Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Wlan shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Wlan offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Wlan at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Wlan? Wrong! If the Wlan is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Wlan then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Wlan? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Wlan and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Wlan wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Wlan then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Wlan site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Wlan, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Wlan, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
wireless card.A
wireless LAN or
WLAN is a wireless local area network, which is the linking of two or more computers without using wires. WLAN utilizes
Spread spectrum or
OFDM modulation technology based on
Electromagnetic radiation to enable communication between devices in a limited area, also known as the basic service set. This gives users the mobility to move around within a broad coverage area and still be connected to the network.
For the home user, wireless has become popular due to ease of installation, and location freedom with the gaining popularity of
laptops. Public businesses such as coffee shops or malls have begun to offer wireless access to their customers; some are even provided as a free service. Large wireless network projects are being put up in many major cities.
Google is even providing a free service to Mountain View, California{{cite web | last = Ingersoll
| first = Minnie
| title = Wi-Fi in Mountain View
| work = Official Google Blog
| publisher = [Google
| date = [2005-11-17
| url = http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/11/wi-fi-in-mountain-view.html
| accessdate = 2007-02-17
--> and has entered a bid to do the same for San Francisco.{{cite news | last = Kopytoff,
| first = Verne
| coauthors = Ryan Kim
| title = Google offers S.F. Wi-Fi -- for free
| work = [San Francisco Chronicle
| page = A-1
| date = [2005-10-01
| url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/01/MNGG9F16KG1.DTL
| accessdate = 2007-02-17
-->
New York City has also begun a pilot program to cover all five boroughs of the city with wireless
Internet access.
History
In 1970 University of Hawaii, under the leadership of Norman Abramson, developed the world’s first computer communication network using low-cost ham-like radios, named
ALOHAnet. The bi-directional star topology of the system included seven computers deployed over four islands to communicate with the central computer on the Oahu Island without using phone lines.{{cite web | title = History of Wireless
| publisher = [Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health
| url = http://www.jhsph.edu/wireless/history.html
| accessdate = 2007-02-17
-->
"In 1979, F.R. Gfeller and U. Bapst published a paper in the IEEE Proceedings reporting an experimental wireless local area network using diffused
infrared communications. Shortly thereafter, in 1980, P. Ferrert reported on an experimental application of a single code
spread spectrum radio for wireless terminal communications in the IEEE National Telecommunications Conference. In 1984, a comparison between Infrared and CDMA spread spectrum communications for wireless office information networks was published by
Kaveh Pahlavan ] in IEEE Computer Networking Symposium which appeared later in the IEEE Communication Society Magazine. In May 1985, the efforts of Marcus led the FCC to announce experimental ISM bands for commercial application of spread spectrum technology. Later on, M. Kavehrad reported on an experimental wireless PBX system using code division multiple access. These efforts prompted significant industrial activities in the development of a new generation of wireless local area networks and it updated several old discussions in the portable and mobile radio industry.
The first generation of wireless data modems was developed in the early 1980's by
amateur radio operators. They added a voice band data communication modem, with data rates below 9600 bit/s, to an existing short distance radio system, typically in the two meter amateur band. The second generation of wireless modems was developed immediately after the FCC announcement in the experimental bands for non-military use of the spread spectrum technology. These modems provided data rates on the order of hundreds of kbit/s. The third generation of wireless modem aimed at compatibility with the existing LANs with data rates on the order of Mbit/s. Several companies the third generation products with data rates above 1 Mbit/s and a couple of products already been announced the time of the first IEEE Workshop on Wireless LANs."{{cite web | title = The First IEEE Workshop on Wireless LANs
| publisher = [Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, [May 9-10, 1991.
