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A Paper Presentation on

Wireless

Abstract
WIFI TECHNOLOGY is developed by a group of electronics
manufacturers that allows any sort of electronic equipment – from
computers to cell phones and keyboards to headphones – to make its
own connections without wires, cables or any direct action from the user.
The precursor to Wi-Fi was invented in 1991 by NCR Corporation/AT&T
(later Lucent & Agere Systems) in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
Vic Hayes, who was the primary inventor of Wi-Fi and has been named the

'father of Wi-Fi’

This paper includes the history of wifi technology which says about orgin of

wifi also shows an overview regarding origin and what the wifi

technology is?

And also includes the networks in or order to transmit the signals .

There is an important trend toward personal mobile communications.
People use more and more handheld devices to keep in touch with
friends or business partners. One possible way to connect these devices
is provided by wireless radio technologies. The emerging WIFI
technology is such a short-range wireless technology.
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History :

Wi-Fi uses both single carrier direct-sequence spread spectrum radio

technology, part of the larger family of spread spectrum systems and multi-
carrier OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) radio technology.
Unlicensed spread spectrum was first authorized by the Federal
Communications Commission in 1985 and these FCC regulations were later
copied with some changes in many other countries enabling use of this
technology in all major countries. These regulations then enabled the
development of Wi-Fi, its onetime competitor HomeRF, and Bluetooth.

The precursor to Wi-Fi was invented in 1991 by NCR Corporation/AT&T (later

Lucent & Agere Systems) in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands. It was initially
intended for cashier systems; the first wireless products were brought on the
market under the name WaveLAN with speeds of 1 Mbit/s to 2 Mbit/s. Vic
Hayes, who was the primary inventor of Wi-Fi and has been named the 'father
of Wi-Fi,' was involved in designing standards such as IEEE 802.11b, 802.11a
and 802.11g. In 2003, Vic retired from Agere Systems suffered from strong
competition in the market even though their products were high quality, as
many opted for cheaper Wi-Fi solutions. Agere's 802.11a/b/g all-in-one
chipset (code named: WARP) never made it to market, and Agere Systems
decided to quit the Wi-Fi market in late 2004.
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Origin and meaning of the term "Wi-Fi":

Despite the similarity between the terms "Wi-Fi" and "Hi-Fi", statements
reportedly [3] made by Phil Belanger of the Wi-Fi Alliance contradict the
popular conclusion that "Wi-Fi" stands for "Wireless Fidelity".

According to Mr. Belanger, the Interbrand Corporation developed the brand

"Wi-Fi" for the Wi-Fi Alliance to use to describe WLAN products that are
based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. In Mr. Belanger's words, "Wi-Fi and the
yin yang style logo were invented by Interbrand. We (the founding members
of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, now called the Wi-Fi Alliance)
hired Interbrand to come up with the name and logo that we could use for our
interoperability seal and marketing efforts. We needed something that was a
little catchier than 'IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence'."

The Wi-Fi Alliance themselves invoked the term "Wireless Fidelity" with the
marketing of a tag line, "The Standard for Wireless Fidelity," but later removed
the tag from their marketing. The Wi-Fi Alliance now seems to discourage
propagation of the notion that "Wi-Fi" stands for "Wireless Fidelity" but
includes it in their knowledge base

The Wi-Fi Technology :

Short for wireless fidelity Wi-Fi is the wireless way to handle

networking. It is also known as wireless networking. The big advantage of
Wi-Fi is its simplicity. We can connect computers anywhere in our home or
office without the need for wires. The computers connect to the network using
radio signals, and computers can be up to 100 feet or so apart.
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A Wi-Fi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to

the internet, wired networks (which use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi
networks operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands, with a 11
Mbps (802.11b) or 54 Mbps (802.11a) data rate or with products that contain
both bands (dual band), so they can perform real-world performance similar to
10baseT wired Ethernet networks used in many offices.
THE BASIC TECHNOLOGY THAT MAKES WI-FI NETWORKING POSSIBLE
WI-FI’S RADIO TECHNOLOGY
Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies called 802.11b or 802.11a to
provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. Hence it is also known as
802.11 networking. 802.11 is the nomenclature IEEE uses for wireless
networks. The a, b and g notations identify different flavours of the 802.11
standard.
The radios used in Wi-Fi have the ability to convert 1s and 0s into radio
waves and then back into 1s and 0s.They also have the ability to transmit and
receive. The Wi-Fi radios that work with the 802.11b and 802.11g standards
transmit at 2.4 GHz, while those that comply with 802.11a standard transmit
at 5 GHz. The higher frequency allows higher data rates.
The special features of Wi-Fi radios are:
• They use efficient coding techniques that contribute to much higher
data rates. For 802.11a and 802.11g, the technique is known as
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFMD). For 802.11b,
it is called Complementary Code Keying (CCK).
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• They have the ability to change frequencies. 802.11b cards can

