CHAPTER -1

PROJECT OVERVIEW
1.1 INTRODUCTION:

Increased use of laptop computers within the enterprise, and increase in worker mobility has fuelled the demand for wireless networks. Up until recently, wireless technology was a patchwork of incompatible systems from a variety of vendors. The technology was slow, expensive and reserved for mobile situations or hostile environments where cabling was impractical or impossible. With the maturing of industry standards and the deployment of lightweight wireless networking hardware across a broad market section, wireless technology has come of age. 1.2 SCOPE: Wi-Fi devices "connect" to each other by transmitting and receiving signals on a specific frequency of the radio band. Your components can connect to each other directly (this is called "peer-to-peer") or through a gateway or access point. When you create your Wi-Fi network it will consist of two basic components: Wi-Fi radios and access points or gateways. Wi-Fi radios are embedded or attached to the desktop computers, laptops and mobile devices in your network. The access points or gateways act as "base stations" they send and receive signals from the Wi-Fi radios to connect the various components to each other as well as to the Internet. All computers in your Wi-Fi network can then share resources, exchange files and use a single Internet connection Wi-Fi(ada IEEE802.11b) is a wireless LAN technology that promises much more bandwidth than blue tooth . If you think blue tooth is the latest technology you are mistaken. There is now another candidate in the running that goes by name 802.11b, also called Wi-Fi(wireless fidelity), which promises to be the real big thing. Once limited to the domain of vertical market application like inventory management , wireless LAN or WAN (often represented by the name Wi-fi which refers to the products based on IEEE 802.11b) is now rapidly expanding into horizontal markets. Example abound-large corporation such as Microsoft as well as many universities, now use Wi-Fi extensively to provide notebook connectivity across multiside campuses.

CHAPTER -2 INTRODUCTION
2.1 HISTORY:

When the IEEE ratified the 802.11a and 802.11b wireless networking communications standards in 1999, its goal was to create a standards-based technology that could span multiple physical encoding types, frequencies and applications in the same way the 802.3 Ethernet standard has been successfully applied to 10-, 100- and 1,000-Gbps technology over fiber and various kinds of copper. One year later, we have at our disposal a wide selection of 11-Mbps 802.11b products from a multitude of vendors. But what about 802.11a?

The 802.11b group was driven largely by Lucent Technologies and Intersil Corp. (the former Harris Semiconductor unit spun out of Harris Corp. in July 1999). The 802.11b standard was designed to operate in the 2.4-GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band using direct-sequence spread-spectrum technology. The 802.11a standard, on the other hand, was designed to operate in the more recently allocated 5-GHz UNII (Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure) band. And unlike 802.11b, the 802.11a standard departs from the traditional spread-spectrum technology, instead using a frequency division-multiplexing scheme that's intended to be friendlier to office environments to 54 Mbps, is the Fast Ethernet analog to 802.11b, which supports data rates of up to 11 Mbps. Like Ethernet and Fast Ethernet, 802.11b and 802.11a use an identical MAC (Media Access Control). However, while Fast Ethernet uses the same physical-layer encoding scheme as Ethernet (only faster), 802.11a uses an entirely different encoding scheme, called OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing).The 802.11a standard is designed to operate in the 5-GHz frequency range. Specifically, the FCC has allocated 300 MHz of spectrum for unlicensed operation in the 5-GHz block, 200 MHz of which is at 5.15 MHz to 5.35 MHz, with the other 100 MHz at 5.725 MHz to 5.825 MHz.

2.2 ABOUT Wi-Fi TECHNOLOGY:

Section One - Wireless Networking
1. What is wireless networking? The term wireless networking refers to technology that enables two or more computers to communicate using standard network protocols, but without network cabling. Strictly speaking, any technology that does this could be called wireless networking. The current buzzword however generally refers to wireless LANs. This technology, fuelled by the emergence of cross-vendor industry standards such as IEEE 802.11, has produced a number of affordable wireless solutions that are growing in popularity with business and schools as well as sophisticated applications where network wiring is impossible, such as in warehousing or point-of-sale handheld equipment.