| url = http://www.cwins.wpi.edu/wlans91/scripts/preface.html
-->
"The first of the
IEEE Workshops on Wireless LAN was held in 1991. At that time early wireless LAN products had just appeared in the market and the IEEE 802.11 committee had just started its activities to develop a standard for wireless LANs. The focus of that first workshop was evaluation of the alternative technologies. 1996, the technology relatively mature, a variety of applications been identified and addressed and technologies that enable these applications well understood. Chip sets aimed at wireless LAN implementations and applications, a key enabling technology for rapid market growth, emerging in the market. Wireless LANs being used in hospitals, stock exchanges, and other in building and campus settings for nomadic access, point-to-point LAN bridges,
ad-hoc networking, and even larger applications through internetworking. The IEEE 802.11 standard and variants and alternatives, such as the wireless LAN interoperability forum and the European HIPERLAN specification made rapid progress, and the unlicensed PCS
Unlicensed Personal Communications Services ] and the proposed SUPERNet, later on renamed as U-NII, bands also presented new opportunities." {{cite web | title = The Second IEEE Workshop on Wireless LANs
| publisher = [Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, [October 24-25, 1996.
| url = http://www.cwins.wpi.edu/wlans96/scripts/summary.html
-->
On
July 21, 1999,
AirPort debuted at the
Macworld Expo in New York City with
Steve Jobs picking up an iBook supposedly to give the cameraman a better shot as he surfed the Web. Applause quickly built as people realized there were no wires. This was the first time Wireless LAN became publicly available at consumer pricing and easily available for home use. Before the release of the Airport, Wireless LAN was too expensive for consumer use and used exclusively in large corporate settings.
Originally WLAN hardware was so expensive that it was only used as an alternative to cabled LAN in places where cabling was difficult or impossible. Early development included industry-specific solutions and proprietary protocols, but at the end of the 1990s these were replaced by standards, primarily the various versions of IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi). An alternative Asynchronous Transfer Mode-like 5 GHz standardized technology, HIPERLAN, has so far not succeeded in the market, and with the release of the faster 54 Mbit/s
802.11a (5 GHz) and 802.11g (2.4 GHz) standards, almost certainly never will.
In November 2006, the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) won a legal battle in the US federal court of Texas against Buffalo Technology which found the US manufacturer had failed to pay royalties on a US WLAN patent CSIRO had filed in 1996. CSIRO are currently engaged in legal cases with computer companies including
Microsoft, Intel, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and
Netgear which argue that the patent is invalid and should negate any royalties paid to CSIRO for WLAN-based products.{{cite news| first = Selina
| last = Mitchell
| title = CSIRO hits back on wireless
| url = http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20475012^15306,00.html
| work = Australian IT
| date = [2006-09-26
| accessdate = 2007-02-17
-->
Benefits
The popularity of wireless LANs is a testament primarily to their convenience, cost efficiency, and ease of integration with other networks and network components. The majority of computers sold to consumers today come pre-equipped with all necessary wireless LAN technology.
The benefits of wireless LANs include:
- Convenience: The wireless nature of such networks allows users to access network resources from nearly any convenient location within their primary networking environment (home or office). With the increasing saturation of laptop-style computers, this is particularly relevant.
- Mobility: With the emergence of public wireless networks, users can access the internet even outside their normal work environment. Most chain coffee shops, for example, offer their customers a wireless connection to the internet at little or no cost.
- Productivity: Users connected to a wireless network can maintain a nearly constant affiliation with their desired network as they move from place to place. For a business, this implies that an employee can potentially be more productive as his or her work can be accomplished from any convenient location.
- Deployment: Initial setup of an infrastructure-based wireless network requires little more than a single Wireless access point. Wired networks, on the other hand, have the additional cost and complexity of actual physical cables being run to numerous locations (which can even be impossible for hard-to-reach locations within a building).
- Expandability: Wireless networks can serve a suddenly-increased number of clients with the existing equipment. In a wired network, additional clients would require additional wiring.
- Cost: Wireless networking hardware is at worst a modest increase from wired counterparts. This potentially increased cost is almost always more than outweighed by the savings in cost and labor associated to running physical cables.