transmit directly on any of the three bands, or they can split the
available radio bandwidth into dozens of channels and frequency
hop rapidly between them. The advantage of frequency hopping is
that it is much more immune to interference and can allow dozens
of Wi-Fi cards to talk simultaneously without interfering with each
other.
Because of these special features Wi-Fi radios can handle a lot of data
per second.
Adding Wi-Fi to a computer
Wi-Fi Networks:
Traditionally, wireless networks have been limited by what could be
called the hub-and-spoke model: a central access point is tied to a landline
Internet connection which clients communicate with, but other access points
cannot "talk" to it wirelessly. Essentially, this means the range of the central
access point’s signal limited wireless networks. These styles of networks can
work for homes, offices, and other areas of delimited size, but they are not
very scalable, that is, they cannot easily grow to service the needs of a wide
area like a neighborhood, let alone change to accommodate growth in
demand.
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WCNs implement a mesh network model that overcomes the

limitations of the
Hub-and-spoke model and allows for theoretically unbounded networks. The
key to a mesh network is the ability of access points to associate wirelessly
without a landline connection between
them. One access point is still needed to
connect to the Internet, but the rest
need only have access to a power
supply and be within range of another
access point’s signal. In effect, these
access points act like repeaters in a
cellular phone network, passing signal
along from a user until it reaches the
"root" node, or connection to the
Internet, in this case.

In general, the Wi-Fi Mesh network topology is a semi-mobile system

because the connectivity position among the nodes may vary with time due to
node departures, new node arrivals, and roaming nodes. A node can send
and receive messages. So, wireless data will find way to its destination by
passing through intermediate nodes with reliable communication links. Thus
data most “hop” through neighbouring devices to reach its final destination.
This multi-hopping capability is designed to create a robust meshed network
that automatically routes congestion and line-of -sight obstacles, while
improving throughput as subscriber density increases. In mobile
communications, this method of multi-hopping is defined as a wireless ad
hoc network.
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Wi-Fi Mesh Networks, the path to mobile Ad hoc

a- Makings of a Wi-Fi Mesh Network: Wireless Roaming Cells
Combining at least two P-to-P or P-to-Mp wireless cells create a
roaming effect
and thus is the start of a Wi-Fi Mesh Network. Roaming is the ability to
maintain network connectivity while moving from one access point (AP) to
another. The basic service set (BSS) is the area of radio frequency (RF)
coverage provided by an access point, also referred to as a wireless cell.
The AP is the master for the wireless cell and controls traffic flow to and from
the network for its given RF circle. The RF coverage of a wireless cell is
limited and each county has its own set of rules of cell coverage. To extend
the BSS or to simply add wireless devices and increase the range of an
existing wired system, an Access Point can be added, hints this unit is the
point at which wireless end users can access the network. Because the
wireless’s end users range from PDAs, Laptops, tabletops, PCs, these
wireless accessible devices are called Wireless Clients (WC) by most
manufacturers.

Normally, Wireless Local Area Networks (Wireless LANs) are

configured using a peer-to-multipoint network, which has one access point
(AP) that controls communications with other wireless devices accessing the
network. Signals in peer-to-multipoint networks converge at a single access
point. The reliability of these networks is set by the quality of the RF linkage
between the central AP and the end points. In a real- world application, it can
be problematical to find an ideal location for an access point that provides
dependable communication with each end point, especially if two or more
floors exist or due to a home’s physical structure. Moving an access point to
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improve communications with one node will often degrade communications

with other end points. The status of a communication link between wireless
devices, at any given time, is a function of their positions, transmission power
levels, antenna patterns, interference levels, and many other minor
phenomena.

B - Typical WLAN Roaming

The topology of roaming cells may take on many forms but the
essential building block is a collection of wireless devices with overlapping
BSS. The overlapping wireless

roaming cells mainly constitute an Access Point to Access Point (AP-to-AP)

signal, Access Point-to-Wireless Client (AP-to-WC) linkage, or Wireless
Client-to-Wireless Client (WC-to-WC) association. In a typical WLAN
topology, the WC does not communicate directly with each other; they
communicate with the access point. If a single BSS does not provide enough
coverage, a number of wireless cells can be added to extend the range. This
is known as an extended service set (ESS). The BSS cells should overlap by
5-25% to allow remote users to roam without losing RF connection while
roaming a facility. Also, bordering cells should be set to different non-
overlapping
channels for best performance. One form of Wi-Fi Mesh comprises of a
collection of Root-AP overlapping to create wireless roaming cells.
An AP attached directly to wired network provides a centralized point
for wireless end users to remain attached to a wired Internet. If more than one
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AP is connected to the wired network, users can roam from one area (or
wireless cell) of a facility to another cell without losing their connection to the
network in a large facility. As users move out of range of one AP, they
automatically connect to the network through another AP; consequently, the
roaming process is seamless and transparent to the user.

