Paper6

Wireless Fidelity

Sriharsha I.

sriharsha_7601@yahoo.com

Kshitij Sharma

kshitij02@hotmail.com

Scient Institute of Technology

“Figure1. The Official Wi-Fi Logo”

Abstract

Wi-Fi stands for wireless fidelity which is based on the IEEE 802.11 specifications. This technology
was originally given official acceptance by the Wi-Fi Alliance to describe the present but not
obvious technology of wireless local area network (WLAN). The term Wi-Fi was formally used in
place of 2.4GHz for IEEE 802.11b standard. A typical Wi-Fi network contains one or more access
points (APs) and one or more clients.

1. Introduction

The popular term for a high-frequency wireless local area network. The consumer-friendly name
for the 802.11b engineering standard. It lets home and office users create wireless local
networks, which connect two or more computers to each other and a faster Internet line. This way
there is no more poking holes in walls or tripping over bulky Ethernet cables. The Wi-Fi technology
is rapidly gaining acceptance as an alternative to a wired local area network (LAN).

Wi-Fi is a set of product compatibility standards for wireless local area networks (WLAN) based on
the IEEE 802.11 specifications. New standards beyond the 802.11 specifications, such as 802.16
(WiMAX), are currently in the works and offer many enhancements, anywhere from longer range
to greater transfer speeds.

Wi-Fi was originally intended to be used for mobile computing devices and LANs, but is now used
in many other instances as well, including Internet access or basic connectivity of consumer
electronics. It enables the device, often a wireless-enabled computer or personal digital assistant
(PDA), to connect to the Internet remotely when in close proximity to an access point. The
geographical region covered by one or several access points is called a hotspot.

Any products tested and approved as "Wi-Fi C ertified" (a registered trademark) by the Wi-Fi
Alliance are certified as interoperable with each other, even if they are from different
manufacturers. A user with a "Wi-Fi C ertified" product can use any brand of access point with any
other brand of client hardware that also is certified. Typically, however, any Wi-Fi product using
the same radio frequency (for example, 2.4GHz for 802.11b or 11g, 5GHz for 802.11a) will work
with any other, even if not "Wi-Fi C ertified."

Formerly, the term "Wi-Fi" was used only in place of the 2.4GHz 802.11b standard, in the same
way that "Ethernet" is used in place of IEEE 802.3. The Alliance expanded the generic use of the
term in an attempt to stop confusion about wireless LAN interoperability.

2. History

“ Figure 2. A closer look at the history”

It stands as perhaps the signal success of the computer industry in the last few years, a rare
bright spot in a bubble-battered market: Wi-Fi, the short-range wireless broadband technology.
Among geeks, it has inspired a mania unseen since the days of the internet boom. Tens of
millions of Wi-Fi devices will be sold this year, including the majority of laptop computers. Analysts
predict that 100m people will be using Wi-Fi by 2006. Homes, offices, colleges and schools around
the world have installed Wi-Fi equipment to blanket their premises with wireless access to the
internet. Wi-Fi access is available in a growing number of coffee-shops, airports and hotels too.
Yet merely five years ago wireless networking was a niche technology. How did Wi-Fi get started,
and become so successful, in the depths of a downturn?

Back in 1991 Wi-Fi was invented by NC R C orporation/AT&T (later on Lucent & Agere Systems) in
Nieuwegein, the Netherlands . Initially meant for cashier systems the first wireless products were
brought on the market under the name WaveLAN with speeds of 1Mbps/2Mbps. Vic Hayes who is
the inventor of Wi-Fi has been named 'father of Wi-Fi' and was with his team involved in designing
standards such as IEEE 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g. In 2003, Vic retired from Agere Systems.
Agere Systems suffered from strong competition in the market even though their products were
cutting edge, as many opted for cheaper Wi-Fi solutions. Agere's 802.11abg all-in-one chipset
(code named: WARP) never hit the market, Agere Systems decided to quit the Wi-Fi market in
late 2004.

