Wi-Fi

Evolution of Wireless LAN

Early experiences (1970-72): IBM, HP, Motorola

Abandoned due to limited performance and unavailability of frequency bands

Early challenges:
Complexity and cost Bandwidth Coverage Interference Frequency administration

Emergence of unlicensed bands

Release of Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands in 1985

Applications: military, home and enterprise networks, mobile networks, teetherless access

Wi-Fi is based on 802.11 technology It is originally intended to provide wireless computing for staffs within businesses and commercial organizations

IEEE 802.11

Standardization group formed in 1990, first standards completed in 1997 IEEE 802.11 is the first WLAN standard; only one to secure a market 802.11a: PHY layer supports 11Mbps using CKK (complementary code keying) technology 802.11b: PHY layer supports 54 Mbps using OFDM Uses CSMA/CA for contention data Supports both infrastructure as well as ad hoc modes

802.11a higher speeds, smaller coverage, more channels

Wi-Fi is also sold to hotspot operators particularly hotel, convention centres, cafes, airports Hotspots offer higher-speed Internet access than most cellular networks data offering and cost less to build than cellular base station 802.11 wireless standards are based on Ethernet protocols 802.11a is the only 802.11 standard that operates at 5 GHz The use of 5 GHz band avoids interference from microwave ovens, Bluetooth equipments and cordless phones that operate at 2.4 GHz Disadvantage is the signal fade faster

802.11b

When they were first available, 802.11 equipments were equipped with only 802.11b chips Now most use b and g which are designed to interoperate Because home broadband connections are slower than 802.11 networks, no advantage is gained

802.11g

Support higher data rates than 802.11b Use 2.4 gHz bands The higher speeds and capacity of g and a are required to support voice over IP on WLANs

802.11n

Backward compatibility with a, b and g Improve coverage by overcoming a certain amount of interference Increase speeds and supports more users per access point

Benefits..

Residential customers adopted Wi-Fi faster than enterprises because of its simplicity, fewer concerns about security and the benefit of avoiding the expenses for cabling Its advantage is low equipment cost and easier installation Benefits were also immediately noticed for healthcare, education, retailing and warehousing

Disadvantages..

Because of the casual nature of Wi-Fi users, most of them dont protect their Wi-Fi networks with strong passwords This weakness can be exploited by unauthorized persons which (advertently) can gain access to the Wi-Fi and can exploit it to satisfy their personal or professional needs.