Disadvantages
Wireless LAN technology, while replete with the conveniences and advantages described above, has its share of downfalls. For a given networking situation, wireless LANs may not be desirable for a number of reasons. Most of these have to do with the inherent limitations of the technology.
- Security: Wireless LAN transceivers are designed to serve computers throughout a structure with uninterrupted service using radio frequencies. Because of space and cost, the antennas typically present on wireless networking cards in the end computers are generally relatively poor. In order to properly receive signals using such limited antennas throughout even a modest area, the wireless LAN transceiver utilizes a fairly considerable amount of power. What this means is that not only can the wireless packets be intercepted by a nearby adversary's poorly-equipped computer, but more importantly, a user willing to spend a small amount of money on a good quality antenna can pick up packets at a remarkable distance; perhaps hundreds of times the radius as the typical user. In fact, there are even computer users dedicated to locating and sometimes even cracking into wireless networks, known as wardriving. On a wired network, any adversary would first have to overcome the physical limitation of tapping into the actual wires, but this is not an issue with wireless packets. To combat this consideration, wireless networks users usually choose to utilize various encryption technologies available such as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). Some of the older encryption methods, such as WEP are known to have weaknesses that a dedicated adversary can compromise. (See main article: Wireless security.)
- Range: The typical range of a common 802.11g network with standard equipment is on the order of tens of meters. While sufficient for a typical home, it will be insufficient in a larger structure. To obtain additional range, repeaters or additional access points will have to be purchased. Costs for these items can add up quickly. Other technologies are in the development phase, however, which feature increased range, hoping to render this disadvantage irrelevant. (See WiMAX)
- Reliability: Like any radio frequency transmission, wireless networking signals are subject to a wide variety of interference (communication), as well as complex propagation effects (such as multipath, or especially in this case Rician fading) that are beyond the control of the network administrator. In the case of typical networks, modulation is achieved by complicated forms of phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), making interference and propagation effects all the more disturbing. As a result, important network resources such as Server (computing) are rarely connected wirelessly.
- Speed: The speed on most wireless networks (typically 1-108 Mbit/s) is reasonably slow compared to the slowest common wired networks (100 Mbit/s up to several Gbit/s). There are also performance issues caused by Transmission Control Protocol and its built-in Network congestion avoidance. For most users, however, this observation is irrelevant since the speed bottleneck is not in the wireless routing but rather in the outside network connectivity itself. For example, the maximum Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line throughput (usually 8 Mbit/s or less) offered by telecommunications companies to general-purpose customers is already far slower than the slowest wireless network to which it is typically connected. That is to say, in most environments, a wireless network running at its slowest speed is still faster than the internet connection serving it in the first place. However, in specialized environments, the throughput of a wired network might be necessary. Newer standards such as 802.11n are addressing this limitation and will support peak throughputs in the range of 100-200 Mbit/s.
Wireless LANs present a host of issues for network managers. Unauthorized access points, broadcasted SSIDs, unknown stations, and spoofed MAC addresses are just a few of the problems addressed in WLAN troubleshooting. Most network analysis vendors, such as Network Instruments, Network General, and Fluke, offer WLAN troubleshooting tools or functionalities as part of their product line.
Architecture
Stations
All components that can connect into a wireless medium in a Computer networking are referred to as stations. All stations are equipped with wireless network interface cards (WNICs). Wireless stations fall into one of two categories:
Wireless access point and clients.
Access points (APs) are base stations for the wireless network. They transmit and receive radio frequencies for wireless enabled devices to communicate with.
Wireless clients can be mobile devices such as laptops, personal digital assistant,
Voice over IP, or fixed devices such as
Desktop computer and workstations that are equipped with a wireless network interface.
Basic service set
The basic service set (BSS) is a set of all stations that can communicate with each other. There are two types of BSS: independent BSS and infrastructure BSS. Every BSS has an identification (ID) called the BSSID, which is the MAC address of the access point servicing the BSS.
- Independent basic service set
An independent BSS is an
Wireless ad-hoc network that contains no access points, which means they can not connect to any other basic service set.