2. What is a wireless network made up of?

There are two kinds of wireless networks: a. An ad-hoc, or peer-to-peer wireless network consists of a number of computers each equipped with a wireless networking interface card. Each computer can communicate directly with all of the other wireless enabled computers. They can share files and printers this way, but may not be able to access wired LAN resources, unless one of the computers acts as a bridge to the wired LAN using special software. (This is called "bridging")

Figure 1: Ad-Hoc or Peer-to Peer Networking.

CHAPTER -3
3.1 OVERVIEW:

BUILD A WIRELESS LAN

A wireless network can also use an access point, or base station. In this type of network the access point acts like a hub, providing connectivity for the wireless computers. It can connect (or "bridge") the wireless LAN to a wired LAN, allowing wireless computer access to LAN resources, such as file servers or existing Internet Connectivity. There are two types of access points:

i. Dedicated hardware access points (HAP) such as Lucent's Wave LAN, Apple's
Airport Base Station or Web Gear's Aviator. (HYPERLINK \l "Figure2"See Figure 2). Hardware access points offer comprehensive support of most wireless features, but check your requirements carefully.

ii. Software Access Points which run on a computer equipped with a wireless
network interface card as used in an ad-hoc or peer-to-peer wireless network. (HYPERLINK \l "Figure3"See Figure 3) The Vicomsoft InterGate suites are software routers that can be used as a basic Software Access Point, and include features not commonly found in hardware solutions, such as Direct PPPoE support and extensive configuration flexibility, but may not offer the full range of wireless features defined in the 802.11 standard. With appropriate networking software support, users on the wireless LAN can share files and printers located on the wired LAN and vice versa. Vicomsoft's solutions support file sharing using TCP/IP. Figure 2: Hardware Access Point. Wireless connected computers using a Hardware Access Point.

INCLUDEPICTURE "C:\\..\\gifs\\diagrams\\wireless\\hwpoint.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET \d"

Figure 3: Software Access Point.

3. What is IEEE 802.11?

Wireless networking hardware requires the use of underlying technology that deals with radio frequencies as well as data transmission. The most widely used standard is 802.11 produced by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). This is a standard defining all aspects of Radio Frequency Wireless networking.

3.2 HOW TO BULD A WIRELESS LAN:

Because most wireless networking hardware vendors support the 802.11 standard they can inter operate. However, we recommend verification as the standard is a fairly recent one, and does specify two different methods for wireless communications; Frequency Hopping (FH) and Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS or DS), which are not interoperable. When purchasing wireless networking hardware from separate vendors be sure to obtain guarantees from the vendors that the hardware will interoperate and follows the standards. Within a short time we expect all new wireless cards, like Ethernet cards, to become inexpensive, ubiquitous and totally interoperable. Also of note is that the latest version of the standard defines 11mbps and 5.5mbps networking, with support for the older standard 1mbps and 2mbps speeds. This provides some compatibility with different or older equipment. Note that this new standard covers DS-type Networks, not FH types. Software access points such as InterGate which uses the wireless interface of the host computer should have no compatibility issues with third party wireless hardware, as long as standards are followed. Typically wireless hardware is identified to the software as a network interface, and therefore can be used in the same way as any other network card.

4. If my computer is connected to a wireless LAN, can it communicate with computers

on a wired LAN as well? To do this you will need some sort of bridge between the wireless and wired network. This can be accomplished either with a hardware access point or a software access point. Hardware access points are available with various types of network interfaces, such as Ethernet or Token Ring, but typically require extra hardware to be purchased if your networking requirements change. If networking requirements go beyond just interconnecting a wired network network to a small wireless network, a software access point may be the best solution. A software access point does not limit the type or number of network interfaces you use. It may also allow considerable flexibility in providing access to different network types, such as different types of Ethernet, Wireless and Token Ring networks. Such connections are only limited by the

number of slots or interfaces in the computer used for this task. Further to this the software access point may include significant additional features such as shared Internet access, web caching or content filtering, providing significant benefits to users and administrators.

