Wireless networking – 1

Basics
Basics
 We'll start with a few WiFi basics. A wireless network uses radio
waves, just like cell phones, televisions, and radios do. In fact,
communication across a wireless network is a lot like two-way radio
communication.
 A computer's wireless adapter translates data into a radio signal
and transmits it using an antenna.
 A wireless router receives the signal and decodes it. It sends the
information to the Internet using a physical, wired Ethernet
connection.
 The process also works in reverse, with the router receiving
information from the Internet, translating it into a radio signal and
sending it to the computer's wireless adapter.
“Wi-fi” Radios
The radios used for WiFi communication are very
similar to the radios used for walkie-talkies, cell
phones and other devices. They can transmit and
receive radio waves, and they can convert 1s and 0s into
radio waves and convert the radio waves back into 1s
and 0s. But WiFi radios have a few notable differences
from other radios:
They transmit at frequencies of 2.4 GHz or 5GHz. This
frequency is considerably higher than the frequencies
used for cell phones, walkie-talkies and televisions.
The higher frequency allows the signal to carry more
data. 5GHz does not penetrate walls and other objects
as easily as 2.4GHz.
“Flavors” of Wi-Fi
 Uses 802.11 networking standards, which come in several flavors:
802.11a

802.11b

802.11g

802.11n

802.11y
802.11a series
It operates in the 5 GHz band with a maximum net data
rate of 54 Mbit/s, plus error correction code, which yields
realistic net achievable throughput in the mid-20 Mbit/s.
Since the 2.4 GHz band is heavily used to the point of
being crowded, using the relatively un-used 5 GHz band
gives 802.11a a significant advantage. However, this high
carrier frequency also brings a disadvantage: The
effective overall range of 802.11a is less than that of
802.11b/g; 802.11a signals cannot penetrate as far as those
for 802.11b because they are absorbed more readily by
walls and other solid objects in their path.
802.11b series
802.11b has a maximum raw data rate of 11 Mbit/s and uses the
same media access method defined in the original standard.
802.11b products appeared on the market in early 2000, since
802.11b is a direct extension of the modulation technique defined
in the original standard. The dramatic increase in throughput of
802.11b (compared to the original standard) along with
simultaneous substantial price reductions led to the rapid
acceptance of 802.11b as the definitive wireless LAN technology.
802.11b devices suffer interference from other products operating
in the 2.4 GHz band. Devices operating in the 2.4 GHz range
include: microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors and
cordless telephones.
802.11g
 In June 2003, a third modulation standard was ratified: 802.11g. This
works in the 2.4 GHz band (like 802.11b), but uses the same
OFDM(Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) based
transmission scheme as 802.11a. It operates at a maximum physical
layer bit rate of 54 Mbit/s exclusive of forward error correction codes,
or about 19 Mbit/s average throughput
 802.11g hardware is fully backwards compatible with 802.11b hardware.
 Like 802.11b, 802.11g devices suffer interference from other products
operating in the 2.4 GHz band. Devices operating in the 2.4 GHz
range include: microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors
and cordless telephones
 in an 802.11g network, however, activity by a 802.11b participant will
reduce the speed of the overall 802.11g network.
802.11n series
802.11n is a proposed amendment which improves
upon the previous 802.11 standards by adding
multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and many
other newer features. Though there are already many
products on the market based on Draft 2.0 of this
proposal, the TGn workgroup is not expected to
finalize the amendment until December 2009
Speed upto 200Megabits per second and works a 2.4
Ghz.
 Ranges of different series
Series Op-Frequency Netbit rate Range(approx)

802.11a 5 Ghz 54 Mbps 35 mts

802.11b 2.4 Ghz 11 Mbps 38 mts

802.11g 2.4 Ghz 54 Mbps 38 mts

802.11n 5/2.4 Ghz 200 Mbps 70 mts

Compatibility(cont)

B B
Adapter Adapter

802.11x Compatibility A A
Adapter Adapter

B G and N devices work, but at

11 Mbps G
Adapter
G
Adapter
802.11B YIELD
802.11A
Access Point Access Point
N N
A Only compatible with A devices Adapter Adapter
YIELD

