WIRELESS Network

WIRLESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK

 WIRELESS LAN
• Introduction
• Wireless Technology
• WLAN Components
• Wireless Topologies
• Configuration
• Customer Considerations
• Differences between wired LAN vs wireless LAN
 INTRODUCTION
• Data communications system
• Alternates wired LAN
• Transmits and receives data over the air
• Minimize the need for wired connections
• Become more popular in general-purpose alternative
of business customers.
• Benefited several industries in productivity and
mobility
 What is a wireless LAN?
• Wireless LAN (WLAN) - provides all the features
and benefits of traditional LAN technologies
such as Ethernet and Token Ring, but without
the limitations of wires or cables.
 Wireless?
• A wireless LAN or WLAN is a wireless local
area network that uses radio waves as its
carrier.
• The last link with the users is wireless, to give
a network connection to all users in a building
or campus.
• The backbone network usually uses cables
 WHEN?
• When you truly need mobility
• When you plan to move or remodel soon
• When set up a portable buildings for
temporary use
• When you don’t have time to configure and
maintain a wiring scheme
• When running cable is too expensive
 WHY WIRELESS?
Advantages:

• MOBILITY
• INSTALLATION
• COST
• SCALABILITY
 MOBILITY
• Real-time information access from anywhere at any
time
• Increases productivity and flexibility
• Productivity is no longer restricted to a fixed work
location or a defined time period.
• People now expect to be connected at any time and
place, from the office to the airport or the home.
• Users now expect to be able to roam wirelessly.
• Roaming enables a wireless device to maintain
Internet access without losing a connection.
 INSTALLATION
• Fast and easy
• No cable needed
• No frustration with wiring
• Go where wires cannot go
 COST
• Short run
– Initial investment is higher than wired LAN
• Long run
– Long-term costs is essentially lower than wired
LAN
– Long-term cost and benefits are very important in
dynamic and ever-changing business
environments
 SCALABILITY
• Can be configured in different topologies to meet the
specification of applications and installations
• Can be easily changed from peer-to-peer networks
(small # of users) to full infrastructure networks
(thousands of users)
 IN THE REAL WORLD
• Not a replacement for the wired infrastructure
• Great complement to what currently exists
• Examples
– Doctors and nurses
• more productive in delivering patients’ information and status
instantly
– Student
• access the Internet to consult the catalog of the Library of
Congress
– Network managers
• provide backup for mission-critical applications
 HOW IT WORKS
• Use electromagnetic airwaves to communicate
information
• Data imposed on radio carrier (radio wave)

• RF electromagnetic wave can easily pass

through ordinary wall, it needs to implement
with heavy concrete or metal screening.
 Benefits of Wireless
• Increased flexibility
• Increased productivity
• Reduced costs
• Ability to grow and adapt to changing
requirements
• Better mobility support
• Better security
• Wider selection
 Benefits of Wireless
• Lower prices
• Less configuration required
• More end-user focus
• Better software
• Less visible
• More popular
 WLAN Components

Wireless Technologies
Wireless networks can be classified broadly as:
• Wireless personal-area network (WPAN) – Operates in the range of a
few feet (Bluetooth).
• Wireless LAN (WLAN) – Operates in the range of a few hundred feet.
• Wireless wide-area network (WWAN) – Operates in the range of miles.
• Bluetooth – An IEEE 802.15 WPAN standard; uses a device-pairing
process to communicate over distances up to .05 mile (100m).
• Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) – An IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard; provides
network access to home and corporate users, to include data, voice and
video traffic, to distances up to 0.18 mile (300m).
 WLAN Technologies

Wireless Technologies (cont.)

• Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) – An IEEE
802.16 WWAN standard that provides wireless broadband access of up to
30 mi (50 km).
• Cellular broadband – Consists of various corporate, national, and
international organizations using service provider cellular access to
provide mobile broadband network connectivity.
• Satellite Broadband – Provides network access to remote sites through
the use of a directional satellite dish.
 WLAN Components

Radio Frequencies
 What is 802.11?
• A family of wireless LAN (WLAN) specifications
developed by a working group at the Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
• Defines standard for WLANs using the following four
technologies
– Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)
– Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)
– Infrared (IR)
– Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)
• Versions: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11e,
802.11f, 802.11i
 Current Standards – a, b, g, n
Speed 860 Kbps 1 and
1 and
2 Mbps
2 Mbps 11 Mbps 54 Mbps
Network Proprietary Standards-based
Radio 900 MHz 2.4 GHz 2.4 GHz 5 GHz

 IEEE 802.11Begins 802.11 802.11a,b 802.11g

Drafting Ratified Ratified Ratified
1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2003

• 802.11a
– Up to 54 Mbps
– 5 GHz
– Not compatible with either 802.11b or 802.11g
• 802.11b
– Up to 11 Mbps 802.11g is backwards compatible
– 2.4 GHz with 802.11b, but with a drawback
• 802.11g (later)
– Up to 54 Mbps
– 2.4 GHz
 WLAN Components

802.11 Standards
 Performance
• 802.11a offers speeds with a theoretically maximum
rate of 54Mbps in the 5 GHz band
• 802.11b offers speeds with a theoretically maximum
rate of 11Mbps at in the 2.4 GHz spectrum band
• 802.11g is a new standard for data rates of up to a
theoretical maximum of 54 Mbps at 2.4 GHz.
• 802.11n is a new standard for data rates of up to a
theoretical maximum of 600 Mbps at 2.4 GHz and 5
GHz band .
 802.11a Advantages
• Ultra-high spectrum efficiency
– 5 GHz band is 300 MHz (vs. 83.5 MHz @ 2.4 GHz)
– More data can travel over a smaller amount of
bandwidth
• High speed
– Up to 54 Mbps
• Less interference
– Fewer products using the frequency
• 2.4 GHz band shared by cordless phones, microwave
ovens, Bluetooth, and WLANs
 802.11a Disadvantages
• Standards and Interoperability
– Standard not accepted worldwide
– No interoperability certification available
for 802.11a products
– Not compatible or interoperable with 802.11b
• Legal issues
– License-free spectrum in 5 GHz band not
available worldwide
• Market
– Beyond LAN-LAN bridging, there is limited interest for
5 GHz adoption
 802.11a Vs. 802.11b
802.11a vs. 802.11a 802.11b
802.11b
Raw data rates Up to 54 Mbps Up to 11 Mbps
(54, 48, 36, 24,18, 12 (11, 5.5, 2, and
and 6 Mbps) 1 Mbps)

Range 50 Meters 100 Meters

Bandwidth UNII and ISM ISM (2.4000—

(5 GHz range) 2.4835 GHz range)

Modulation OFDM technology DSSS technology

 802.11a Applications
• Building-to-building connections
• Video, audio conferencing/streaming video,
and audio
• Large file transfers, such as engineering
CAD drawings
• Faster Web access and browsing
• High worker density or high throughput scenarios
– Numerous PCs running graphics-intensive applications
 802.11g
• 802.11g is a high-speed extension to 802.11b
– Compatible with 802.11b
– High speed up to 54 Mbps
– 2.4 GHz (vs. 802.11a, 5 GHz)
– Using ODFM for backward compatibility
– Adaptive Rate Shifting
 802.11g Advantages
• Provides higher speeds and higher capacity
requirements for applications
– Wireless Public Access
• Compatible with existing 802.11b standard
• Leverages Worldwide spectrum availability
in 2.4 GHz
• Likely to be less costly than 5 GHz alternatives
• Provides easy migration for current users of 802.11b
WLANs
– Delivers backward support for existing 802.11b products
• Provides path to even higher speeds in the future
 Components of WLANs

Wireless NICs
Wireless deployment
requires:
• End devices with wireless
NICs
• Infrastructure device,
such as a wireless router
or wireless AP
 Components of WLANs

Wireless Home Router

A home user typically
interconnects wireless
devices using a small,
integrated wireless
router.

These serve as:

access point
Ethernet switch
router
 Components of WLANs

Business Wireless Solutions

 Components of WLANs

Wireless Access Points

 Components of WLANs

Small Wireless Deployment

Solutions
 Components of WLANs
Small Wireless Deployment Solutions (cont.)

