Chapter one

Introduction to Wireless Networking

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 1. wireless networking
 Wireless communication is among technology’s biggest
contributions to mankind.
 Wireless communication involves the transmission of
information over a distance without help of wires, cables or
any other forms of electrical conductors.
 The transmitted distance can be anywhere between a few
meters (for example, a television’s remote control) and
thousands of kilometres (for example, radio communication).
 Some of the devices used for wireless communication are
cordless telephones, mobiles, GPS units, wireless computer
parts, and satellite television.

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 Cont…
 Wireless technology is the method of delivering data from
one point to another without using physical wires, and
includes radio, cellular, infrared, and satellite.

 The common wireless networks of today originated from

many evolutionary stages of wireless communications and
radio applications.

 Although some discoveries occurred in the early 1800s,

much of the evolution of wireless communication began
with the emergence of the electrical age and was affected
by modern economics as much as by discoveries in physics.
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 2.History of Wireless Network

 In the 19th century, numerous inventors and

scientists, including Michael Faraday, James Clerk
Maxwell, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, Nikola Tesla, David
Edward Hughes, Thomas Edison, and Guglielmo
Marconi, began to experiment with wireless
communications.
 These innovators discovered and created many
theories about the concepts of electrical magnetic
radio frequency (RF).

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 Cont…
 Wireless networking technology was first used by the U.S.
military during World War II to transmit data over an RF
medium using classified encryption technology, to send
battle plans across enemy lines.
 The spread spectrum radio technologies often used in today’s
WLANs were also originally patented during the era of
World War II, although they were not implemented until
almost two decades later.
 In 1970, the University of Hawaii developed the first
wireless network, called ALOHAnet, to wirelessly
communicate data between the Hawaiian Islands.
 The network used a LAN communication Open Systems
Interconnection layer 2 protocols called ALOHA on a
wireless shared medium in the 400 MHz frequency range. 5
 Cont…
 The technology used in ALOHA net is often credited as a
building block for the Medium Access Control
technologies of Carrier Sense Multiple Access with
Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) used in Ethernet and
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance
(CSMA/CA) used in 802.11 radios.
 ALOHA, also called the Aloha method, refers to a simple
communications scheme in which each source
(transmitter) in a network sends data whenever there is a
frame to send.
 If the frame successfully reaches the destination (receiver),
the next frame is sent.
 If the frame fails to be received at the destination, it is
sent again. 6
 Cont…

 In the 1990s, commercial networking vendors

began to produce low-speed wireless data
networking products, most of which operated in
the 900 MHz frequency band.
 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) began to discuss standardizing
WLAN technologies in 1991.
 In 1997, the IEEE ratified the original 802.11
standard that is the foundation of the WLAN
technologies.
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 Cont…
 Legacy 802.11 technology was deployed between 1997
and 1999 mostly in warehousing and manufacturing
environments for the use of low-speed data collection with
wireless barcode scanners.
 In 1999, the IEEE defined higher data speeds with the
802.11b amendment.
 The introduction of data rates as high as 11 Mbps along
with price decreases, ignited the sales of wireless home
networking routers in the small office, home office
(SOHO) market place.
 Home users soon became accustomed(adapted) to wireless
networking in their homes and began to demand that their
employers also provide wireless networking capabilities in
the workplace. 8
 Cont…
 After initial resistance to 802.11 technology, small
companies, medium-sized businesses, and corporations
began to realize the value of deploying 802.11 wireless
networking in their enterprises.
 If you ask the average user about their 802.11 wireless
networks, they may give you a strange look.
 The name that many people recognize for the technology
is Wi-Fi.
 Wi-Fi is a marketing term, recognized worldwide by
millions of people as referring to 802.11 wireless
networking.

