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Himanshu Gandhi
Priyanka Gandhi
Lecturer in YMCA College, Faridabad
Today the world is coming closer & closer and also more spacious due to the advent of wireless
technology. The wireless media enabled the communication between users all over the world. Wi-Fi which
is a local-area networking standard developed by IEEE 802.II where as Wi-Max which is the relatively new
IEEE 802.16 standard, both are the wireless replacement for a wired broadband connection. Wi-Fi has
revolutionized the networking concept and has made the dream of having an always-available, reliable,
1. INTRODUCTION
This paper provides incumbent wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) like WI-FI and WI-MAX.
Wireless Technology is an alternative to Wired Technology, which is commonly used for connecting
devices in wireless mode. Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) is a generic term that refers to the IEEE 802.11
communications standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) which uses radio waves to transmit
data back and forth in computers. It covers IEEE 802.11 standards including 802.11a, 802.11b and
802.11g. Wi-Fi is supported by most personal computer operating systems, many game consoles, laptops,
smart phones, printers and other peripherals. Cell phones and palm pilots can only be connected to the
internet by wireless connection. Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, founded in 1999 as WECA
Wi-Max is designed to extend local Wi-Fi networks across greater distance, the most fundamental
difference between Wi-Max and Wi-Fi is that they are designed for totally different application .Wi-Fi is
local network technology designed to add mobility to private wired LANs while Wi-Max means
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is the technology is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard.
Wi-Max was designed to deliver a metro area broadband access (BWA) service. The idea behind BWA is
to provide a fixed location wireless internet access service to compete with cable modems and DSL. So,
while Wi-Fi supports transmission ranges up to a few hundred meters, Wi-Max system could support user
at range up to 30 miles. {1, 2}.The paper give a brief insight of both Wi-Fi and Wi-Max technologies with
there comparative usage as well as focus is also given on security issues regarding Wi-Fi.
Many people use wireless networking, also called Wi-Fi or 802.11 networking, to connect their computers
at home or office without the need of wire. The big advantage of Wi-Fi is its simplicity as they are easy to
set up and inexpensive. In the near future, wireless networking may become so widespread that you can
access the Internet just about anywhere at any time, without using wires. {3}{4}
Radio waves are the keys which make Wi-Fi networking possible. These radio signals are transmitted from
antennas, routers and are picked up by Wi-Fi receivers such as computers and cell phones that are equipped
with Wi-Fi cards. Whenever a computer receives any of the signals within the range of a Wi-Fi network,
the Wi-Fi card will read the signals and thus create an internet connection between the user and the network
without the use of a cord. The basic concept of radio signals used in Wi-Fi networking is usually compared
to that of walkie talkies. These walkie talkies can transmit and receive radio signals which makes possible
to communicate with one another. Thus the same idea is used when it comes to radio signals in Wi-Fi
networking. The main sources of radio waves come from the antenna or router which transmits these waves
to another antenna, in this case, Wi-Fi cards, which give a direct signal to the user for internet access.
Usually the connection speed is increases as the computer gets closer to the main source of the signal and
decreases when the computer gets further away. Today laptops are coming with Wi-Fi card in built with
them or a user can install Wi-Fi cards into our computers in the form of USB antenna {5}. All you really
need to set up the typical Wi-Fi network which comprises a sender and a receiver. The typical sender is a
Wireless router that hooks up to your modem. There can be certain obstacles in signal strength, such as
furniture and thick walls. Currently there are three forms of the 802.11 standard proposed by the IEEE:
802.11b, which came before 802.11a, and then 802.11g as its last form. Wi-Fi radios that work with
802.11b and 802.11g broadcasts at a frequency rate of 2.4 GHz while those that comply with the 802.11a
form broadcasts at 5GHz. The higher frequency allows faster data rates. {5}
3. Wi-Fi SECURITY
Like any network, wireless LAN must be secured to ensure data integrity and protection of privacy. Wi-fi is
a new and exciting technology used to network homes and coffee houses. Connecting to the Internet
wirelessly presents a whole new set of security concerns. If you're setting up a wireless Wi-Fi network in
your home, you're going to need to take some extra security precautions to keep your computer safe and
secure. The technique called RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service) is introduced for the
protection of data in Wi-Fi. The wireless client contacts the access points, which in turn communicates with
the RADIUS server on the enterprise LAN that then verifies the client's credentials to determine whether
the device is authorized to connect to the LAN. If the RADIUS server accepts the client device, the server
sends data, including security keys, to the access point to enable a secure connection with the client. The
recommendations below summarize the steps you should take to improve the security of your home
wireless network.