Wi-Fi seems even more remarkable when you look at its provenance: it was, in effect, spawned
by an American government agency from an area of radio spectrum widely referred to as “the
garbage bands”. Technology entrepreneurs generally prefer governments to stay out of their
way: funding basic research, perhaps, and then buying finished products when they emerge on
the market. But in the case of Wi-Fi, the government seems actively to have guided innovation.
“Wi-Fi is a creature of regulation, created more by lawyers than by engineers,” asserts Mitchell
Lazarus, an expert in telecoms regulation at Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, a law firm based in
Arlington , Virginia . As a lawyer, Mr. Lazarus might be expected to say that. But he was also
educated as an electrical engineer—and besides, the facts seem to bear him out.

C ontrary to popular belief, Wi-Fi did not originally stand for Wireless-Fidelity. The term "Wi-Fi" was
developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance along with the Inter-brand C orporation to describe WLAN products
that are based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. Phil Belanger of the Wi-Fi Alliance quoted, "Wi-Fi
and the yin yang style logo were invented by Inter-brand. We (the founding members of the
Wireless Ethernet C ompatibility Alliance, now called the Wi-Fi Alliance) hired Inter-brand 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”. Later, the
term "Wireless Fidelity" was coined with the marketing of a new tag line, "The Standard for
Wireless Fidelity”. This new tag line was soon dropped due to confusion among customers and
consumers.

3.Hotspots

“Figure 3. Remote C orporate Access”

Hotspots are locations that allow users to access networked services, such as the internet, without
a cabled connection. These are increasingly useful given the popularity of mobile computers (such
as laptops and PDAs). Hotspots are often found near restaurants, train stations, airports, cafes,
libraries and other public places where users tend to gather.

The increasing availability of hotspots and hot zones has made internet access practically
universal. One of the drawbacks to this development is the chance to have your wireless access
point pirated by an unauthorized user. Unless adequately protected, a Wi-Fi network can be highly
susceptible to access by unauthorized users looking for a free Internet connection. The activity of
locating and exploiting security-exposed wireless LANs is called war driving and is an increasing
concern among wireless users. Any entity that has a wireless LAN should use security safeguards
such as the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption standard, the more recent Wi-Fi Protected
Access (WPA), Internet Protocol Security (IPSec), or a virtual private network (VPN).

Originally, Wi-Fi certification was applicable only to products using the 802.11b standard. Today,
Wi-Fi can apply to products that use any 802.11 standard. The 802.11 specifications are part of an
evolving set of wireless network standards known as the 802.11 family. The particular
specification under which a Wi-Fi network operates is called the "flavor" of the network. Wi-Fi has
gained acceptance in many businesses, agencies, schools, and homes as an alternative to a wired
LAN. Many airports, hotels, and fast-food facilities offer public access to Wi-Fi networks as a
means of attracting customers.

4. Specification

Wi-Fi is based on the IEEE 802.11 specifications. There are currently four deployed 802.11
variations: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n. The b specification was used in the first Wi-Fi
products. The g and n variants are the ones most often sold as of 2005.

In most of the world, the frequencies used by Wi-Fi do not require user licenses from local
regulators (e.g. the Federal C ommunications C ommission in the U.S. ). 802.11a equipment, using
a higher frequency, has reduced range, all other things being equal.

The most widespread version of Wi-Fi in the U.S. market today (based in IEEE 802.11b/g)
operates in the 2,400 MHz to 2,483.50 MHz range. It allows operation in 11 channels (5 MHz
each), centered on the following frequencies:

C hannel 1 – 2,412 MHz;

C hannel 2 – 2,417 MHz;

C hannel 3 – 2,422 MHz;

C hannel 4 – 2,427 MHz;

C hannel 5 – 2,432 MHz;

C hannel 6 – 2,437 MHz;

C hannel 7 – 2,442 MHz;

C hannel 8 – 2,447 MHz;

C hannel 9 – 2,452 MHz;

C hannel 10 – 2,457 MHz;

C hannel 11 – 2,462 MHz

Europe, France , Spain , and Japan have adopted their own allowed channels sets.