• Each AP is configured
and managed
individually.
• This can become a
problem when several
APs are required.
 Components of WLANs

Small Wireless Deployment

Solutions • Support the clustering of
APs without the use of a
controller.
• Multiple APs can be
deployed and pushed to a
single configuration to all
devices within the cluster,
managing the wireless
network as a single system
without worrying about
interference between APs,
and without configuring
each AP as a separate
device.
 Components of WLANs

Large Wireless Deployment

Solutions
• For larger organizations with many APs,
Cisco provides controller-based
managed solutions, including the Cisco
Meraki Cloud Managed Architecture and
the Cisco Unified Wireless Network
Architecture.
• Cisco Meraki cloud architecture is a
management solution used to simplify
the wireless deployment. Using this
architecture, APs are centrally managed
from a controller in the cloud.
 Components of WLANs
Large Wireless Deployment Solutions (cont.)
 Components of WLANs
Large Wireless Deployment Solutions (cont.)
 Components of WLANs

Wireless Antennas
Cisco Aironet APs can use:
• Omnidirectional Wi-Fi Antennas – Factory Wi-Fi gear often uses basic
dipole antennas, also referred to as “rubber duck” design, similar to
those used on walkie-talkie radios. Omnidirectional antennas provide
360-degree coverage.
• Directional Wi-Fi Antennas – Directional antennas focus the radio signal
in a given direction, which enhances the signal to and from the AP in the
direction the antenna is pointing.
• Yagi antennas – Type of directional radio antenna that can be used for
long-distance Wi-Fi networking.
 802.11 WLAN Topologies

802.11 Wireless Topology Modes

 802.11 WLAN Topologies

802.11 Wireless Topology Modes

(cont.)
 802.11 WLAN Topologies

Ad Hoc Mode
Tethering (personal hotspot) – Variation of the Ad Hoc topology when a
smart phone or tablet with cellular data access is enabled to create a
personal hotspot.
 802.11 WLAN Topologies

Infrastructure Mode
 802.11 WLAN Topologies

Infrastructure Mode (cont.)

 CONFIGURATION
• Peer-to-peer network
• Client and Access point
• Multiple access points and roaming
• Using an extension point
• Using directional antennas
 PEER-TO-PEER NETWORK
 Wireless adapter cards
– Connect 2 PCs
 Client access only to each other, not
with a central server

Source: http://www.proxim.com
 CLIENT & ACCESS POINT (AP)
 Access point
– Must be wired to the
network
– Extend the range of the
network
– Allow access from client-
to-server and among each
workstation
– Real-world: each Access Source: http://www.proxim.com

Point can accommodate

from 15-50 client devices
 MULPTIPLE AP & ROAMING
 In large facility, more than one AP
might be needed to coverage the whole
area
 Access Point range:
– Indoor = 500 ft; Outdoor = 1,000 ft

Source: http://www.proxim.com
 EXTENTION POINT (EP)
 EP can be connected to the network
without wiring.
 EP extend the range of the network by
relaying signals from a client to an AP
or another EP.

Source: http://www.proxim.com
 DIRECTIONAL ANTENNAS
 Extend the wireless networks between
buildings
 Antenna must be connected to an AP of
the network