B B
Adapter Adapter
G - B devices work at 11 Mbps
- N devices work at 54 Mbps
A A
YIELD YIELD
Adapter Adapter

G G
N - B devices work at 11 Mbps Adapter YIELD Adapter
802.11G 802.11N
- G devices work at 54 Mbps Access Point Access Point
N N
Adapter Adapter
YIELD
What is a “hotspot”
“Hotspots” are areas that are served by Wi-fi networks.
They may be open to the public, open to paid
subscribers, or private systems.
There are laws against unauthorized connection to
private systems (and attempts to defraud paid
subscriber systems).
We’ll get to making your own private hotspot a bit
later.
“Modes” of Wi-fi
 Wi-Fi network devices can be operated in one of the two available
“modes.”
 Ad-Hoc mode – this is used when there is no “central” device. For
instance, it can be used to set up several notebook computers on a
peer-to-peer network with each other. Ad-hoc mode does NOT
have a wired connection, it only uses the wireless connections.
 Infrastructure mode – this mode is selected in the case where
both a wired network and wireless network are connected (such as
for your connection to the Internet). Both wireless devices (such as
your moving notebook) and wired devices (such as a desktop
computer hooked up with CAT5 cable to the router, or the WAN
connection to the Internet) are supported.
Connecting up to hotspots
 Most new laptops and many new desktop computers come with
built-in wireless transmitters. If your laptop doesn't, you can buy a
wireless adapter that plugs into the PC card slot or USB port.
Desktop computers can use USB adapters, or you can buy an
adapter that plugs into the PCI slot inside the computer's case.
Many of these adapters can use more than one 802.11 standard.
 Once you've installed your wireless adapter and the drivers that
allow it to operate, your computer should be able to automatically
discover existing networks. This means that when you turn your
computer on in a WiFi hotspot, the computer will inform you that
the network exists and ask whether you want to connect to it. If you
have an older computer, you may need to use a software program to
detect and connect to a wireless network.
Windows XP – add SP 2
 If you are running XP or XP SP1, you should update to SP2 (for
security reasons and for wireless networking).
 Built-in support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) Windows XP
SP2 includes WPA support. If your wireless network adapter and its
driver support WPA, you can configure WPA authentication and
encryption options from the properties of a wireless network.
 Wireless Provisioning Services (WPS) WPS is a set of wireless client
extensions that allow for a consistent and automated configuration
process.
 The Wireless Network Setup Wizard steps you through the
configuration of wireless network settings and then writes that
configuration to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive, which you
can then use to configure other wireless devices.
 WZC is also a part of SP2.
Access Points & Routers
 If you already have several computers networked in your home, you can
create a wireless network with a wireless access point. If you have several
computers that are not networked, or if you want to replace your Ethernet
network, you'll need a wireless router. This is a single unit that contains:
 A port to connect to your cable or DSL modem
 A router
 An Ethernet hub or (more commonly) an Ethernet switch
 A firewall
 A wireless access point
 A wireless router allows you to use wireless signals or Ethernet cables to
connect your computers to one another, to a network-capable printer and
to the Internet. Most routers provide coverage for about 100 feet (30.5
meters) in all directions, although walls and doors can block the signal. If
your home is very large, you can buy inexpensive range extenders or
repeaters to increase your router's range.
Secured and non-secured connections.
Secured connection are the one which has WEP or
WPA enabled security on them.
You need to know the WEP or the WPA key to get
connected to the network.
Unsecured network don’t have any kind of security
enabled on them and can be accessed by whosoever is
able to view the network.
What is SSID
 An SSID (Service set identifier) is the name of a wireless local area network
(WLAN). All wireless devices on a WLAN must employ the same SSID in order
to communicate with each other.
 The SSID on wireless clients can be set either manually, by entering the SSID
into the client network settings, or automatically, by leaving the SSID
unspecified or blank.
 A network administrator often uses a public SSID, that is set on the access point
and broadcast to all wireless devices in range. Some newer wireless access
points disable the automatic SSID broadcast feature in an attempt to improve
network security.
 SSIDs are case sensitive text strings. The SSID is a sequence of alphanumeric
characters (letters or numbers). SSIDs have a maximum length of 32
characters.