Wireless LANs (WLANs)

Local Wireless Technologies

Physical-Layer Transm ission

- Uses radi o transmissi on - Gives mobility

Wireless availability

43,850 lo@lions in 2003. Estimated in 2004 to grow to over 200,000 locations in 2008 . (actua lly grew to 10 1,000 commercial WiF i by end of 2005 ) 25 million WiF i routers sh ipped in 2005 January 2006 , 186 US cities have W ireless municipal networks, but we're still 14th in the World for wireless penetration.

Wireless LAN (WLAN) Access Point

La rge Wired Etljnet LAN Ethernet Switch UTP

Wireless Access Point

-Rad - -- io
Transm ission
Laptop Mobile Client

Communication

Server

Wireless access point (WAP) bridges wireless stations to resources on

Internet
wired LAN- servers and

routers for Internet access

Access Router with Wireless Access Point and Wireless NICs

PC Card WN IC for a Notebook Computer

Access Router with Access Point

USBWN IC

Internal WNIC For Desktop PC

Local Wireless Technologies, Continued

802.11
- The dominant W LAN technology today - Standardized by the 802 .1 1 Working Group

802.11

Local Wireless Technologies, Continued

802.11 Wireless LANs
- Speeds up to tens of megabits per second with distances of 30 to 100 meters or more Can serve many users in a home or office - Soon to be 100 Mbps to 600 Mbps with 802. 11n - Organizations can provide coverage th roughout a building or a university campus by installing many access points

802.11 WLAN Standards

Specific 802.11 Wire less LAN Sta ndards

~
I ~I

S02.11a

S02.11b

S02.11g i1S02.11g access S02.11g po int serves an S02.11b station 2.4 GHz Yes 2.4 GHz Yes

Unlicensed Ba nd Crowded Ba nd? Atte nuatio n Price Market Acceptance

5GHz No Higher Higher Very Low

2.4 GHz Yes

Lower Lower
High

Lower Lower
Higher

Lower Lower Lower

Specific 802.11 Wireless LAN Standards

Source fo r throughput data: Broadband.com
S02.119 i1S02.119 access S02.119 po int serves an S02.11b station 54 Mbps 25 Mbps 20 Mbps Not

802.11a. ope rating at

a higher frequency, has more attenuation

Than 802.1 1b

S02.11a

S02.11b

Ra ted Speed'"

54 Mbps 25 Mbps 12 Mbps

11 Mbps 6 Mbps f!@Mbps

Spec ified
12 Mbps 11 Mbps

Throu ghpu t, 3 m Throu ghpu t, 30 m

"'Maximum rated speed. The re are slower modes if propagation is poo r.

Specific 802 .11 W ireless LAN Standards

S02.11g i1S02.11g access S02.11g point serves an S02.11b station 54 Mbps 20 Mbps Not

S02.11a

S02.11b

Ra ted Speed Th roughput, 30 m

11 Mbps 54 Mbps

Specified
11 Mbps

Are These Aggregate Or In dividual Th roughputs?

""

12 Mbps

6 Mbps

Agg regate throughputs;

Individual throughputs are lower

Specific 802.11 W ireless LAN Standards

S02.11g i1S02.11g S02.11b S02.11a
access S02.11g point serves an

S02.11b
station

Un licensed Band
Number of NonOverlappi ng Channels

2.4 GHz

~G Hz
Up to 24

2.4 GHz

2.4 GHz

2.4 GHz non-overlapping channels are 1, 6, and 11

A new Wireless LAN Standard

A separate standard , 802.16 (or WiMAX), transm its at 70 Mbps and has a range of up to 30 miles. It can operate in licensed or unlicensed bands of the spectrum from 2-6 GHz. W iMAX typically links multiple 802. 11 networks or sends Internet data over long distances.

Wireless LANs (WLANs) cont.

