Wireless Networking

Chapter 12

Chapter Objectives

Identify wireless networking

Compare wireless and wired network
Explain the different wireless standards
List the components required for wireless
networking
Discuss the various applications of wireless
networking
Troubleshoot wireless network problems

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Recall

Structured Cabling is a set of standards that

determine how to create a central point to start the
wiring for data or voice communications
The subsystems of structured cabling systems:

Entrance Facilities
Equipment Room
Telecommunications Room
Backbone Cabling
Horizontal Cabling
Administration and Work Area

Conduits are plastic pipes that run through wall plate

to wiring closet and between the wiring closets

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Wireless Networking Basics

Wireless networking allows

you to establish:

Communication using
standard network protocols
and use radio frequency
Communication without the
use of cables
Technologies used for
wireless access based on

Wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi)

Home Radio Frequency
(HomeRF)

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Types of wireless network

from CBT

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Types of Wireless Network

I Peer-to-Peer(P2P) or Ad-Hoc

Connected wirelessly with the use of wireless

Network Interface Card (NIC)
Computers can access printers and share files
Wired LAN can be accessed using bridging

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Types of Wireless Network

II

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Access point or
Infrastructure wireless LAN
Wireless device connects
to the access point to
connect to the network
Access point acts as a
hub to connect two
wireless devices
Wireless bridge used to
connect wireless network
to wired network

Wireless Standards

Variety of standards accepted worldwide and offer different levels of security

Wireless
Standards

IEEE 802.11

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Bluetooth

IrDA

HomeRF

WiMAX

IEEE 802.11 I

Developed by Institute of Electrical and Electronic

Engineers (IEEE) for defining different aspects of
Radio Frequency Wireless networking
IEEE
802.11
Standards

802.11

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802.11a

802.11b

802.11g

802.11n

IEEE 802.11 II
Standard

Data
Rate

Max
range

Frequency

Compatibility

802.11

2Mbps

46
meter

2.4 GHz

802.11

802.11a

54Mbps

46
meter

5 GHz

802.11a

802.11b

11Mbps

91
meter

2.4 GHz

802.11b

802.11g

54Mbps

91
meter

2.4 GHz

802.11b,
802.11g

802.11n

540
Mbps

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2.4/5 GHz

IEEE 802.11 III

Security

Four methods of wireless network security:

Data encryption (WEP and WPA)
Port based access control
Service Set Identifier (SSID)
Media Access Control (MAC) address filtering

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Security - I

WEP suitable for small network

Uses 64/128 encryption algorithm
Encryption key is static and shared
No mechanism for user authentication
WPA uses dynamic encryption key
user authentication through Extensible Authentication
Protocol (EAP)
SSID is a 32 character unique identifier
inserted into header of each packet
to secure your network configure your AP with unique SSID
name

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Security - II

MAC address filtering preferred for smaller

network
MAC address listed in the list can access other
devices in the network
If any NIC is failed then you have to reconfigure
the AP
Port Based Access control (802.1x) uses EAP
hardware used such as supplicant, authenticator,
and authenticating server must be 802.1x enabled
to use the network

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Components Requirements

The important components required for setting up a

wireless network are:

Medium
Access point and Extension point
Wireless bridges and Power line bridges
Antennas
Wireless adapters
Wireless Station and Server
Software

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Medium

Wireless medium is an unguided form of networking

medium
Wireless transmission involves use of technologies such
as Bluetooth, Infrared, Lasers, Radio signals and
Microwave technologies
Lasers, infrared and Bluetooth are used mainly in LAN
environment whereas microwave and other radio
frequencies are used to connect vast geographical
locations
Mobile computing allows users to do their work at any
location

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Access Point and Extension

Point

Access Point

Device that bridges a wireless connection and a

wired connection
Two types of access points: Hardware access points
and Software access points
Generally acts as a hub and operates at layer 1

Extension Point

Used if single access point is not able to cover entire

area
Acts as wireless relay extending the range of
wireless network

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Hardware Access Points

Hardware access point is a physical device that is

used to establish a connection between a wired
network and a wireless network

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Software Access Points

Software Access Points are computer which

includes a wireless network interface card.

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Extension Point

Extension points are used if a single access

point is not able to cover the entire area.