Source: http://www.proxim.com
 MEDIUM ACCESS CONTROL
• A collision may occur when 2 stations
transmit data simultaneously
• Detects the collision and ignores the
message
• Each station that wants to transmit waits a
random amount of time and then attempts
to transmit again
• The random transmission delays reduce the
probability that the stations will transmit
simultaneously again.
Wireless LAN Market
 WIRELESS LAN MARKET
• Customer considerations
– Range and coverage
– Throughput
– Compatibility
– Interoperability
– Interference and Coexistence
– Licensing issues
– Simplicity
– Security
– Cost
– Major vendors
– Scalability
 CUSTOMER CONSIDERATIONS
• Range and coverage
– Mostly use Radio Frequency because it can
penetrate most indoor walls and obstacles
– Range varies from under 100 feet to more than
300 feet
– Coverage can be extended
 CUSTOMER CONSIDERATIONS
(con’t)
• Throughput
– Actual throughput is product and set-up
dependent
– Affecting factors:
• # of users
• Range and multipath
• Type of wireless LAN system used
 CUSTOMER CONSIDERATIONS
(con’t)
• Compatibility with existing network
– Most wireless LANs provide industry-standard
interconnection with wired networks such as
Ethernet or Token Ring.
– Wireless LAN nodes are supported by network
operating systems through uses of appropriate
drivers.
 CUSTOMER CONSIDERATIONS
(con’t)
• Interoperability of wireless devices
– Different vendors might not be interoperable
• Three reasons
– System based on spread spectrum frequency hopping (FHSS)
will not communicate with direct sequence (DSSS).
– Different frequency bands will not interoperate even with
same technology.
– Differences in implementation.
 CUSTOMER CONSIDERATIONS
(con’t)
• Interferences and Coexistence
– Unlicensed wireless transmitting energy in same
frequency spectrum can provide interference. (ex.
Microwave oven)
– Co-location of multiple wireless LANs: more
wireless LANs, more interferences.
 CUSTOMER CONSIDERATIONS
(con’t)
• Licensing
– Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
– Wireless LANs operate in portions of radio spectrum: end
user does not require license.
– Manufacturer must ensure certification by agency in that
country to distribute the use of wireless LANs.
– In US: broadcast over ISM (Instrumentation, Scientific, and
Medical) bands.
• Bands: 902-928MHz, 2.4-2.483 GHz, 5.15-5.35 GHz, 5.725-5.875
GHz.
 CUSTOMER CONSIDERATIONS
(con’t)
• Simplicity
– Wireless is transparent to users.
– Applications is same with wired LANs.
– Only access points is require cabling.
– Portable from place to place after configured.
 CUSTOMER CONSIDERATIONS
(con’t)
• Security
– Complex encryption techniques is used.
– Individual nodes must be security enable before
they are allowed to participate in network traffic.
 CUSTOMER CONSIDERATIONS
(con’t)
Cost
– Infrastructure costs
• Wireless access points.
• Number of access points deployed ($1,000 to $2,000).
• Coverage region/type of users serviced.
– User costs
• Wireless LAN adapters.
• Price range from $300 to $1,000.
 CUSTOMER CONSIDERTAIONS
(con’t)
• Cost of Installation and Maintenance
– Lower direct cost
• Eliminates direct costs of cabling, labor associated with
installing and repair.
– Lower indirect cost
• Reduce indirect costs of user downtime and
administrative overhead as it simplify moves, adds, and
changes
 CUSTOMER CONSIDERATIONS
(con’t)
• Scalability
– Adding access points: to extend coverage.
 Wired vs Wireless

 The distinction between these networks is

definitely becoming less and less marked,
and to an extent, network protocols and
architectures may also have to move in that
direction.
 Anything that will call itself "general
networking" must necessarily include wireless
networking
 There is still a big difference between wired
and wireless networks in network/transport
performance beyond raw link data rates
 Wired vs Wireless
 Wireless offers a different value proposition from
wired networks: more about mobility and freedom
and less about performance. Wireless enables new
unique applications, so that users are willing to pay
more per bps.
 The forthcoming explosion of wireless/mobile
devices should drive the design of the global
Internet in terms of core features such as naming,
addressing, routing, content/location
awareness, and security.
 There is an opportunity to merge, but this can only
happen if there is cross-fertilization between
communities.
 Wired vs Wireless
 Wireless is a very good access technology and last-
resort long-haul technology, while wireline is a great
long-haul technology and a good access technology and
there's no reason to believe the broad respective merits
of the two classes of technology will change in the near
future.
 Wireless networks must be considered to be part of “the
network” because that is the user, management,
security, enterprise, economic, and perhaps regulatory
model that exists, unless one believes in completely
“unwired” global networks.
 Most new requirements of future networking will come
out of the mobile and wireless area and goes beyond
what is need only for wired networks
Comparing WLANs to LANs