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 What Does the Term Wi-Fi Mean?
 Many people mistakenly assume that Wi-Fi is an acronym
for the phrase wireless fidelity (much like hi-fi is short for
high fidelity), but Wi-Fi is simply a brand name used to
market 802.11 WLAN technology.
 Ambiguity in IEEE framework standards for wireless
communications allowed manufacturers to interpret the
802.11 standard in different ways.
 As a result, multiple vendors could have IEEE 802.11–
compliant devices that did not interoperate with each
other.
 The organization Wireless Ethernet Compatibility
Alliance (WECA) was created to further define the IEEE
standard in such a way as to force interoperability
between vendors. 10
 Cont…
 WECA, now known as the Wi-Fi Alliance, chose the term
Wi-Fi as a marketing brand.
 The Wi-Fi Alliance champions enforcing interoperability
among wireless devices.
 To be Wi-Fi compliant, vendors must send their products
to a Wi-Fi Alliance test lab that thoroughly tests
compliance to the Wi-Fi certification.
 Wi-Fi radios are used for numerous enterprise applications
and can also be found in laptops, mobile phones, cameras,
televisions, printers, and many other consumer devices.
 More than 350 million Wi-Fi chipsets were shipped in
2010, with current estimates of annual sales of over one
billion Wi-Fi chipsets within the next few years. 11
 1.2. Wireless Technologies and Devices
 In addition to the wired network, various technologies
exist that allow the transmission of information between
hosts without cables.
 These are known as wireless technologies.
 Wireless technologies use electromagnetic waves to carry
information between devices.
 An electromagnetic wave is the same medium that carries
radio signals through the air.
 The electromagnetic spectrum includes such things as
radio and television broadcast bands, visible light, x-
rays and gamma-rays.
 Each of these has a specific range of wavelengths and
associated energies as shown in the diagram. 12
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 Cont..
 Some types of electromagnetic waves are not suitable for
carrying data.
 Other parts of the spectrum are regulated by governments
and licensed to various organizations for specific
applications.
 Certain areas of the spectrum have been set aside to allow
public use without the restriction of having to apply for
special permits.
 The most common wavelengths used for public wireless
communications include the Infrared and part of the Radio
Frequency (RF) band.

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 Infrared

 Infrared (IR) is relatively low energy and cannot penetrate

through walls or other obstacles.
 However, it is commonly used to connect and move data
between devices such as Personal Digital Assistants
(PDAs) and PCs.
 A specialized communication port known as an Infrared
Direct Access (IrDA) port uses IR to exchange information
between devices.
 IR only allows a one-to-one type of connection.
 IR is also used for remote control devices, wireless mice,
and wireless keyboards.

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 Cont…
 It is generally used for short-range, line-of-sight,
communications.
 However, it is possible to reflect the IR signal off
objects to extend the range.
 For greater ranges, higher frequencies of
electromagnetic waves are required.

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17
 Radio Frequency (RF)

 RF waves can penetrate through walls and other obstacles,

allowing a much greater range than IR.
 Certain areas of the RF bands have been set aside for use by
unlicensed devices such as wireless LANs, cordless phones
and computer peripherals.
 This includes the 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz
frequency ranges.
 These ranges are known as the Industrial Scientific and
Medical (ISM) bands and can be used with very few
restrictions.

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 Cont…
 Bluetooth is a technology that makes use of the 2.4 GHz
band.
 It is limited to low-speed, short-range communications,
but has the advantage of communicating with many
devices at the same time.
 This one-to-many communications has made Bluetooth
technology the preferred method over IR for connecting
computer peripherals such as mice, keyboards and
printers.
 Other technologies that make use of the 2.4 GHz and
5GHz bands are the modern wireless LAN technologies
that conform to the various IEEE 802.11 standards.
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 Cont…
• They are unlike Bluetooth technology in that they
transmit at a much higher power level, which gives
them a greater range.

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 Cont…
 Wireless communication technologies which use various
radio frequencies includes:
Or wireless transmission media
Broadcast radio,
microwave radio,
communications satellites.