5. What is the range of a wireless network?

Each access point has a finite range within which a wireless connection can be maintained between the client computer and the access point. The actual distance varies depending upon the environment; manufacturers typically state both indoor and outdoor ranges to give a reasonable indication of reliable performance. Also it should be noted that when operating at the limits of range the performance may drop, as the quality of connection deteriorates and the system compensates. Typical indoor ranges are 150-300 feet, but can be shorter if the building construction interferes with radio transmissions. Longer ranges are possible, but performance will degrade with distance. Outdoor ranges are quoted up to 1000 feet, but again this depends upon the environment.

6. There are ways to extend the basic operating range of Wireless communications, by using more
than a single access point or using a wireless relay /extension point. See Question 8 for further information.

7. How many wireless networked computers can use a single access point?
This depends upon the manufacturer. Some hardware access points have a recommended limit of 10, with other more expensive access points supporting up to 100 wireless connections. Using more computers than recommended will cause performance and reliability to suffer. Software access points may also impose user limitations, but this depends upon the specific software, and the host computer's ability to process the required information.

8. Can I have more than one access point?

Yes, multiple access points can be connected to a wired LAN, or sometimes even to a second wireless LAN if the access point supports this. In most cases, separate access points are interconnected via a wired LAN, providing wireless connectivity in specific areas such as offices or classrooms, but connected to a main wired LAN for access to network resources, such as file servers. (See Figure 4)

Figure 4: Multiple Access Points.

Wireless connected computers using Multiple Access Points.

If a single area is too large to be covered by a single access point, then multiple access points or extension points can be used. -- Note that an "extension point" is not defined in the wireless standard, but have been developed by some manufacturers. When using multiple access points, each access point wireless area should overlap its neighbors. This provides a seamless area for users to move around in using a feature called "roaming. " (See the next question for an explanation of Roaming) Some manufacturers produce extension points, which act as wireless relays, extending the range of a single access point. Multiple extension points can be strung together to provide wireless access to far away locations from the central access point. (See Figure 5)

Figure 5: Extension Point.

Wireless connected computers using an Access Point with an Extension Point.

9.What is Roaming?
A wireless computer can "roam" from one access point to another, with the software and hardware maintaining a steady network connection by monitoring the signal strength from inrange access points and locking on to the one with the best quality. Usually this is completely transparent to the user; they are not aware that a different access point is being used from area to area. Some access point configurations require security authentication when swapping access points, usually in the form of a password dialog box. Access points are required to have overlapping wireless areas to achieve this as can be seen in the following diagram:

Figure6:Roaming: A user can move from Area 1 to Area 2 transparently. The Wireless
networking hardware automatically swaps to the Access Point with the best signal. Not all access points are capable of being configured to support roaming. Also of note is that any access points for a single vendor should be used when implementing roaming, as there is no official standard for this feature.

9. Can I use a wireless network to interconnect two LANs?

Yes. Wireless networking offers a cost-effective solution to users with difficult physical installations such as campuses, hospitals or businesses with more than one location in immediate proximity but separated by public thoroughfare. This type of installation requires two access points. Each access point acts as a bridge or router connecting its own LAN to the wireless connection. The wireless connection allows the two access points to communicate with each other, and therefore interconnect the two LAN's.

Figure 7: LAN to LAN Wireless Communications A Hardware Access Point providing wireless connectivity to local computers and a software
access point. The software access point provides Wired Ethernet network 2 computers access to

Wired Network 1.

Note that not all hardware access points have the ability to directly interconnect to another hardware access point, and that the subject of interconnecting LAN's over wireless connections is a large and complex one, and is beyond the scope of this introduction. See the reference links at the end of this section if you require further information.

11.Is it true that wireless networking is only good for laptop computers?
Although wireless networking offers obvious benefits to users of laptops who move from location to location throughout the day, there are benefits for users of fixed position computers as well:

Many schools and businesses have unsuitable building layouts or walls that cannot be wired for various reasons making it difficult or impossible to build a wired network. Wireless networking in these environments is a very cost effective alternative also providing future flexibility. In cases where a small number of computers are separated from a main network a wireless link may be more cost effective than network cabling although the latter is perfectly feasible. Temporary wireless LANs can easily be created for exhibitions, school or business projects, all without any trailing cabling. To protect against any potential security issues, 802.11 wireless communications have a function called WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), a form of encryption which provides privacy comparable to that of a traditional wired network. If the wireless network has information that should be secure then WEP should be used, ensuring the data is protected at traditional wired network levels. Also it should be noted that traditional Virtual Private Networking (VPN) techniques will work over wireless networks in the same way as traditional wired networks. Section Two - Wireless Networking and the Internet