Local Wireless Technologies, Continued

Bluetooth
- For personal area networks (PANs) Multiple devices carried by a person, or Multiple devices around a q:;''jk Limited to about 10 meters Limited to 3 Mbps wi th a slower reverse channel - Cable replacement techn ology
USB Bluetooth Adapter

Local Wireless Technologies, Continued Other Local Wireless Technologies

- Ultra wideband : up to 250 Mbps (fast ) over a distance of 10 meters (short)
- Ideal for video networking in homes

- Zig8ee for almost-always-off sensor networks at low speeds

- Allows battery lives of months or years

- Radio Frequenc y ID (RFID ) tagslOO:;ke UPC product tags but readable from a small distance
- RF ID reade r sends probe signal that powers the RFID tag ,

wh ich then responds with its information

Local Wireless Technologies, Continued Other Local Wireless Technologies

- Mesh networking: multiple access points can rou te frames to their destination wi th ou t using a wired LAN - Being standardized at 802 .11s

Host

Host B

802 .11
Frame

~ -.
F D

Radio Propagation or How wireless data gets there!

'1\:

, . . ',' ..
~

, .. ',' ..
.... +
+

'",

+.

..

... . . ..

. . .' .. . . . ....

Frequency Measurement
Frequency
- Light waves are measured in wavelengths (Ch. 3) - Radio waves are measured in terms of frequenc y - Measured in hertz (Hz)-the number of complete cyc les per second

1 Second Two cycles in 1 second, so frequency is two Hertz (Hz).

Frequency Measurement, Continued

Measuring Frequencies
- Frequency measures increases by factors of 1,000 (not 1,024) - Kil ohertz (kHz) [Note the lower-case k] - Megahertz (MHz) - Gigahertz (GHz)

Omnidirectional and Dish Antennas

Dish Anten na
Focuses signals in a narrow range Signals can be sent over long distances Must po int at the sender Good for fixed subscribers

Om nidirectiona l Anten na
Spread signals in all directions Rapid signal attenuation No need to point at rece iver Good for mob ile subscribers

Wire less Propagation Problems

1. Electromagnetic Interference
(EMI ) from

"::::::::=====::::::/

"';::::-' Other stations, ;;.. Microwave ovens, etc.

2.

Attenuation: signal gets weaker with distance

Blocking
Object 3.

Shadow Zone

Wireless Propagation Prob lems

Direct
4. Multipath

Bloc king ( ..............__ Object

Reflected

Direct and reflected signals may interfe re

Inverse Square Law Attenuation

Inverse square law attenuation
- To compare relati ve power at two distances Di vide the longer distance by the sh orter distance Square the result ; this is the relati ve power rati o - Examples 100 mW (milli watts) at 10 meters At 20 meters , 100 / (20/ 10)2 = 100 mW / 4 = 25 mW At 30 meters , 100 / (30/ 10)2 = 100 mW / 9 = 11 mW - Much faster attenuation than UTP or fiber

Frequency-Dependent Propagation Problem

Some problems are Frequency-Dependent
- Higher-frequency signals attenuate faster Absorbed more rapidl y by water in the air - Higher-frequency signals blocked more by obstacles At lower frequencies , signal refract (bend ) around obstacles like an ocean wave hitting a buoy At higher frequencies , signals do not refract ; leave a complete shadow behind obstacles

The Frequency Spectrum , Serv ice Bands, and Channels

1. Frequency Spectrum
(0 Hz to Infinity) _ 2.

4. Signals in different channels do not interfe re with one another 3.

Multiple

Channel 5, Signal A Channel 4, Signal D Channel 3, Signal B Channel 2, No Signal

Service
Band (FM Radio, Cellular
Te l epho~

Channels with in a Service

Band; each
Channel ca rnes a diffe rent signal

etc. )

Channel 1, Signal E

o Hz

Channel Bandwidth and Transmission Speed

Shannon Equation
- Specifies the co nnectio n betw een channel band width and the channel 's ma ximum signal transmissi o n speed - C = B [ Log 2 (1 +S/N)