Wi-Fi channels are 22 MHz wide, and thus channels with spacing less than 22 MHz (five 5 MHz
channels) apart will overlap. This can result in interference, with the amount of interference
decreasing with channel separation. (Thus channels 1 and 3 interfere less with each other than
channels 1 and 2.) For minimum interference between different Wi-Fi networks, use C hannels 1,
6, and 11, which do not overlap? To increase the available channels, which can help in multiple
access point deployments, a slightly overlapping four channel configuration of 1, 4, 8, and 11,
results in relatively little interference, as explained in "4 Simultaneous C hannels Okay For
802.11b".

New standards beyond the 802.11 specifications are currently in the works and offer many
enhancements, from wider access range to greater transfer speeds. One example is WiMAX, with
a range of several miles and data rates of up to 70 Mbit/s. 802.16a permits operation between 2
and 11 GHz, increasing the probability of developing some interoperability between 802.11 units
and some 802.16a units.

4. Technical Aspect - How does Wi-Fi Work?

“Figure 4. How Wi-Fi Works?”

The typical Wi-Fi setup contains one or more Access Points (APs) and one or more clients. An AP
broadcasts its *SSID (Service Set Identifier, Network name) via packets that are called beacons,
which are broadcasted every 100ms. The beacons are transmitted at 1Mbps and are relatively
short, giving them no influence over performance. Because 1Mbps is the lowest rate of Wi-Fi, this
assures that clients who receive the beacon can communicate at a minimum of 1Mbps. Based on
the specific settings and the *firmware of the client (i.e. the SSID), the user may decide whether
to connect to an AP. For instance, if APs of the same SSID are in range of the client, the firmware
may decide based on signal strength (*Signal-to-noise ratio) which of the two APs is more
feasible. The Wi-Fi standard leaves connection criteria and roaming totally open to the client. This
is the strength of Wi-Fi, but also means that one wireless adapter may perform substantially
better than another. Windows XP offers a feature called zero configuration that allows the end
user to visualize all available networks and connect to them at will. In the future, wireless cards
will become increasingly controlled by the operating system. Microsoft's newest feature, called
Soft MAC , will take over for on-board firmware. Moreover, roaming criteria will be totally
controlled by the operating system. Because Wi-Fi transmits in the air, it has the same properties
as a non-switched Ethernet network, allowing collision to appear similar to those in non-switched
Ethernet LAN's.

4.1. SSID

In Wi-Fi Wireless LAN computer networking, a service set identifier (SSID) is a code attached to
all packets on a wireless network to identify each packet as part of that network. The code
consists of a maximum of 32 alphanumeric characters. All wireless devices attempting to
communicate with each other must share the same SSID. Apart from identifying each packet,
SSID also serves to uniquely identify a group of wireless network devices used in a given
"Service Set".

4.2. Firmware

In computing, firmware is software that is embedded in a hardware device. It is often provided in

flash ROMs or as a binary image file that can be uploaded onto existing hardware by a user.

Firmware is defined as:

The computer program in a read-only memory (ROM) integrated circuit (a hardware configuration
is usually used to represent the software); the erasable programmable read-only memory
(EPROM) chip, whose program may be modified by special external hardware, but not by [a
general purpose] application program.

4.3. Signal-to-noise ratio

Signal-to-noise ratio (often abbreviated SNR or S/N) is meaningful both in the context of
information theory and, informally, for Usenet or other newsgroup-like services.

Signal-to-noise ratio is an engineering term for the power ratio between a signal (meaningful
information) and the background noise. Because many signals have a very wide dynamic range,
SNRs are usually expressed in terms of the logarithmic decibel scale. In decibels, the SNR is 20
times the base-10 logarithm of the amplitude ratio, or 10 times the logarithm of the power ratio,
where P is average power and A is RMS amplitude. Both signal and noise power are measured
within the system bandwidth.