- Infrastructure basic service set
An infrastructure BSS can communicate with other stations not in the same basic service set by communicating through access points.
Extended service set
An extended service set (ESS) is a set of connected BSSes. Access points in an ESS are connected by a distribution system. Each ESS has an ID called the SSID which is a 32-byte (maximum) character string. For example, "linksys" is the default SSID for Linksys routers.
Distribution system
A distribution system connects access points in an extended service setup.
Types of wireless LANs
Peer-to-peer
A
peer-to-peer (P2P) allows wireless devices to directly communicate with each other. Wireless devices within range of each other can discover and communicate directly without involving central access points. This method is typically used by two computers so that they can connect to each other to form a network.
If a signal strength meter is used in this situation, it may not read the strength accurately and can be misleading, because it registers the strength of the strongest signal, which may be the closest computer.
802.11 specs define the physical layer (PHY) and MAC (Media Access Control) layers. However, unlike most other IEEE specs, 802.11 includes three alternative PHY standards: diffuse infrared operating at 1 Mbit/s in; frequency-hopping spread spectrum operating at 1 Mbit/s or 2 Mbit/s; and direct-sequence spread spectrum operating at 1 Mbit/s or 2 Mbit/s. A single 802.11 MAC standard is based on CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance). The 802.11 specification includes provisions designed to minimize collisions. Because two mobile units may both be in range of a common access point, but not in range of each other.The 802.11 has two basic modes of operation: Ad hoc mode enables peer-to-peer transmission between mobile units. Infrastructure mode in which mobile units communicate through an access point that serves as a bridge to a wired network infrastructure is the more common wireless LAN application the one being covered. Since wireless communication uses a more open medium for communication in comparison to wired LANs, the 802.11 designers also included a shared-key encryption mechanism, called wired equivalent privacy (
Wired Equivalent Privacy), or Wi-Fi Protected Access, (Wi-Fi Protected Access) to secure wireless computer networks.
Bridge
A bridge can be used to connect networks, typically of different types. A wireless
Ethernet bridge allows the connection of devices on a wired Ethernet network to a wireless network. The bridge acts as the connection point to the Wireless LAN.
Wireless distribution system
When it is difficult to connect all of the access points in a network by wires, it is also possible to put up access points as repeaters.
See also
References
Que. “Comparing 802.11 a, b, and g: Channels and Interference.”Quepublishing. September 9, 2005.
Kissane, Simon. “Global System for Mobile Communications.” Wikipedia. 6 February 2007.
“How does satellite Internet operate?” How Stuff Works.
“PC card.” Wikipedia.
9 February 2007.
Webopedia. “Wireless Networking Standards.” Webopedia.
September 02, 2005. By Giriz - VesterDFG
Petrick, Al and Bob O'Hara. "The IEEE 802.11 Handbook: A Designer's Companion". IEEE. March 2005.
WLAN Phishing using SSIDs
Lecture on Wireless Lan Hacks at Wright State Uni.
Community and Amateur WLAN "not for proft community internet access"
External links
- WLAN Technologies - Lecture Notes
- beginners guide to wireless
- Wireless LAN - Directory & Informational Resource
wireless card.A
wireless LAN or
WLAN is a
wireless local area network, which is the linking of two or more computers without using wires. WLAN utilizes Spread spectrum or OFDM modulation technology based on Electromagnetic radiation to enable communication between devices in a limited area, also known as the basic service set. This gives users the mobility to move around within a broad coverage area and still be connected to the network.
For the home user, wireless has become popular due to ease of installation, and location freedom with the gaining popularity of laptops. Public businesses such as coffee shops or malls have begun to offer wireless access to their customers; some are even provided as a free service. Large wireless network projects are being put up in many major cities.