10. How can I use a wireless network to share an Internet connection?

Once you realise that wireless cards are analogous to ethernet cards and that empty space is analogous to ethernet cabling, the answer to this question becomes clear. To share an Internet connection across a LAN you need two things: 1. an Internet sharing hardware device or software program 2. a LAN If your LAN is wireless, the same criteria apply. You need a hardware or software access point and a wireless LAN. Any computer equipped with a wireless network card running suitable Internet sharing software can be used as a software access point. (See Figure 8) A number of vendors offer hardware access points. A hardware access point may provide Internet Sharing capabilities to Wired LAN computers, but does not usually provide much flexibility beyond very simple configurations. (See Figure 9) Figure 8: Software Access Point. Wireless connected computers using a Software Access Point for shared Internet access.

Figure 9: Hardware Access Point. Wireless connected computers using a Hardware Access Point for shared Internet access.

11. If I have more than one hardware access point, how can I share a single
Internet connection? If an existing wired LAN already has an Internet connection, then the hardware access points simply connect to your LAN and allow wireless computers to access the existing Internet connection in the same way as wired LAN computers.

11(a) How Do You Connect Your Wi-Fi Network to the Internet? 10

You can use a variety of high-speed Internet connections with a Wi-Fi network, including cable modems, different types of DSL, satellite broadband, ISDN, etc. Your broadband Internet connection will connect to your gateway or access point, and its Internet connection will be distributed to all the computers on your network. And don't worry about Wi-Fi slowing down your connection speed: it's at least four times faster than the fastest of any of these connections. If there's an Ethernet cable attached to your Internet device, you can connect it to your base station to distribute your Internet connection throughout your home or small office Wi-Fi network.

11

Figure 10: Multiple Access Points. Wireless connected computers using Multiple Access Points.

If there is no existing Internet connection, then this depends on the access point: Figure 11: Software Access Point sharing one Internet connection. Wireless connected computers using Multiple Access Points. All wired and wireless computers access the Internet through a single software access point.

If an access point provides some form of Internet sharing itself, then having multiple such access points connected to a wired LAN may require some special configuration, or possibly may require an additional Internet sharing device or software program.

12. If I use a wireless network to connect to the Internet does my ISP need a
wireless network too? If you use a wireless network to connect to the Internet, the wireless part only concerns your LAN. The communications link from your LAN to your Internet service provider (ISP) would be identical whether or not you had a wireless network. For example, if you connected an ethernet network to the Internet via a 56K modem, when you upgraded your network to use wireless, you would still use the same 56K modem to connect to the Internet.

13. Can networking software identify a wireless computer in the same way it can
identify an ethernet computer on the network? Wireless cards look just like ethernet cards to your network drivers. In fact, wireless networking cards have unique MAC hardware addresses that are formatted like ethernet hardware addresses allocated from the same standards organization.

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3.3 EQUIPMENTS REQUIRED:

D-Link Products: Wireless Access Point DWL - 900 AP6+: Rs. 8,500 Air plus Wireless Adapters: DWL- 520+: Rs. 4,600/ DWL- 650+: Rs. 4,200 Linksys Products Wireless- B Broadband Router 2. 4 GHz- Model- BEFW 11S4:Rs.4, 700 Wireless-B Notebook Adapter- Model- WPC11 V.A