Signal-to-noise ratio is closely related to the concept of dynamic range, where dynamic range
measures the ratio between noise and the greatest un-distorted signal on a channel. SNR
measures the ratio between noise and an arbitrary signal on the channel, not necessarily the most
powerful signal possible. Because of this, measuring a signal-to-noise ratio requires the selection
of a representative or reference signal. In audio engineering, this reference signal is usually a
sine wave, sounding a tone at a recognized and standardized magnitude, such as 1 kHz at 1.228
VRMS (+4 dBu).

Often the signals being compared are electromagnetic in nature, though it is also possible to apply
the term to sound stimuli. Due to the definition of decibel, the SNR gives the same result
independent of the type of signal which is evaluated (such as power, current, or voltage).

SNR is usually taken to indicate an average signal to noise ratio, as it is possible that (near)
instantaneous signal to noise ratios will be considerably different. In general, higher signal to
noise is better (i.e. cleaner).

In image processing, the SNR of an image is usually defined as the ratio of the mean pixel value
to the standard deviation of the pixel values. Related measures are the "contrast ratio" and the
"contrast to noise ratio".

5. What are the advantages of Wi-Fi?

• Unlike packet radio systems, Wi-Fi uses unlicensed radio spectrum and does not require
regulatory approval for individual users.

• Wi-Fi allows LANs to be deployed without cabling, potentially reducing the costs of network
deployment and expansion. Wireless LANs allow networks to be access in spaces where cable
cannot be run, such as outdoor areas or historically protected sites.

• 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.

• C ompetition amongst vendors has lowered prices considerably since their inception.

• 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.

• Many access points and network interfaces support various degrees of encryption to protect
traffic from interception.

• Wi-Fi is a global set of standards. Unlike cellular carriers, the same Wi-Fi client works in
different countries around the world.

6. What are the disadvantages of Wi-Fi?

• Use of the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band does not require a license in most areas, provided that one stays
below the 100 mW limit and accepts interference from other sources; including interference which
causes devices to no longer function. Some believe, albeit incorrectly, that Amateur Radio
operators are an exception to the otherwise limited power output ceilings. This is based on the
belief that they may boost power output from their Wi-Fi routers up to the legal maximum for the
Amateur Radio license class, often 100 watts for spread spectrum operation (roughly 1,000 times
that of a normal router).

• 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, while some countries, like Spain , prohibit use of the lower-numbered channels.
Furthermore, users are sometimes required to possess a 'general authorization' (or operator
registration) for any Wi-Fi used outside an operator's own premises; such is the case in Italy .

• The 802.11b and 802.11g flavors of Wi-Fi use the unlicensed 2.4 GHz spectrum, which is
crowded with other devices such as Bluetooth, microwave ovens, cordless phones (900 MHz or 5.8
GHz are alternative phone frequencies one can use for a Wi-Fi network), or video sender devices,
among many others. This density of users may negatively affect performance. Other devices
which use microwave frequencies such as certain types of cell phones can also cause degradation
in performance. However, many Wi-Fi cards have Microwave-robustness algorithms on-board
which make the problems non-existent in most cases.

• Power consumption is fairly high compared to 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 (caused by weak-key generation).
Although most new wireless products support the much improved Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
protocol, many first-generation access points cannot be upgraded in the field and have to be
replaced to support it. The adoption of the 802.11i (AKA WPA2) standard in June 2004 made
available a further improved security scheme, which has become available on the latest
equipment. Both schemes require stronger passwords in personal mode than most users typically
employ. Many enterprises have deployed additional layers of encryption (such as VPNs) to protect
against interception.

• Wi-Fi networks have limited range. A typical Wi-Fi home router using 802.11b or 802.11g might
have a range of 45m (150 ft) indoors and 90m (300 ft) outdoors. Range also varies, as Wi-Fi is no
exception to the physics of radio wave propagation, with frequency band. Wi-Fi in the 2.4 GHz
frequency block has better range than Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz frequency block, and less range than the
oldest Wi-Fi (and pre-Wi-Fi) 900 MHz block.

• Interference of a closed or encrypted access point by other open access points on the same or
a neighboring channel can prevent access to the open access points by other users in the area.
This can pose a problem in high-density areas such as large apartment buildings where many
residents are operating Wi-Fi access points.