1C- WLAN REPEATER ROAMING

The WLAN repeater-roaming configuration is a chain of repeaters

overlapping between neighbouring wireless cells and maintains an indirection
association to the wired AP, similar to a teacher leading a group of children,
by the hand, across a street intersection. The AP wired to the backbone
network is designated as a Root Access Point (Root-AP) and the wireless
APs not attached to the wired network are called Repeater Access Points
(Repeater-APs). The BSS should overlap by 50% to allow proper RF
linkage between APs. When you configure an AP as a repeater, the Access
Point’s wired LAN port (i.e., USB, RJ45) does not forward traffic but data is
sent through the wireless route that provides the greatest performance for the
client - path of least resistance. In the WLAN repeater topology, the data rates
will decrease tremendously due to the numerous hand-shaking
communication involved. A well-designed AP can accommodate up to five
repeaters being configured to provide adjacent BSS roaming coverage.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF WI-FI MESH NETWORKS:

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A Wireless Mesh Network constructed from Wi-Fi Technology alleviates a

number of roaming challenges from laptops, IP phones, PDAs, and IP base
devices:
1. No geographical limitations: A user can take a handheld or laptop
computer anywhere without losing the connection in their home.
2. No physical connection required: Mobile IP connect automatically
and obtain local IP router information.
3. Modifications to other routers and hosts are not required: Other
than mobile nodes/routers, the remaining routers and hosts will still use
current IP.
3.Supports security: Authentication is performed to ensure that rights
are being protected.
4.Access Anytime - Anywhere: Network access is assured at all
times and from all locations. No missed E-mails and increase
productivity due to constant connectivity.
5.Exchanging Data: When people attending a meeting or a
conference want to establish a network between themselves for
exchanging files, presentations or to share applications.
6.Normal Emergencies: A rapidly deployable and robust
communications between each member when firemen are involved in
difficult operations inside buildings, towers, or surrounded in forest
fires.
7.Catastrophe Emergencies: When emergency and medical services
personnel establish a wireless network to communicate with each other
after a catastrophe has destroyed the regular communication
infrastructure.
8.Military Usage: Soldiers in a battlefield are exchanging information
about their position and giving and receiving orders, or the instructions.

Advantages of Wi-Fi:

• Allows LANs to be deployed without cabling, typically reducing the

costs of network deployment and expansion. Spaces where cables
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cannot be run, such as outdoor areas and historical buildings, can host
wireless LANs.
• Wi-Fi silicon pricing continues to come down, making Wi-Fi a very
economical networking option and driving inclusion of Wi-Fi in an ever-
widening array of devices.
• Wi-Fi products are widely available in the market. Different brands of
access points and client network interfaces are interoperable at a basic
level of service. Products designated as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED by the Wi-Fi
Alliance are interoperable and include WPA2 security.
• Wi-Fi networks support roaming, in which a mobile client station such
as a laptop computer can move from one access point to another as
the user moves around a building or area.
• Wi-Fi is a global set of standards. Unlike cellular carriers, the same Wi-
Fi client works in different countries around the world.

Disadvantages of Wi-Fi:

• Spectrum assignments and operational limitations are not consistent

worldwide; most of Europe allows for an additional 2 channels beyond
those permitted in the US; Japan has one more on top of that - and
some countries, like Spain, prohibit use of the lower-numbered
channels. Furthermore some countries, such as Italy, used to require a
'general authorization' for any Wi-Fi used outside an operator's own
premises, or require something akin to an operator registration.
• EIRP in the EU is limited to 20dbm.
• Power consumption is fairly high compared to some other standards,
making battery life and heat a concern.
• The most common wireless encryption standard, Wired Equivalent
Privacy or WEP, has been shown to be breakable even when correctly
configured.
• Wi-Fi Access Points typically default to an open (encryption-free)
mode. Novice users benefit from a zero configuration device that works
out of the box but might not intend to provide open wireless access to
their LAN.
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External links:

• Wi-Fi Alliance
• IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine
• Electronics For You Magazine