Overview of WLAN

In July 1997, the IEEE published a standard for Wireless Local Area Networks. This standard
is named IEEE 802.11, and in September 1999, they ratified the 802.11b (High rate) to the
standard.

WLAN is a flexible data communication system, which can be used for applications in which
mobility is necessary or desirable. Using electromagnetic waves, WLANs transmit and
receive data over the air without relying on physical connection. Current WLAN technology
is capable of reaching a data rate of 11Mbps. Overall, WLAN is a promising technology for
the future communication market.

This presentation presents an overview of wireless network concepts describing the basic
technology alternatives, user applications, benefits and potential problems of WLAN
technology.

Table 1: WLAN family of standards

IEEE 802.11(DSSS) IEEE 802.11a IEEE 802.11b

Application Wireless Ethernet (LAN) Wireless ATM Wireless Ethernet (LAN)

Frequency range 2.4 GHz 5GHz 2.4GHz

Data rate 1-2Mbps 20-25 Mbps 5.5 Mbps, 11 Mbps

How does WLAN work?

WLANs use radio, infrared and microwave transmission to transmit data from one point to
another without cables. Therefore WLAN offers way to build a Local Area Network without
cables. This WLAN can then be attached to an allready existing larger network, the internet
for example.

A wireless LAN consists of nodes and access points. A node is a computer or a peripheral
(such as a printer) that has a network adapter, in WLANs case with an antenna. Access points
function as transmitters and receivers between the nodes themselves or between the nodes
and another network. More on this later.

WLAN data transfer in itself is implemented by one of the following technologies:

 Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)

 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)
 Infrared (IR)

In the following is a brief dicussion about each of them.

Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum

Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) uses a narrowband carrier that changes
frequency in a pattern known to both transmitter and receiver. Properly synchronized, the net
effect is to maintain a single logical channel. To an unintended receiver, FHSS appears to be
short-duration impulse noise.

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) generates a redundant bit pattern for each bit to be
transmitted. This bit pattern is called a chip (or chipping code). The longer the chip, the
greater the probability that the original data can be recovered (the more bandwidth required
also). Even if one or more bits in the chip are damaged during transmission, statistical
techniques can recover the original data without the need for retransmission. To an
unintended receiver, DSSS appears as low-power wideband noise and is ignored by most
narrowband receivers.

Infrared Technology

Infrared (IR) systems use very high frequencies, just below visible light in the
electromagnetic spectrum, to carry data. Like light, IR cannot penetrate opaque objects; it is
either directed (line-of-sight) or diffuse technology. Inexpensive directed systems provide
very limited range (3 ft) and are occasionally used in specific WLAN applications. High
performance directed IR is impractical for mobile users and is therefore used only to
implement fixed subnetworks. Diffuse (or reflective) IR WLAN systems do not require line-
of-sight, but cells are limited to individual rooms.

WLAN setups
A WLAN can be set up in two main architectures: Ad-hoc (distributed control) and
infrastructure LAN (centralized control).

The ad-hoc network (also called peer to peer mode) is simply a set of WLAN wireless
stations that communicate directly with one another without using access point or any
connection to the wired network. For example, this ad-hoc network can be formed by two
laptops with a network interface card. There is no central controller; mobile terminals can
communicate using peer-to-peer connections with other terminals independently. The
network may still include a gateway node to create an interface with a fixed network. As an
exaple this kind of setup might be very useful in a meeting where employees bring laptop
computers together to communicate and share information even when the network is not
provided by the company. Or an ad-hoc network could be set up in a hotel room or in the
airport or where the access to the wired network is barred.
 Fig 1. Ad-hoc network setup. Reference:Designing a high performance Radio Local Area
Network adapter.Juha Ala- Laurila .Master thesis 1997, Tampere University of Technology
p.84.

The infrastructure LAN network consists of an arbitrary number of mobile terminals in

addition to access points. The access points are located between mobile terminals and the
fixed network. All data transmission is controlled and conveyed by the access points and they
are also responsible for sharing resources between terminals. The range of an access point
using radio frequencies is roughly 100 meters. The range varies widely with the geometry
and other physical properties of the space in which it is used.

Fig 2.Infrastructure LAN network setup. Reference:Designing a high performance Radio

Local Area Network adapter.Juha Ala- Laurila .Master thesis 1997, Tampere University of
Technology p.84.