Google is even providing a free service to
Mountain View, California{{cite web | last = Ingersoll
| first = Minnie
| title = Wi-Fi in Mountain View
| work = Official Google Blog
| publisher = [Google
| date = [2005-11-17
| url = http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/11/wi-fi-in-mountain-view.html
| accessdate = 2007-02-17
--> and has entered a bid to do the same for San Francisco.{{cite news | last = Kopytoff,
| first = Verne
| coauthors = Ryan Kim
| title = Google offers S.F. Wi-Fi -- for free
| work = [San Francisco Chronicle
| page = A-1
| date = [2005-10-01
| url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/01/MNGG9F16KG1.DTL
| accessdate = 2007-02-17
--> New York City has also begun a pilot program to cover all five boroughs of the city with wireless Internet access.
History
In 1970
University of Hawaii, under the leadership of Norman Abramson, developed the world’s first computer communication network using low-cost ham-like radios, named
ALOHAnet. The bi-directional star topology of the system included seven computers deployed over four islands to communicate with the central computer on the Oahu Island without using phone lines.{{cite web | title = History of Wireless
| publisher = [Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health
| url = http://www.jhsph.edu/wireless/history.html
| accessdate = 2007-02-17
-->
"In 1979, F.R. Gfeller and U. Bapst published a paper in the
IEEE Proceedings reporting an experimental wireless local area network using diffused infrared communications. Shortly thereafter, in 1980, P. Ferrert reported on an experimental application of a single code spread spectrum radio for wireless terminal communications in the IEEE National Telecommunications Conference. In 1984, a comparison between Infrared and CDMA spread spectrum communications for wireless office information networks was published by
Kaveh Pahlavan ] in IEEE Computer Networking Symposium which appeared later in the IEEE Communication Society Magazine. In May 1985, the efforts of Marcus led the FCC to announce experimental ISM bands for commercial application of spread spectrum technology. Later on, M. Kavehrad reported on an experimental wireless PBX system using code division multiple access. These efforts prompted significant industrial activities in the development of a new generation of wireless local area networks and it updated several old discussions in the portable and mobile radio industry.
The first generation of wireless data modems was developed in the early 1980's by
amateur radio operators. They added a voice band data communication modem, with data rates below 9600 bit/s, to an existing short distance radio system, typically in the two meter amateur band. The second generation of wireless modems was developed immediately after the FCC announcement in the experimental bands for non-military use of the spread spectrum technology. These modems provided data rates on the order of hundreds of kbit/s. The third generation of wireless modem aimed at compatibility with the existing LANs with data rates on the order of Mbit/s. Several companies the third generation products with data rates above 1 Mbit/s and a couple of products already been announced the time of the first IEEE Workshop on Wireless LANs."{{cite web | title = The First IEEE Workshop on Wireless LANs
| publisher = [Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, [May 9-10, 1991.
| url = http://www.cwins.wpi.edu/wlans91/scripts/preface.html
-->
"The first of the IEEE Workshops on Wireless LAN was held in 1991. At that time early wireless LAN products had just appeared in the market and the
IEEE 802.11 committee had just started its activities to develop a standard for wireless LANs. The focus of that first workshop was evaluation of the alternative technologies. 1996, the technology relatively mature, a variety of applications been identified and addressed and technologies that enable these applications well understood. Chip sets aimed at wireless LAN implementations and applications, a key enabling technology for rapid market growth, emerging in the market. Wireless LANs being used in hospitals, stock exchanges, and other in building and campus settings for nomadic access, point-to-point LAN bridges, ad-hoc networking, and even larger applications through internetworking. The IEEE 802.11 standard and variants and alternatives, such as the wireless LAN interoperability forum and the European HIPERLAN specification made rapid progress, and the unlicensed PCS Unlicensed Personal Communications Services ] and the proposed SUPERNet, later on renamed as U-NII, bands also presented new opportunities." {{cite web | title = The Second IEEE Workshop on Wireless LANs
| publisher = [Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, [October 24-25, 1996.
| url = http://www.cwins.wpi.edu/wlans96/scripts/summary.html
-->
On July 21,
1999,
AirPort debuted at the
Macworld Expo in New York City with
Steve Jobs picking up an iBook supposedly to give the cameraman a better shot as he surfed the Web. Applause quickly built as people realized there were no wires. This was the first time Wireless LAN became publicly available at consumer pricing and easily available for home use. Before the release of the Airport, Wireless LAN was too expensive for consumer use and used exclusively in large corporate settings.