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

Most major corporations today use VPN to protect their remote-access workers and their connections. It works by creating a secure virtual "tunnel" from the end-user's computer through the end-user's access point or gateway, through the Internet, all the way to the corporation's servers and systems. It also works for wireless networks and can effectively protect transmissions from Wi-Fi equipped computers to corporate servers and systems. Most corporate IT departments are already skilled with VPN and can modify existing systems to support Wi-Fi networks. A VPN works through the VPN server at the company headquarters, creating an encryption scheme for data transferred to computers outside the corporate offices. The special VPN software on the remote computer or laptop uses the same encryption scheme, enabling the data to be safely transferred back and forth with no chance of interception. IT Managers can set up VPN to support mobile professionals communicating from airports or hotels and telecommuters working from home, as well as wireless and wired computers located inside the company facility. At the corporate location, companies can provide security and still allow open access to the Internet and email for guests by giving individuals who need to access the network different levels of access. Visitors to the company, as well as mobile workers, can still have unfettered access to the Internet and use standard e-mail protocols. However, VPN access, which enables access to the corporate network, corporate e-mail and communications systems, is provided only to those who've been given authorization

Firewalls
Firewalls can make your network appear invisible to the Internet, and they can block unauthorized and unwanted users from accessing your files and systems. Hardware and software firewall systems monitor and control the flow of data in and out of computers in both wired and wireless enterprise, business and home networks. They can be set to intercept, analyze and stop a wide range of Internet intruders and hackers

CHAPTER- 4
13

SECURITY OF WIRELESS LAN

4.1 OVERVIEW:
Whenever you communicate over the Internet using a wired or wireless connection, you may want to ensure that your communications and files are private and protected. If your transmissions are not secure, you take the risk of others intercepting your business e-mails, examining your corporate files and records, and using your network and Internet connection to distribute their own messages and communications. How secure you want your network to be depends on how you use the Net. If you're just surfing to do research or watch movies, you may not care if anyone picks up part of the transmission, but that's up to you. Even if you're shopping and purchasing items over the net, those financial transactions are usually protected by a technology called Secure Socket Layer (SSL). However, if your data is confidential or if you want additional security, there are several different technologies you might consider implementing. Remember, security is a personal decision, and we encourage you to use at least some level of security as a deterrent to intrusion. In a home wireless network, you can use a variety of simple security procedures to protect your Wi-Fi connection. These include enabling Wi-Fi Protected Access, changing your password or network name (SSID) and closing your network. However, you can also employ additional, more sophisticated technologies and techniques to further secure your business network.

4.2 HOW TO SECURE A WIRELESS LAN:

WPA and other wireless encryption methods operate strictly between your Wi-Fi enabled computer and your Wi-Fi CERTIFIED access point. When data reaches the access point or gateway, it is unencrypted and unprotected while it is being transmitted out on the public Internet to its destination unless it is also encrypted at the source with SSL when purchasing on the Internet or when using a VPN. So while using WPA will protect you from external intruders, you may want to implement additional techniques to protect your transmissions when you use public networks and the Internet. There are several technologies available, but currently VPN works best

Media Access Control (MAC) Filtering

As part of the 802.11b standard, every Wi-Fi radio has its unique Media Access Control (MAC) number allocated by the manufacturer. To increase wireless network security, it is possible for an IT manager to program a corporate Wi-Fi access point to accept only certain MAC addresses and filter out all others. The MAC control table thus created works like "call blocking" on a telephone: if a computer with an unknown MAC address tries to connect, the access point will not allow it. However, programming all the authorized users' MAC addresses into all the company's access points can be an arduous task for a large organization and can be time consuming but for the home technology enthusiast it can be quite effective. It is also possible for a dedicated hacker to "spoof" a MAC address, by intercepting valid MAC addresses and then programming his or her computer to broadcast using one of those. Despite that, for small network installations, using a MAC filtering technique can a be very effective method to prevent unauthorized access

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RADIUS Authentication and Authorization

RADIUS (Remote Access Dial-Up User Service) is another standard technology that is already in use by many major corporations to protect access to wireless networks. RADIUS is a user name and password scheme that enables only approved users to access the network; it does not affect or encrypt data. The first time a user wants access to the network, secure files or net locations, he or she must input his or her name and password and submit it over the network to the RADIUS server. The server then verifies that the individual has an account and, if so, ensures that the person uses the correct password before she or he can get on the network. RADIUS can be set up to provide different access levels or classes of access. For example, one level can provide blanket access to the Internet; another can provide access to the Internet as well as to e-mail communications; yet another account class can provide access to the Net, email and the secure business file server. Like other sophisticated security technologies already mentioned, RADIUS comes in a variety of types and levels. You can use the free RADIUS provided by Microsoft for its advanced server operating systems, or you
can use a sophisticated hardware and software solution