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Wireless and Power-line

bridges

Wireless bridge

Used to connect two or

more wireless networks

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Power-line bridge

Used to penetrate a
wireless network that is
otherwise difficult to
penetrate

Antennas and Adapters

Antennas are used to increase the range of wireless network

Antennas should be compatible with the router, AP or the
adapter i.e. installed in the network
Types of antennas used:
Omnidirectional antennas - Used indoors and small in size
Directional antennas - High gain and used for long range
outdoor use
Wireless adapters help to connect computer or PDA to a
network
Wireless adapters are available as PC cards, PCI and mini
PCI, USB, and CompactFlash.

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Wireless Station and Server

Wireless Local Area Network consists of wireless

station and wireless server
Wireless station - Connects wireless network into
a wireless medium
Wireless Stations

Wireless Clients

Access Points

Wireless server The main server connected to

the wired network which controls all devices
within the wireless network

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Software

Wireless network adapter requires two types of

software so as to function properly:

Driver
Configuration Utility

Windows XP has built-in tools for configuring

network adapter settings
It is better to use the drivers and configuration
utilities provided by the vendor along with the
wireless adapter

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Case Study 1
Hyderabad branch of MoneyMaker bank has a
wireless network setup in the whole office. Network
administrator Smith identifies that the signal strength
in the insurance department is slightly weak as
compared to other parts of the office. It provides
poor connectivity to the wireless devices present in
that department.

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Problem

Signal strength is slightly weak

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Suggested Solution

Access point is away from the insurance department.

Smith can connect an extension point to the existing
access point to increase the range of the wireless
network. If the problem still exists then add an access
point.

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Application

Common applications of wireless technologies:

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)

Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN)
Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN)
Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN)
Mobile Computing

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Show troubleshooting from

the CBT

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Troubleshooting I

Wire and Wireless Adapter

Software Troubleshooting - Wireless adapter

configuration utility and wireless APs firmware version

Driver Compatibility
Low signal strength Can be solved with:

Interference
Installing repeater
Changing Antenna
Installing Window XP Service Pack 2

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Troubleshooting II

Network settings Common network setting

problems are:

SSID setting
DHCP Addresses
Encryption Keys
MAC Address Filters

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Case Study 2

The MoneyMaker banks Hyderabad branch office has

setup a wireless network. The network engineer Smith
receives complains about slow connectivity from an
employee whose computer is located slightly far away
from the access point.

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Problem

Low signal strength

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Suggested Solution
Smith should try placing the access point at a central
location far away from physical obstructions and
mirrors. He can also change the position of the
antenna sideways or downwards just to check if there
is better reception. He can also replace the antenna
with a high gain antenna or install a repeater to
troubleshoot the problem if there is no success in the
previous solution.

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Summary I

Peer-to-peer and ad-hoc access point wireless LAN are

types of wireless networks
802.11 is a standard which was developed by Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) for defining all
aspects of Radio Frequency Wireless networking
IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
and IEEE 802.11n are the different IEEE 802.11 standards
Methods of wireless network security are Wired Equivalent
Privacy (WEP), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), Service Set
Identifier (SSID), Media Access Control (MAC) address
filtering and Port Based Access Control: 802.1x

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Summary II

Bluetooth is a radio standard and communication protocol

with low power consumption and short range of
transmission and reception
Bluetooth 1.0 and 1.0B, Bluetooth 1.1, Bluetooth 1.2, and
Bluetooth 2.0 are the different Bluetooth standards
Bluetooth devices operate in a master/slave scheme where
in the master device can controls up to seven active slave
devices
The Bluetooth devices go through four different stages
before starting a communication: device discovery, name
discovery, association and service discovery
The various services that are supported by Bluetooth are
known as profiles and there are 13 Bluetooth services

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Summary III

IrDA is the example of free space optical communication over

a short range
IrPHY, IrLAP, IrLMP, Tiny TP, IrCOMM, IrOBEX, and IrLAN
are the different layers of IrDA specifications
In Infrared the two devices must be configured in an ad-hoc
mode thereby making it more vulnerable to interference
Infrastructure mode is not available in infrared communication
Security features like encryption and decryption are not
available in IrDA
Microwave and Radio Frequency (RF) are the medium for
wireless networking

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Summary IV

Hardware access points and Software access points are the

two types of access points
Wireless bridge is used to connect two or more wireless or
wired networks
Antennas are used to increase the range of the wireless
network
Wireless adapter card helps to connect the computer or a
laptop to a wireless network
Devices that can connect to the wireless network through a
wireless medium are known as Wireless stations
Wireless server is the main server that is connected to the
wired network

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