C = Maximum po ssible transmissi o n speed in the channel (bps) B = Band width (Hz) SIN = Signal-to-Noise Rati o - Measured as a rati o

-If gi ven in dB , must co nvert to rati o

Channel Bandwidth and Transmission Speed

Shannon Equation
- C = B [Log2 (1+SIN)

Note that doubling the bandwidth doubles the maximum possible transmission speed Increasing the bandwidth by X increases the maximum possible speed by X - Wide bandwidth is the key to fast transmissi on - Increasing SIN helps slightly but usually cannot be done to any significant extent

Channel Bandwidth and Transmission Speed

Broadband and Narrowband Channels
- Broadband means wide channel bandwidth and therefore high speed - Narrowband means narrow channel bandwidth and therefore low speed - Narrowband is below 200 kbps - Broadband is above 200 kbps

Channel Bandwidth and Transmission Speed

Channel Bandwidth and Spectrum Scarcity
- Why not ma ke all channels broadband? - There is on ly a limited amount of spectrum at desirable frequencies - Making each channel broader than needed wou ld mean having fewer channels or widening the service band - Service band design requires tradeoffs between speed requirements , channel bandwidth, and service band size

Channel Bandwidth and Transmission Speed

The Golden Zone
- Most organizati onal radi o techn ologies operate in the golden zone in the high megahertz to low gigahertz range - At higher frequencies , pro pagation pro blems are severe - At lower frequencies , there is not enough total band width
Higher Frequency

Golden Zone

Lower Frequency

Spread Spectrum Transmission

Unlicensed Bands
- W LANs operate in unlicensed service bands You do not need a license to have or move your stations You must tolerate interference from other users You must not cause unreasonable interference - Two unlicensed bands are widely used: the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band 5 GHz has worse propagation characteristics 2.4 GHz has fewer available channels

Spread Spectrum Transmission, Cont.

Spread Spectrum Transmission

- You are REQUIRED BY LAW to use spread spectrum transmissi on in unlicensed bands Spread spectrum transmissi on is required to reduce pro pagation problems at high frequencies Espec ially multi path interference - Spread spectrum transmissi on is NOT used for security in WLANs Th is surprises many people

Normal Radio Transmission and Spread Spectrum Transmission

Normal transmission: Uses only the channel bandwidth requ ired by your signaling speed Channel Bandwidth , _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, Requ ired fo r Signal I Speed '-----------------~ Note: Height of Box Indicates Bandwidth of Channel
Norma l Ra dio: Bandwidth Is No W ider than Requ ired

To conserve spectrum channel, bandwidths usually are set to be only as wide as signals in the service band need based on their speed

Normal Radio Transmission and Spread Spectrum Transmission

Spread spectrum transm iss ion: Uses channels much wider than signal ing speed requires Channel Bandwidth ,---_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, Requ ired for Signal Speed Note: Height of Box Indicates Bandwidth of Channel

Spread Spectrum Tran smi ss ion: Channel Bandwidth Is Much W ider than Needed

However, spread spectrum transm iss ion uses much wider channels than are needed, wh ich seems wasteful but improves propagation

802.11 WLAN Operation

Typical 802.11 WLAN Operation

Ethernet

802.3 Frame

1 802.tt Frame l

Switch
WAP 802.3 Frame

Rad io Transmission

Laptop

Client PC

Server
La rg e W ired LAN

Wireless access points (WAPs) bridge the networks (translates between the 802.11 wireless frame and the Ethernet 802.3 frame used within the LAN )

Typical 802.11 WLAN Operation, Continued

Ethernet

UTP
WAP 802.3 Frame

~--~<

Laptop

802.11 Frame

Client PC

Server
Large W ired LAN

WAP

Handoff or Roam ing (if mobile computer moves to another access point, it switches service to that access point)

Stations and Access Points Transmit in a Sing le Channel

o ",,,,,,,'"

Switch

~---....
Access

/' .:..'i

L'ptop

PointB ~

t
one device transmits at a time.

