WiFi Tech Fundamentals

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WIRELESS TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS: TOPICS

License Free Bands

900 MHz
2.4 GHz
5 GHz

Definitions
Gain and Loss
dBm vs. Watts
Spread Spectrum Technologies
Channels For FHSS
Channels For DSSS Sytem
DSSS Spectrum - IEEE 802.11b
Overlapping Channels
802.1 Protocol Summary

RF Fundamentals
Full Duplex
Half Duplex

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Conversions
1 MHz = 1,000,000 Hz
1 GHz = 1,000 MHz
1 GHz = 1,000,000,000 Hz
I.E.
- 2400 MHz is the same as 2.4 GHz
- 5800 MHz is the same as 5800 GHz

Hz = Radio Spectrum
Bits = data
M = 1,000,000
G = 1,000,000,000
There is a total of 83.3 MHz of Spectrum available in the 2.4 GHz Band

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ISM
ISM: Industrial, Scientific, and Medical
902 to 928 MHz
2,400 to 2,483.5 MHz
5,725 to 5,850 MHz

UNI-I (or UNII)

Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure

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5,150 to 5,250 MHz

5,250 to 5,350 MHz
5,725 to 5,825 MHz

900 MHz Band

(902 to 928 MHz)
Data Rates are up to 3 Mbps ( Typical 2 Mbps throughput)
Non Line of Sight
Unaffected by weather
Only few Manufacturers for the products proprietary technology
Expensive Compared to IEEE 802.X technologies

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2.4 GHz Band

Large bandwidth available (83.5 MHz)
High data rates possible (up to 11 Mbps)
With the 11g 54 Mpps is possible
Equipment reasonably priced
Unaffected by weather
Line of Sight required for long range (greater the several hundred yards)
Used world-wide

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5 GHz Band
5.725 5.850 GHz Spread Spectrum Band
Virtually unlimited ERP on Point-to-Point links makes long range practical
Very high data rates possible
Equipment more expensive then 2.4 GHz equipment
Still greatly underutilized
High gain directional antennas focus signals
Ideal for point-to-point wireless backbone

Unlicensed National Information

Infrastructure

FREQUENCY
TX POWER

Band 1

Band 2

Band 3

5.15 - 5.25
GHz

5.25 - 5.35
GHz

5.725 - 5.825
GHz

23 dBm EIRP 30 dBm EIRP 36 dBm EIRP

(200 mW)
(1 Watt)
(4 Watts)

APPLICATION INDOOR USE

ONLY

CAMPUS
LINKS

LONG RANGE
(Several
Miles)

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RF FUNDAMENTALS

RF Communication
Full Duplex
Radio TX and RX data simultaneously
Requires a pair of Frequencies (one for TX and one for RX)
Fastest means of data transfer
Both radios are transmitting and receiving at the same time on different
radio frequencies.

Half Duplex
Used by IEEE 802.11a,b,g and others
Time Division Duplex (TDD)
Bi-directional system
Only one radio transmits at a time
Radio buffers the data until it is its turns to transmit
Operates only on one radio channel
Typically less then half thru-put of the over-the-air data rate
Radios alternate transmit and receive on the same radio channel.

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DEFINITIONS

dB

Difference (or ratio) between two signal levels.

Generally used used to describe the effect of system
devices on signal strength.

dBm A signal strength level. 0 dBm is defined as 1 mW of

power. Small signals are negative numbers. (e.g. - 83
dBm)
dBi

The gain of an antenna relative to an isotropic

radiator. Used in calculating ERP and range.
NOTE: dB, dBm and dBi are used because systems
powers, gains and losses can be calculated by simply
adding and subtracting.

ERP Effective Radiated Power, equal to the antenna gain

added to the power into that antenna. (Technically,
called EIRP.)

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Gain and Loss

Amplification

Signal Loss

Remote Amplifier System

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Effective Radiated Power (ERP)

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dBm vs. Watts

dBm 0
1
2
3
6 10 15 20 30
33
36
40
50
60
Power 1.0 1.3 1.6 2.0 4.0 10.0 32.0 100 1
2
4
10
100 1.000
mW mW mW mW mW mW mW mW Watt Watts Watts Watts Watts Watts
dBm = 10 log dBm = 10 log
dBm = 10 log

Rule Of Thumb

Example: Convert 250 mW to dBm

Double/Half Power: Add/Subtract

3dB

10 log

250 = 10 x 2.39 = 24dBm

1 mW

Ten Times/One-tenth Add/Subtract

Power: 10dB

Spread Spectrum Technologies

Frequency Hopping (FHSS)
The radio carrier hops around the band.
Direct Sequence (DSSS)
The radio carrier signal is spread out on a specific channel
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Channels For FHSS

Each data packet sent on one of 82 channels.
Next packet randomly hops to another channel.
Signal itself not spread - occupies narrow bandwidth.
Signals hop around interfering signals.

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Channels For DSSS System

802.11 Radio Channels
All Radios in One Network Operate on a Single Channel

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DSSS Spectrum - IEEE 802.11b

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)
Frequency Channel in 2.4 GHz (IEEE 802.11)

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Overlapping Channels
802.11 Radio Channels Overlap

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802.1 Protocol Summary

Standard

Modulation

Air Data Rate

Frequency
Band

802.11

FHSS
DSSS

2 Mbps

2.4 GHz

802.11a

OFDM

54 Mbps

UNII

802.11b

DSSS

11 Mbps

2.4 GHz

802.11g

OFDM
DSSS

54 Mbps
11 Mbps

2.4 GHz

802.1x

N/A

Authentication
and
Access Control

All

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31/05/2010 10:18