Originally WLAN hardware was so expensive that it was only used as an alternative to cabled LAN in places where cabling was difficult or impossible. Early development included industry-specific solutions and proprietary protocols, but at the end of the 1990s these were replaced by standards, primarily the various versions of IEEE 802.11 (
Wi-Fi). An alternative
Asynchronous Transfer Mode-like 5 GHz standardized technology, HIPERLAN, has so far not succeeded in the market, and with the release of the faster 54 Mbit/s 802.11a (5 GHz) and 802.11g (2.4 GHz) standards, almost certainly never will.
In November 2006, the Australian
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) won a legal battle in the US federal court of Texas against
Buffalo Technology which found the US manufacturer had failed to pay royalties on a US WLAN patent CSIRO had filed in 1996. CSIRO are currently engaged in legal cases with computer companies including
Microsoft, Intel, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Netgear which argue that the patent is invalid and should negate any royalties paid to CSIRO for WLAN-based products.{{cite news| first = Selina
| last = Mitchell
| title = CSIRO hits back on wireless
| url = http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20475012^15306,00.html
| work = Australian IT
| date = [2006-09-26
| accessdate = 2007-02-17
-->
Benefits
The popularity of wireless LANs is a testament primarily to their convenience, cost efficiency, and ease of integration with other networks and network components. The majority of computers sold to consumers today come pre-equipped with all necessary wireless LAN technology.
The benefits of wireless LANs include:
- Convenience: The wireless nature of such networks allows users to access network resources from nearly any convenient location within their primary networking environment (home or office). With the increasing saturation of laptop-style computers, this is particularly relevant.
- Mobility: With the emergence of public wireless networks, users can access the internet even outside their normal work environment. Most chain coffee shops, for example, offer their customers a wireless connection to the internet at little or no cost.
- Productivity: Users connected to a wireless network can maintain a nearly constant affiliation with their desired network as they move from place to place. For a business, this implies that an employee can potentially be more productive as his or her work can be accomplished from any convenient location.
- Deployment: Initial setup of an infrastructure-based wireless network requires little more than a single Wireless access point. Wired networks, on the other hand, have the additional cost and complexity of actual physical cables being run to numerous locations (which can even be impossible for hard-to-reach locations within a building).
- Expandability: Wireless networks can serve a suddenly-increased number of clients with the existing equipment. In a wired network, additional clients would require additional wiring.
- Cost: Wireless networking hardware is at worst a modest increase from wired counterparts. This potentially increased cost is almost always more than outweighed by the savings in cost and labor associated to running physical cables.
Disadvantages
Wireless LAN technology, while replete with the conveniences and advantages described above, has its share of downfalls. For a given networking situation, wireless LANs may not be desirable for a number of reasons. Most of these have to do with the inherent limitations of the technology.
- Security: Wireless LAN transceivers are designed to serve computers throughout a structure with uninterrupted service using radio frequencies. Because of space and cost, the antennas typically present on wireless networking cards in the end computers are generally relatively poor. In order to properly receive signals using such limited antennas throughout even a modest area, the wireless LAN transceiver utilizes a fairly considerable amount of power. What this means is that not only can the wireless packets be intercepted by a nearby adversary's poorly-equipped computer, but more importantly, a user willing to spend a small amount of money on a good quality antenna can pick up packets at a remarkable distance; perhaps hundreds of times the radius as the typical user. In fact, there are even computer users dedicated to locating and sometimes even cracking into wireless networks, known as wardriving. On a wired network, any adversary would first have to overcome the physical limitation of tapping into the actual wires, but this is not an issue with wireless packets. To combat this consideration, wireless networks users usually choose to utilize various encryption technologies available such as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). Some of the older encryption methods, such as WEP are known to have weaknesses that a dedicated adversary can compromise. (See main article: Wireless security.)