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 Broadcast Radio
 Basically an audio broadcasting service, radio broadcasts
sound through the air as radio waves.
 It uses a transmitter to transmit radio waves to a receiving
antenna.
 It uses an antenna.
 To broadcast common programming, stations are linked to
the radio networks.
 Radio broadcasting can also be done via cable FM, the
internet and satellites.
 A radio broadcast sends data over long distances (across
countries) at up to 2 mbps (AM/FM Radio).

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 Microwave Radio
 Microwave transmission involves the transfer of voice
and data through the atmosphere as super high-frequency
radio waves called microwaves.
 Microwave transmission is mainly used to transmit
messages between ground-based stations and satellite
communications systems.
 Microwave transmission mainly uses radio waves
whose wavelengths are conveniently measured in small
units such as centimeters.
 Microwaves belong to the radio spectrum ranges of
roughly 1.0 gigahertz (GHz) to 30 GHz.

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 Cont…
 Radio waves are electromagnetic signals transmitted by an
antenna.
 Radio waves have different frequency segments, and you
will be able to pick up an audio signal by tuning into a
specific frequency segment.
 For example, When the Radio FM Addis says “You are
listening to 97.1 FM”, what it actually means is that
signals are being broadcasted at a frequency of 97.1
megahertz, which in turn means that the transmitter at the
station is oscillating at a frequency of 97,100,000 cycles
per second.

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 Cont…
 Antennas used in microwave transmissions are of
convenient sizes and shapes.
 Microwave transmission depends on line-of-sight
in order to work properly.
 The main drawback of microwave signals is that
they can be affected by bad weather, especially
rain.

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 Communications Satellites

 A communication satellite is an artificial satellite used

specifically as a communication transmitter/receiver in orbit.
 It behaves like a radio relay station above the earth to
receive, amplify, and redirect analog and digital signals
carried on a specific radio frequency.
 Data is passed through a satellite using a transponder which
is a signal path.
 A transponder is a wireless communications,monitoring,or
control device that picks up and automatically responds to
an incoming signal.
 Most satellites have between 24 to 72 transponders, with a
single transponder capable of transmitting and receiving 155
million bits of information per second.
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 Cont..
 This huge capability makes communication satellites
an ideal medium for transmitting and receiving all
kinds of content, including audios and videos.
 Satellites transmit information by using frequency
bands known as C-band and the higher Ku-band
 C-band(low frequency around 4 MHz).while ku band
Transmit around 11 to 12 GHz
 In the near future, the use of a much higher frequency
band known as Ku-band is expected to increase .

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1.3. Applications of Wireless communication

 Television Remote Control – Modern televisions use

wireless remote control. Currently radio waves are also
used.
 Wireless Local Area Network – This is a wireless local
area network that establishes internet connection with the
portable computers.
 Security systems – For homes and office buildings, hard
wired implementation security systems are replaced by the
Wireless technology.
 Cellular Telephone – Radio waves are used to facilitate
the operator to make phone calls from any place on the
earth. CDMA, GSM, and 3G are examples of the
advancement made by wireless communication in the
domain. 28
Computer Interface Devices – Computer hardware
manufacturers had realized that having so many wires to
communicate between devices would confuse the consumer.
 So they switched to wireless technology to facilitate their
consumers, thus making it easy to mediate between a
computer and other peripherals including mouse and
keyboard.
 Earlier, such units required bulky, highly limited
transceivers but recent generations of computer
peripherals use compact and high-quality wireless devices
such as Bluetooth for communication.

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 Cont…
 These days, wireless devices have become very
common and are preferred for their ease of handling
and reliability.
 In reality, wireless-enabled devices have a slightly
slower response time than conventional wired
devices.
 This issue is being addressed by manufacturers and
will be taken care of in the near future.
 Initial concerns that had risen regarding the security
of wireless keyboards have also been taken care of
with the advent of technology.
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 Cont…
 Wireless Communications are categorized under three
major categories as:
 Mobile: it includes cellular phones (GSM/cdma2000.1x)
 Portable: it includes WLAN (802.11) and
Bluetooth(802.15)
 Fixed: it includes WiMAX(worldwide interoperability for
microwave access) (802.16) .(
 WiMAX is a wireless digital communications system,
also known as IEEE 802.16, that is intended for wireless
"metropolitan area networks".
 WiMAX can provide broadband wireless access (BWA)
up to 30 miles (50 km) for fixed stations, and 3 - 10 miles
(5 - 15 km) for mobile stations. 31
 Cont…
 Wireless Communications system contains:
 Transmitter
 Antennas: radiates electromagnetic energy into air
 Reciever