Coll ision if 2 Devices send

t\
/

Simultaneously

The access point and all the stations it serves transmit in a single channel. If tvo devices transmit at the same time. their signals will collide. becoming unreadable. Media access control (MAC) methods govern when devices transmit so that only

Laptop

Media Access Control

Only one station or the access point can transm it at a time To control access (transmission), two methods can be used
- CSMAlCA+ACK (mandatory ) - RTS/CTS (optional unless 802.11 band 9 stations share an 802.11 9 access point)

CSMA/CA in 802.11 Wireless LANs

CSMAICA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Coll ision Avoidance) CSMA
- Sender Always Li stens for Traffic Carrier is the signa l; sense is to li sten - If there is traffic , the sender waits - If there is no traffic ... If the time since the last transmission is more than a cri tica l value , the station may send immed iately

CSMAICA in 802.11 Wireless LANs

CSMAICA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Coll ision Avoidance)
- If there is no traffic If the time since the last transmissi on is less than a critical value , the station sets a rand om timer and waits - If there is no traffic at the end of the waiting time , the station sends - If there is traffic , CSMA starts over again

CSMAICA in 802.11 Wireless LANs

ACK (Acknowledgement)
- Receiver immediately sends back an acknowledgment when it receives a frame Does not wai t to send an ACK Th is avoids interference with other stations, which must wa it - If sender does not receive the acknowledgement, it retransmi ts the frame using CSMAICA - 802.1 1 with CSMAlCA+ACK is a reliable protocol I

Request to Send/Clear to Send C (RTS/CTS)

Box

::>

-j RTS
Access
POint B Client PC Large Wired LAN

fLaptop

Rad io Link

1. Device that wishes to transm it may send a Request-te-Send message

Request to Send/Clear to Send C (RTS/CTS)

CTS

Box

Must Wa it

-----Radio
WAP Client PC Large W ired LAN

Link

"-,.

May Send Frames

2. Wireless access point broadcasts a Clear-to-Send message. Station that sent the RTS may transmit unimpeded. Other stations hearing the eTS must wait

Recap

CSMAlCA+ACK is mandatory

RTS/CTS is optiona l
- However, it is mandatory if 802.1 1band 802 119 NICs share the same 802.1 19 access point

Specific 802.11 Wireless LAN Standards

Transm ission Speed and Distance

- As a station moves away fro m an access point , transmissi on speed falls There are several modes of operation specified in each standard The fastest mode only works with a very stro ng signal As the user moves away, the signal strength becomes too low That station and the access point switch to a slower mode

Specific 802.11 Wireless LAN Standards, Continued

Transmission Speed and Distance

- W hen stations transmit more slowly, they take longer to transmit their frames This redu ces the time available for other stations to transmit Consequently. th ro ughput falls for everyo ne - Even a few very distant stations can slow th ro ughput for everyo ne substantially

Figure 5-19: Interference Between Nearby Access Points Operati ng on the Same Channel

Access Point A Chann el t

"

Acc ess Point D Channel 6

"I ~

In 802.t t band 802. t tQ nonoverlappin channels are t,6,andtt

Access Point B Channel 6

Interference

Access Point ( Channel 6

Interference

Interference

Access Point E Channel 6

"

Access Point f Channel11

1"

Acce ss Point Channe ls Shou l~ be SelectM to Minimize Mutua l Interference

B02.11n
Under Development
- Rated speeds of 100 Mbps to 6 00 Mbp s - W ill op erate in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz baflds - May use twi ce current bandwidth per channels (-2 0 MHz) to roughly double speed - W ill use MIMO - Currently a draft stafldard

802.11
Standard for Quality of Serv ice (OoS )
- Needed for voice and vi deo transmission - Wi-Fi Alliance calls 802.118 Wi -Fi Multimedia (WMM )

WLAN Security

WLAN Security Threats

Drive By Hackers
- Sit outside the corporate premises and read network traffic - Can send malicious traffic into the netw ork - Easily d one with readily available downloadable softw are