- Range: The typical range of a common 802.11g network with standard equipment is on the order of tens of meters. While sufficient for a typical home, it will be insufficient in a larger structure. To obtain additional range, repeaters or additional access points will have to be purchased. Costs for these items can add up quickly. Other technologies are in the development phase, however, which feature increased range, hoping to render this disadvantage irrelevant. (See WiMAX)
- Reliability: Like any radio frequency transmission, wireless networking signals are subject to a wide variety of interference (communication), as well as complex propagation effects (such as multipath, or especially in this case Rician fading) that are beyond the control of the network administrator. In the case of typical networks, modulation is achieved by complicated forms of phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), making interference and propagation effects all the more disturbing. As a result, important network resources such as Server (computing) are rarely connected wirelessly.
- Speed: The speed on most wireless networks (typically 1-108 Mbit/s) is reasonably slow compared to the slowest common wired networks (100 Mbit/s up to several Gbit/s). There are also performance issues caused by Transmission Control Protocol and its built-in Network congestion avoidance. For most users, however, this observation is irrelevant since the speed bottleneck is not in the wireless routing but rather in the outside network connectivity itself. For example, the maximum Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line throughput (usually 8 Mbit/s or less) offered by telecommunications companies to general-purpose customers is already far slower than the slowest wireless network to which it is typically connected. That is to say, in most environments, a wireless network running at its slowest speed is still faster than the internet connection serving it in the first place. However, in specialized environments, the throughput of a wired network might be necessary. Newer standards such as 802.11n are addressing this limitation and will support peak throughputs in the range of 100-200 Mbit/s.
Wireless LANs present a host of issues for network managers. Unauthorized access points, broadcasted SSIDs, unknown stations, and spoofed MAC addresses are just a few of the problems addressed in WLAN troubleshooting. Most network analysis vendors, such as Network Instruments, Network General, and Fluke, offer WLAN troubleshooting tools or functionalities as part of their product line.
Architecture
Stations
All components that can connect into a wireless medium in a
Computer networking are referred to as stations. All stations are equipped with wireless
network interface cards (WNICs). Wireless stations fall into one of two categories:
Wireless access point and clients.
Access points (APs) are base stations for the wireless network. They transmit and receive radio frequencies for wireless enabled devices to communicate with.
Wireless clients can be mobile devices such as laptops, personal digital assistant,
Voice over IP, or fixed devices such as Desktop computer and
workstations that are equipped with a wireless network interface.
Basic service set
The basic service set (BSS) is a set of all stations that can communicate with each other. There are two types of BSS: independent BSS and infrastructure BSS. Every BSS has an identification (ID) called the BSSID, which is the
MAC address of the access point servicing the BSS.
- Independent basic service set
An independent BSS is an Wireless ad-hoc network that contains no access points, which means they can not connect to any other basic service set.
- Infrastructure basic service set
An infrastructure BSS can communicate with other stations not in the same basic service set by communicating through access points.
Extended service set
An extended service set (ESS) is a set of connected BSSes. Access points in an ESS are connected by a distribution system. Each ESS has an ID called the SSID which is a 32-byte (maximum) character string. For example, "linksys" is the default SSID for Linksys routers.
Distribution system
A distribution system connects access points in an extended service setup.
Types of wireless LANs
Peer-to-peer
A
peer-to-peer (P2P) allows wireless devices to directly communicate with each other. Wireless devices within range of each other can discover and communicate directly without involving central access points. This method is typically used by two computers so that they can connect to each other to form a network.
If a signal strength meter is used in this situation, it may not read the strength accurately and can be misleading, because it registers the strength of the strongest signal, which may be the closest computer.