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 1.4. Types of Wireless Network

 Wireless networks are grouped into four major

categories:
Wireless Personal Area networks (WPAN),
Wireless Local Area networks (WLAN),
 Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN),
Wireless Wide Area networks (WWAN).

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 Cont..
 Despite these distinct categories, it is difficult to place
boundary limitations on a wireless implementation.
 This is because, unlike a wired network, wireless
networks do not have precisely defined boundaries.
 The range of wireless transmissions can vary due to
many factors.
 Wireless networks are susceptible to outside sources of
interference, both natural and man-made.
 Fluctuations in temperature and humidity can greatly
alter the coverage of wireless networks.
 Obstacles within the wireless environment can also
affect the range.
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Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN)
 This is the smallest wireless network used to connect
various peripheral devices such as mice, keyboards and
PDAs to a computer.
 All of these devices are dedicated to a single host with
usually use IR or Bluetooth technology.

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Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)
 WLAN is typically used to extend the boundaries of the
local wired network (LAN).
 WLANs use RF technology and conform to the IEEE
802.11 standards.
 They allow many users to connect to a wired network
through a device known as an Access Point (AP).
 An Access Point provides a connection between
wireless hosts and hosts on an Ethernet wired network.

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38
Wireless Metropolitan Area Network
(WMAN)
 WMAN provides RF coverage to a metropolitan area such
as a city and the surrounding suburbs.
 WMANs have been created for some time by matching
different wireless technologies, and recent advancements
have made this more practical.
 One wireless technology that is often associated with a
WMAN is defined by the 802.16 standard.
 This standard defines broadband wireless access and is
sometimes referred to as Worldwide Interoperability for
Microwave Access (WiMAX).

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 Cont…
 802.16 technologies are viewed as a direct competitor to
other broadband services such as DSL and cable.
 Although 802.16 wireless networking is typically thought
of as a last mile data-delivery solution, the technology
might also be used to provide access to users over
citywide areas.

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41
 Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN)
 WWAN networks provide coverage over extremely large
areas.
 A good example of a WWAN is the cell phone network.
 These networks use technologies such as Code Division
Multiple Access (CDMA) or Global System for Mobile
Communication (GSM) and are often regulated by
government agencies.

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 1.5. Benefits and Limitations of Wireless
Technology
 Wireless technology offers many advantages compared to
traditional wired networks.
 One of the main advantages is the ability to provide
anytime, anywhere connectivity.
 The widespread implementation of wireless in public
locations, known as hotspots, allows people to easily
connect to the Internet to download information and
exchange emails and files.
 Wireless technology is fairly easy and inexpensive to install.
 The cost of home and business wireless devices continues to
decrease.
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 Reduce installation time- installation of a
single piece of equipment can provide
connectivity for a number of people
 Reliability in harsh environments- easy to
install in emergency and hostile environments

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 Cont…
 Wireless technology enables networks to be easily
expanded, without the limitations of cabled connections.
 New and visiting users can join the network quickly and
easily.
 Generally the following are the benefits of wireless
technology:
 Mobility – allows for easy connection of both stationary
and mobile clients
 Scalability- can be easily expanded to allow more users to
connect and to increase the coverage area
 Flexibility- provides anytime, anywhere connectivity
 Cost savings- equipment costs continue to fall as the
technology matures 46
There are some limitations and risks.
 First, Wireless LAN (WLAN) technologies make use of
the unlicensed regions of the RF spectrum.
 Since these regions are unregulated, many different devices
make use of them.
 As a result, these regions are congested and signals from
different devices often interfere with each other.
 In addition, many devices such as microwave ovens and
cordless phones use these frequencies and can interfere
with WLAN communications.