War Drivers
- Merely disco ver unprote cte d acc ess points- become drive-by hackers only if they break In

, WLAN Security Threats, Continued

Rogue Access Points

- Unauthori zed access points set up by department or ind ividua l - Often have very poor security, making dri ve-by hacking easier - Often operate at high power, attracting many clients

WLAN Security Threats, Continued

Evil Twin Access Points
- Crea te a fake access point outside wa lls of firm using a

PC
- Leg itimate interna l client associates with the evil twin access point , wh ich operates at high power
Legitimate Legitimate
Client

Evil TwinAP

AP

J-

r-,
Duped Assoc iation

WLAN Security Threats, Continued

Evil Twi n Access Points
- Evil twin then associates with a legitimate internal access point masqueradi ng as the interna l clients - Th is connects the evil twin to the firm's internal network
Legitimate Legitimate Client
2. Assoc iates Client

AP

As Legitimate

Evil Twin AP

,
1. Assoc iates

WLAN Security Threats, Continued

Evil Twin Access Points
- Evil twin can then read all traffic , even if the sender and recei ve encrypt their messages because the evil twin steals authentication credentials passed between the clients and the legitimate access point - Also can insert traffic - Classic man-in-the-middle attack
Legitimate
Client Legitimate AP J-~

Evil Twin AP

r--

802.11 WLAN Management

Wireless LAN Management

Access Points Placement in a Building
- Must be done carefull y for good coverage and to minimize interference between access points - La yout 30-meter t~-meter radius circles on blueprints - Adjust for obvious potential pro blems such as brick walls - In multistory buildings , must consider interference in three dimensions

Wireless LAN Management

Access Pqi:.:lts Placement in a Building

- Insta ll access points and do site surveys to determine signal quality - Adjust placement and signal strength accordingly - Th is is quite expensive

Wireless Access Point Management Alternatives

Ethernet Switch

UTP
Manageable WLAN Switch
"""''''

Manageable Smart Access Point

Central Management Stati on Management intelligence can be placed in the access point or the WLAN switch

Dumb Access Point Dumb Access Point

. Wireless LAN Management

Remote Access Point Management
- Desired func tionality Continuous transmissi on quality monitoring Immediate notification of failures Rem ote AP adjustment (power, channel, etc. ) Ability to push software updates out to all APs or W LAN switches Take appropriate actions automatically whenever possible

oBluetoothO
Bluetooth
For Personal Area Networks (PANs)

Bluetooth Personal Area Networks (PANs) For Personal Area Networks (PANs)
- Devices around a desk (computer, mouse , keyboard , printer) - Devices on a person's body and nearby (cell phone , PDA , notebook computer, etc. )

oBluetooth

~ _ _ __ _ " t

Bluetooth Personal Area Networks (PANs) Cable Replacement Technology

- For example , with a Bluetooth PDA , print wirelessly to a nearby Bluetooth-enabled printer - No acc ess points are used Direct device-to-device communicati on

Print Job

Bluetooth Personal Area Networks (PANs)

Disadvantages Compared to 802.11

- Short distance (10 meters) - Low speed (3 Mbps , with a slower reverse channel ) - Insufficient for W LAN in a building

Bluetooth Personal Area Networks (PANs)

Advantages Compared to 802.11

- Low battery power drain so long battery life between recharges - Application profiles Define how devices will work together with little or no human intervention Sending print jobs to printers File synchro nization Etc. Somewhat rudimen ta ry Devices typically only automate a few access profiles

, Bluetooth Personal Area Networks (PANs)

Bluetooth Trends
- Bluetooth Alliance is enhancing Bluetooth - The next version of Bluetooth is li kely to grow to use ultrawideband transmissi on This should raise speed to 100 Mbps (or more ) Transmission distance will remain limited to 10 meters Good for distributing television with in a house

Other Wireless Communication

3G Cellu lar phones VolP on wireless RFID and embedded wireless technology, e.g. creditllD cards W ireless IPODs?