802.11 specs define the physical layer (PHY) and MAC (Media Access Control) layers. However, unlike most other IEEE specs, 802.11 includes three alternative PHY standards: diffuse infrared operating at 1 Mbit/s in; frequency-hopping spread spectrum operating at 1 Mbit/s or 2 Mbit/s; and direct-sequence spread spectrum operating at 1 Mbit/s or 2 Mbit/s. A single 802.11 MAC standard is based on CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance). The 802.11 specification includes provisions designed to minimize collisions. Because two mobile units may both be in range of a common access point, but not in range of each other.The 802.11 has two basic modes of operation: Ad hoc mode enables peer-to-peer transmission between mobile units. Infrastructure mode in which mobile units communicate through an access point that serves as a bridge to a wired network infrastructure is the more common wireless LAN application the one being covered. Since wireless communication uses a more open medium for communication in comparison to wired LANs, the 802.11 designers also included a shared-key encryption mechanism, called wired equivalent privacy (
Wired Equivalent Privacy), or Wi-Fi Protected Access, (Wi-Fi Protected Access) to secure wireless computer networks.
Bridge
A bridge can be used to connect networks, typically of different types. A wireless Ethernet bridge allows the connection of devices on a wired Ethernet network to a wireless network. The bridge acts as the connection point to the Wireless LAN.
Wireless distribution system
When it is difficult to connect all of the access points in a network by wires, it is also possible to put up access points as repeaters.
See also
References
Que. “Comparing 802.11 a, b, and g: Channels and Interference.”Quepublishing. September 9, 2005.
Kissane, Simon. “Global System for Mobile Communications.” Wikipedia. 6 February 2007.
“How does satellite Internet operate?” How Stuff Works.
“PC card.” Wikipedia.
9 February 2007.
Webopedia. “Wireless Networking Standards.” Webopedia. September 02,
2005. By Giriz - VesterDFG
Petrick, Al and Bob O'Hara. "The IEEE 802.11 Handbook: A Designer's Companion". IEEE. March 2005.
WLAN Phishing using SSIDs
Lecture on Wireless Lan Hacks at Wright State Uni.
Community and Amateur WLAN "not for proft community internet access"
External links
- WLAN Technologies - Lecture Notes
- beginners guide to wireless
- Wireless LAN - Directory & Informational Resource
wlan.org.uk
Bath based not-for-profit, public access wireless network club. Featuring information on how to build community wireless networks. Includes FAQs, how-to's, costings (in Sterling ...
antenna
Highest Performance Community WLAN Service Antenna for 2.4GHz. For best long range performance, horizontal polarization is a more ...
WLAN - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WLAN can refer to: Wireless LAN; WLAN (AM), an AM radio station located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; WLAN-FM, an FM radio station located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Wireless LAN - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A wireless LAN or WLAN is a wireless local area network, which is the linking of two or more computers or devices without using wires. WLAN uses spread-spectrum or OFDM modulation ...
WLAN Price Comparison
WLAN price comparison at idealo.co.uk - 233 convenient WLAN (updated: 14-Aug-2008). Prices of all online shops at price comparison!
WLAN Content at ZDNet UK
News Articles, Whitepapers, Downloads, Opinion and Resources relating to WLAN ... WLAN Channel Bonding: Causing Greater Problems Than It Solves. White Papers Several enhancements ...
WLAN
Ethernet Serial Client for 802.11a/b/g WLAN with access point option. The ESCG is designed to replace the cabled serial or ethernet connections to peripheral devices and connect ...
Anritsu - WLAN Testing
Anritsu provides technology and solutions for the electronic test and measurement, optical, RF and microwave, wireless, wired, telecommunications, network solutions and electronic ...
WLAN
Neil Howard Telecoms explain the benefits of WLAN and how can this help you business ... WLAN . To view the latest mobile broadband products please CLICK HERE. General WLAN
What is WLAN? - A Word Definition From the Webopedia Computer ...
This page describes the term WLAN and lists other pages on the Web where you can find additional information.