• USE STRONG PASSWORDS: For sound security issues, firstly a users have to change the
default administrator password and a sufficient strong password is to be implemented which is not easily
guessable.
• USE GOOD WIRELESS ENCRYPTION: A slightly more complicated but more secure way to
keep out strangers is by encrypting (or scrambling) your wireless network password. Anyone seeking to
access your Wi-Fi network will need to type in the correct encrypted password. Many older base stations
use Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption to jumble the passwords. While this encryption code
will keep out a casual hacker, it has proven weak against more determined hackers. With a freely
available tool like aircrack, you can sniff wireless traffic protected by WEP and crack security on that
network in a matter of minutes. A new encryption protocol, called Wireless Protected Access (WPA),
• DON’T BROADCAST YOUR SSID: SSID refers to Service Set Identifier , in this
recommendation user have to reconfigure the base station .This is the easiest way to prevent someone
from accessing your Wi-Fi network but it does not provide real security.
• SHUT DOWN THE NETWORK WHEN IT IS NOT USED: It simply means to use the Wi-Fi
4. WI-MAX TECHNOLOGY: Wi-Max is a broad term that means 'wide wireless access' across an entire
city and it available in both indoor and outdoor versions which are comparable in size to a cable modem or
DSL modem. Wi-MAX is a wireless digital communications system, also known as IEEE 802.16 and
it is a second-generation protocol that allows for more efficient bandwidth use, interference avoidance, and
is intended to allow higher data rates over longer distances. However, Wi-MAX is very different from Wi-
Fi in the way it works. Wi-Max is potentially better in terms of coverage, self-installation, power
BASE STATION is basically the place where the Wi-Max tower is being set or mounted to broadcast the
wireless signal. Tower has range of around 9.5 km radius result in covering the whole city with the help of
few towers. Problem arises with Wi-Fi during traveling as its range of service is quite small, but in Wi-Max
technology range is quite high so it keeps a user away with the problem he face during Wi-Fi.
SUBSCRIBER DEVICE receives the signals on all Wi-Max enabled devices. With the receiver a router
5. FIXED AND MOBILE WI-MAX: Fixed Wi-Max is developed on the basis of IEEE 802.16-2004 or
IEEE 802.16d standard. It is suitably applied for LOS (LOS short for line of sight where a high frequency
signal travels the air directly from wireless transmitter to wireless receiver without any obstacle) and
NLOS (non line of sight in which a signal of lower frequency travels from wireless transmitter to wireless
receiver facing obstacle in his path and this propagation signal may be absorbed, scattered, reflected or
refracted), where as mobile Wi-Max is based upon IEEE 802.16e standard which is primarily focuses on
• Wi-Max is a long mile system that uses license spectrum to deliver a point to point connection from ISP
to an end user. Different types of access are being provided by IEEE 802.16 in the form of both fixed and
mobile Wi-Max where as Wi-Fi is a shorter range (up to hundreds of meters) system which uses
• The rate of data transmission for Wi-Max is 70 Mbps where as for Wi-Fi it is 54 Mbps.
• Wi-Fi range is about 100 feet where as the range of Wi-Max is about 30 miles or 50 km with wireless
access. The increase in Wi-Max range is due to high frequency signal used and high powered transmitter.
7. CONCLUSION:
Wi-Fi and Wi-Max is the framework for the evolution of wireless broadband. Both Wi-Fi and Wi-Max
signals the arrival of the next wave of wireless data technology. Unhampered by the short range and data
orientation of wireless LANs, these technologies hold the promise of taking high speed wireless and
8. REFRENCES
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi
2. http://www.electronics-manufacturers.com/products/wireless-communication
3. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wireless-network.htm
4. urtechfriend.googlepages.com/TheWi-FiTechnology.doc
5. www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~d_na/How%20WiFi%20Works2.doc
6. http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/security/?p=364
7. http://security.getnetwise.org/tips/wifi
8. http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Dyson