Kerberos
Another way to protect your wireless data is by using a technology called Kerberos. Created by MIT, Kerberos is a network authentication system based on key distribution. It allows entities to communicate over a wired or wireless network to prove their identity to each other while preventing eavesdropping or replay attacks. It also provides for data stream integrity (detection of modification) and secrecy (preventing unauthorized reading) using cryptography systems such as DES. After a client and server have used Kerberos to prove their identity, they can also encrypt all of their communications to assure privacy and data integrity as they go about their business. Kerberos works by providing principals (users or services) with digital tickets that they can use to identify themselves to the network and secret cryptographic keys for secure communications. A ticket is a sequence of a few hundred bytes that can be embedded in virtually any other network protocol, thereby allowing the processes implementing that protocol to be sure about the identity of the principals involved. Kerberos is available free from MIT and as a product from many different vendors

15

802.1x and Other New Security Technologies

With the burgeoning success and adoption of Wi-Fi networks, many other security technologies have been developed and continue to be developed. Security is a constant challenge, and there are thousands of companies developing a cornucopia of solutions. There are a variety of proprietary third-party security solutions that effectively "ride on top of" a standard Wi-Fi transmission and provide encryption, firewall and authentication services. Many Wi-Fi manufacturers have also developed proprietary encryption technologies that greatly enhance basic Wi-Fi security. Encryption techniques use special technologies to scramble transmissions on one end and then unscramble them on the other. Other techniques use special keys or codes that enable the computers to talk to each other: the sender's computer transmits a key or code to the receiving computer, and if the keys match, the sender is allowed into the system. The Wi-Fi Alliance, the IEEE 802.11 standards committee and many Wi-Fi members are working to develop new security standards such as 802.11i and 802.1x . These new security standards will use advanced encryption technologies such as AES and TKIP, as well as secure key-distribution methods. Hackers can break encryption codes by intercepting and analyzing large amounts of data, but breaking codes takes time. By automatically "changing" the encryption keys every five minutes or so, the Wi-Fi network is already using a new code by the time a hacker has managed to intercept and crack the old one. Most enterprise-level Wi-Fi networks already enable IT managers to change the codes manually, but 802.1x makes the process automatic.

Security in Public Spaces

Wireless networks in public areas and "HotSpots" like Internet cafes may not provide any security. Although some service providers do provide this with their custom software, many HotSpots leave all security turned off to make it easier to access and get on the network in the first place. If security is important to you the best way to achieve this when you are connecting back to your office is to use a VPN. If you do not have access to a VPN and security is important, you may want to limit your wireless network use in these areas to non-critical e-mail and basic Internet surfing. The good news is that many HotSpot providers and Wi-Fi manufacturers are implementing improved security technologies to protect Wi-Fi users against interception and eavesdropping in public HotSpots

