame and perform
address recognition and error detection
Govern access to the LAN transmission medium
3. Functions of Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer:
Provide an interface to higher layers and perform
flow and error control
Physical Media Defined by Original 802.11 Standard
Direct-sequence spread spectrum
o Operating in 2.4 GHz ISM band
o Data rates of 1 and 2 Mbps
Frequency-hopping spread spectrum
o Operating in 2.4 GHz ISM band
o Data rates of 1 and 2 Mbps
Infrared
o 1 and 2 Mbps
o Wavelength between 850 and 950 nm
 IEEE 802.11 Family
IEEE 802.11a
o Makes use of 5-GHz band
o Provides rates of 6, 9 , 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps
o Uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)
o Subcarrier modulated using BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM or
64-QAM
IEEE 802.11b
o Makes use of 2.4-GHz band
o Provides data rates of 5.5 and 11 Mbps
o Uses Direct sequence Spread Spectrum
IEEE 802.11g
o Makes use of 2.4-GHz band
o Provides data rates of 54 Mbps
 Wireless Ethernet Standards
Bandwidth Frequency Range Interoperability

Not interoperable with

100 feet
802.11a Up to 54 Mbps 5 GHz band
(30 meters)
802.11b, 802.11g, or
802.11n

100 feet Interoperable with

802.11b Up to 11 Mbps 2.4 GHz band
(30 meters) 802.11g

100 feet Interoperable with

802.11g Up to 54 Mbps 2.4 GHz band
(30 meters) 802.11b

164 feet Interoperable with

802.11n Up to 540 Mbps 2.4 GHz band
(50 meters) 802.11b and 802.11g

802.15.1 Up to 2 Mbps
2.4 GHz band 30 feet Not interoperable with
Bluetooth or 5 GHz band (10 meters) any other 802.11
MAC layer functional areas:
Reliable Data Delivery
MAC must handle interference, noise, fading, etc
More efficient to deal with errors at the MAC level than
higher layer (such as TCP)
802.11 includes frame exchange protocol:
o The Source station transmits data
o Destination responds with acknowledgment (ACK)
o If source doesn’t receive ACK, it retransmits frame
Four-frame exchange may be used enhance reliability:
o Source issues request to send (RTS)
o Destination responds with clear to send (CTS)
o Source transmits data
o Destination responds with ACK
Access Control
Approaches proposed and accepted to support
centralized and ad hoc LAN:
Distributed Coordination Function (required)
o Uses Ethernet type CSMA
o Useful in ad hoc networks
Point Coordination Function (optional)
o Implemented on top of DCF
o Uses polling, typically done by an access point
o Suitable for a centralized LAN
 Medium access control (MAC) must deal with the
situation when more than one station wants to access the
medium.
 The 802.11 MAC does not implement CSMA/CD, because
it is very difficult to detect collisions in a wireless
environment due to different types of scattering and fading.
 Instead a delay, known as Inter frame Space (IFS), is used
to avoid conflicts and prioritize handling of requests.
 Basically, MAC waits for a delay period of IFS before
transmitting.
 In reality, DCF includes a set of delays (IFSs) values:
o Short IFS (SIFS)-
o Point coordination function IFS (PIFS).
o Distributed coordination function IFS (DIFS).