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 Cont…
 Second, a major concern with wireless is security.
 Wireless provides ease of access.
 It does this by broadcasting data in a manner that allows
anyone the ability to access it.
 However, this same feature also limits the amount of
protection wireless can provide for the data.
 It allows anyone to intercept the communication stream,
even unintended recipients.
 To address these security concerns, techniques have been
developed to help secure wireless transmissions including
encryption and authentication.
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 Cont..
The limitations of wireless technology are given as
follows:
 Interference –wireless technology is susceptible to
interference from other devices that produce
electromagnetic energies.
 This includes: cordless phones, microwaves, televisions
and other wireless LAN implementations.
 Network and Data Security- Wireless LAN technology is
designed to provide access to the data being transmitted,
not security of the data. Additionally, it can provide an
unprotected entrance into the wired network.
 Technology- technology continues to evolve. Wireless
LAN technology does not currently provide the speed or
reliability of wired LANs. 49
 1.6. Standard Organizations

 Each of the standards organizations discussed below help

to guide a different aspect of the wireless networking
industry.
 The International Telecommunication Union Radio
communication Sector (ITU-R) and local entities such as
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set the
rules for what the user can do with a radio transmitter.
 These organizations manage and regulate frequencies,
power levels, and transmission methods.
 They also work together to help guide the growth and
expansion that is being demanded by wireless users.

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 Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
 FCC regulates communications within the United States as
well as communications to and from the United States.
 It is responsible for regulating interstate and international
communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and
cable.
 The task of the FCC in wireless networking is to regulate
the radio signals that are used for wireless networking.
 The FCC and the respective controlling agencies in the
other countries typically regulate two categories of
wireless communications:
 licensed spectrum and unlicensed spectrum.
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 Licensed Spectrum

 Frequencies require an approved license application, and

the financial costs are very high.
Unlicensed Spectrum
 Users do not have to go through the license application
procedures before they can install a wireless system
 There are no financial costs, you still must abide by
transmission regulations and other restrictions.
 In other words, transmitting in an unlicensed frequency
may be free, but there still are rules.
 The main disadvantage to transmitting in an unlicensed
frequency band is that anyone else can also transmit in
that same frequency space.
 Unlicensed frequency bands are often very crowded; 52
International Telecommunication Union Radio
communication Sector (ITU-R)
 A global hierarchy exists for management of the RF
spectrum worldwide.
 The United Nations has tasked the International
Telecommunication Union Radio communication Sector
(ITU-R) with global spectrum management.
 The ITU-R maintains a database of worldwide
frequency assignments and coordinates spectrum
management through five administrative regions.

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The five regions are broken down as follows:
 Region A: North and South America Inter-American
Telecommunication Commission (CITEL)
 Region B: Western Europe European Conference of
Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT)
 Region C: Eastern Europe and Northern Asia Regional
Commonwealth in the field of Communications (RCC)
 Region D: Africa African Telecommunications Union
(ATU)
 Region E: Asia and Australasia Asia-Pacific
Telecommunity (APT)

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Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,
commonly known as the IEEE, is a global professional
society with more than 400,000 members.
 The IEEE’s mission is to “foster technological innovation
and excellence for the benefit of humanity.”
 To networking professionals, that means creating the
standards that we use to communicate.
 The IEEE standards must adhere(follow) to the rules of the
communications organizations, such as the FCC.

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 Cont…
 The IEEE is probably best known for its LAN standards, the
IEEE 802 project.
 IEEE projects are subdivided into working groups to
develop standards that address specific problems or needs.
 For instance, the IEEE 802.3 working group was
responsible for the creation of a standard for Ethernet, and
the IEEE 802.11 working group was responsible for
creating the WLAN standard.
 The numbers are assigned as the groups are formed, so the
11 assigned to the wireless group indicates that it was the
11th working group formed under the IEEE 802 project.

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Thank you!!!

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