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FUTURE PROSPECTS:
Devices using 802.11b enjoy international acceptance because the 2.4-GHz band is almost universally available. Where there are conflicts, the vendor can implement frequency-selection software that prevents a radio from operating at illegal frequencies. However, the 5-GHz spectrum does not share this luxury. In the United States, 802.11a enjoys relatively clear-channel operation. But in Europe and Asia, the case is a little different. The Japanese market shares only the lower 100 MHz of the frequency spectrum, which means 802.11a applications in Japan will face more contention. In Europe, the lower 200 MHz are common with the FCC's 5-GHz allotment, but the higher 100 MHz, reserved for outdoor applications, are taken. 802.11a needs about 20 MHz of spectrum to operate at 54 Mbps. Thus, users in the United States and Europe will have up to 10 channels from which to choose, while users in Japan will be restricted to five channels. To complicate matters, in Europe, the HiperLAN/2 standard, led by the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)'s BRAN (Broadband Radio Access Networks) group, has wide acceptance as the 5-GHz technology of choice. HiperLAN/2 and 802.11a share some similarities at the physical layer: Both use OFDM technology to achieve their data rates, for instance. However, HiperLAN/2 is much more akin to ATM than to Ethernet. In fact, the HiperLAN/2 standard grew out of the effort to develop wireless ATM. HiperLAN/2 shares the 20-MHz channels in the 5-GHz spectrum in time, using TDMA (time division multiple access) to provide QoS (Quality of Service) through ATM-like mechanisms. In contrast, 802.11a shares the 20-MHz channel in time using CSMA/ CA (carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance). Logically, HiperLAN/2 uses a different MAC from the one that 802.11a uses. The HiperLAN/2 MAC design has proven to be problematic and controversial, and the HiperLAN/2 standard is nowhere close to complete. In contrast, 802.11a uses the same MAC as 802.11b, which gives developers only one task to complete: a 5-GHz IEEE 802.11a-compliant radio. No simple task, but easier than redesigning the radio and the MAC controller. What's more, the 802.11a technology will not be readily accepted overseas as certain military and government installations use portions of the 5-GHz space for ground tracking stations and satellite communications. To ensure that unlicensed applications don't interfere with existing 5-GHz applications, the ETSI has specified that two additional protocols must be implemented before distribution is granted in Europe. These protocols, DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) and TPC (Transmit Power Control), allow the wireless client/application to dynamically respond to radio interference by changing channels, using lower power modulation or both. This ensures that the "incumbent" signal gets first priority when a new signal is introduced in a given area. DFS and TPC implementations for 802.11a are being discussed, and we expect an addendum to the 802.11a standard to allow these features as options.

Unifying the Standards

Manufacturers have every right to be concerned over the divergence of 802.11a and HiperLAN/2 standards: Having to build and support two separate products is a significant burden in terms of both development and marketing, and the increased development costs will be handed down to the end user. Atheros has proposed a standard, called 5-UP (Unified Protocol), that would provide extensions to 802.11a and HiperLAN/2, letting both technologies interoperate at low, medium and high speeds. The 5UP standard also specifies a method for selecting subchannels for transmission within a carrier. If this portion of 5-UP were adopted, it could allow devices such as wireless phones, Bluetooth products and other narrow-bandwidth applications to use a part of the 5-GHz spectrum without having a significant impact on network performance. This would help prevent the saturation and congestion problems that

17

have arisen in the 2.4-GHz space. Atheros has submitted the 5-UP standard to the IEEE for consideration, but no decision has been made as to whether anyone other than Atheros will support it. For implementers, 802.11a's use of the same MAC as 802.11b means one less component to design. For adopters, this means that upgrading from 802.11b to 802.11a technology will not have significant impact on network operations. 802.11b's MAC uses CSMA/CA technology and implements a number of options to improve throughput, especially in congested areas. The only drawback to using the 802.11b MAC is that 802.11a inherits the same inefficiencies hampering 802.11b wireless solutions. The 802.11b MAC is only about 70 percent efficient, so even at 54 Mbps, maximum throughput is closer to 38 Mbps. Factor in driver inefficiencies and some additional overhead at the physical layer, and you can expect actual throughput to be about 30 Mbps. We estimate this throughput based on the average throughput of 802.11b networks, which is now about 6 Mbps of a possible 11 Mbps for optimal implementations. Unlike 802.11b, 802.11a does not have to transmit its headers at 1 Mbps, so 802.11a will gain some theoretical efficiency over 802.11b; still, it's safe to speculate that throughput won't exceed 35 Mbps.

In the Real World

Because 802.11a and 802.11b operate in different frequencies, there's no chance they'll be interoperable, so if you've recently made a large investment in 802.11b technology, plan to stick with it a while. You have a clear migration path when you need more bandwidth, but extensive retooling to move from 802.11b to 802.11a will be required. The 802.11a and 802.11b technologies can coexist, however, because there is no signal overlap. Thus, as your need for bandwidth increases, you can begin to deploy pockets of 802.11a gear right alongside your 802.11b installation. Vendors of 802.11a claim you'll be able to deploy a dual-radio system with 802.11a and 802.11b, but we suspect that the range and coverage will necessitate the installation of additional access points if you really want to achieve 54-Mbps data rates.

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