Uses of Wlan
Wireless LANs have many applications in the real world. They are frequently used to
enhance a wired network, not to completely replace them. The following describes some of
the applications that are made possible through the power and flexibility of wireless LAN
technology.
Healthcare

Doctors and nurses equipped with laptops or PDAs have faster access to patient data.
Furthermore, in an emergency situation they can communicate with other departments within
the hospital by using WLAN in order to provide quick diagnostics. This is an area where
WLAN is allready relatively widely used. As in a majority of cases, WLAN is used to
enhance an allready existing wired network.

Conducting everyday business

In business, people can work productively with customers or suppliers in meeting rooms -
there is no need to leave the room to check if important emails have arrived or print big files.
Instead you can send them from one laptop to another. Senior executives in meetings can
make quicker decisions because they have access to real-time information.

Network managers in older buildings

Network managers in older buildings, such as schools, hospitals, and warehouses, find
WLANs to be a most cost-effective infrastructure solution. When building a new network or
expanding the old in-house network, few if any cables need be drawn thru the walls and
ceilings.

Network managers in dynamic environments

Network managers in dynamic environments minimize the cost of moves, network

extensions, and other changes by eliminating the cost of cabling and installation. The mobile
nature of WLAN allows the building and testing of a new network before moving to mission-
critical surroundings.

Benefits of WLAN
What are the concrete benefits of WLAN over wired networks? While the most obvious is
mobility, there are advantages also in building and maintaining a wireless network. Let us
look at the benefits more closely:

Mobility

Mobility is a significant advantage of WLANs. User can access shared resources without
looking for a place to plug in, anywhere in the organization. A wireless network allows users
to be truly mobile as long as the mobile terminal is under the network coverage area.

Range of coverage

The distance over which RF and IR waves can communicate depends on product design
(including transmitted power and receiver design) and the propagation path, especially in
indoor environments. Interactions with typical building objects, such as walls, metal, and
even people, can affect the propagation of energy, and thus also the range and coverage of the
system. IR is blocked by solid objects, which provides additional limitations. Most wireless
LAN systems use RF, because radio waves can penetrate many indoor walls and surfaces.
The range of a typical WLAN node is about 100 m. Coverage can be extended, and true
freedom of mobility achieved via roaming. This means using access points to cover an area in
such a way that their coverages overlap each other. Thereby the user can wander around and
move from the coverage area of one access point to another without even knowing he has,
and at the same time seamlessy maintain the connection between his node and an access
point.

Ease of use

WLAN is easy to use and the users need very little new information to take advantage of
WLANs. Because the WLAN is transparent to a user's network operating system,
applications work in the same way as they do in wired LANs.

Installation Speed, Simplicity and Flexibility

Installation of a WLAN system can be fast and easy and can eliminate the need to pull cable
through walls and ceilings. Furthermore, wireless LAN enables networks to be set up where
wires might be impossible to install.

Scalability

Wireless networks can be designed to be extremely simple or complex. Wireless networks

can support large numbers of nodes and large physical areas by adding access points to
extend coverage.

Cost

Finally, the cost of installing and maintaining a WLAN is on average lower than the cost of
installing and maintaining a traditional wired LAN, for two reasons. First, WLAN eliminates
the direct costs of cabling and the labor associated with installing and repairing it. Second,
because WLANs simplify moving, additions, and changes, the indirect costs of user
downtime and administrative overhead are reduced.

Restrictions and potential problems with WLAN

Radio signal interference

Radio signal interference in WLAN systems can go two ways: The WLAN can cause
interference to other devices operating in or near it´s frequency band. Or conversly, other
devices can interfere with WLAN operation, provided their signal is stronger. The result is a
scrambled signal, which of course prevents the nodes from exchanging information between
each other or access points. WLANs using infrared technology generally experience line-of-
sight problems. An object blocking this line between the two WLAN units is very likely to
interrupt the transmission of data.

Connection problem

TCP/IP provides reliable connection over wired LANs, but in WLAN it is susceptible to
losing connections, especially when the terminal is operating within the marginal WLAN
coverage. Another connection related issue is IP addressing. The wireless terminals can roam
between access points in the same IP subnet but connections are lost if the terminal moves
from one IP subnet to another.

Network security

This is an important aspect in WLAN. It is difficult to restrict access to a WLAN physically,

because radio signals can propagate outside the intended coverage of a spesific WLAN, for
example an office building. Some security measures against the problem are using
encryption, access control lists on the access points and network identifier codes. The
technical operation of WLANs also works against the intruder: Frequency hopping and direct
sequence operation makes eavesdropping impossible for everyone else than the most
sophisticated.