• Access points can be used to steal personal information transmitted by Wi-Fi users.

• Interoperability issues between brands or deviations in the standard can cause limited
connection or lower throughput speeds.

• Free access points (or improperly configured access points) may be used by the malicious to
anonymously initiate an attack that would be impossible to track beyond the owner of the access
point.

7. Will Wi-Fi ever replace cell phones one day?

Some expect that Wi-Fi and related consumer technologies will replace cellular telephone
networks such as 3G and GSM. The current generation of Wi-Fi still lacks roaming and
authentication features (see 802.1x, SIM cards and RADIUS) and the limited range of Wi-Fi as well
as the narrowness of the available spectrum is holding back its proliferation as a 3G replacement.
However, the bandwidth and overall capabilities of Wi-Fi are already exceeding those once
promised by 3G cellular telephone standards. Users have adopted the term 4G in reference to Wi-
Fi as a telling example of the believed superiority of the technology.

“Figure 5. The freedom to explore”

C ompanies like BroadVoice, UTStarcom, ZyXEL, SocketIP and Symbol Technologies are already
offering Wi-Fi VoIP phones and telephony platforms (C entral Office replacements and terminals
(phones) that use Wi-Fi VoIP.

Many vendors now sell mobile Internet products that link Wi-Fi and cellular radio systems in a
more or less transparent way, in order to take advantage of the benefits of both systems. Future
wireless systems are expected to routinely switch between varieties of radio systems.

The main difference between cellular and Wi-Fi is their basis in licensed or unlicensed spectrums,
Wi-Fi using the unlicensed and cellular using the licensed. The economic basis for its
implementation is therefore completely different. The success of Wi-Fi has made many look to the
unlicensed spectrum with its potential to lower costs and expand service coverage, as the future
of wireless access.

8. How secure is my Wi-Fi connection?

Wi-Fi equipment can be used to steal personal information (passwords, financial information,
identity information, and so on) transmitted by Wi-Fi users, if sensible protections are not enabled.

Some users report that open access points in a particular area or channel can cause interference
in a closed or encrypted access point, resulting in the inability to gain access to said open access
points by other users in the area. This can pose a problem in high-density areas such as large
apartment buildings where many residents are operating Wi-Fi access points.

Large corporations are often concerned about the security risk posed to a company network by an
unauthorized wireless access point, also known as a rogue access point. With the advent of
inexpensive wireless routers and their increased availability at consumer electronics stores,
employees will occasionally connect an unauthorized access point out of ignorance or malice,
thereby exposing the secure corporate network to anyone who may be "war driving" nearby. To
alleviate the potential risk of rogue access points, some large organizations have begun (as of
2005) to install wireless intrusion detection systems. These systems are designed to monitor the
premises for wireless signals and immediately report the presence of any unauthorized access
points.

9. Improving the security of home Wireless LAN

Today's Wi-Fi products don't always help the situation as configuring their security features can be
time-consuming and non-intuitive. The recommendations below summarize the steps you should
take to improve the security of your home wireless LAN.

9.1. Change Default Administrator Passwords

At the core of most Wi-Fi home networks is an access point or router. To set up these pieces of
equipment, manufacturers provide Web pages that allow owners to enter their network address
and account information. These Web tools are protected with a login screen (username and
password) so that only the rightful owner can do this. However, for any given piece of equipment,
the logins provided are simple and very well-known to hackers on the Internet. C hange these
settings immediately.

9.2. Turn on (Compatible) WPA / WEP Encryption

All Wi-Fi equipment supports some form of "encryption." Encryption technology scrambles
messages sent over wireless networks so that they cannot be easily read by humans. Several
encryption technologies exist for Wi-Fi today. Naturally you will want to pick the strongest form of
encryption that works with your wireless network. To function, though, all Wi-Fi devices on your
LAN must share the identical encryption settings. Therefore you may need to find a "lowest
common denominator" setting.

9.3. Change the Default SSID

Access points and routers all use a network name called the SSID. Manufacturers normally ship
their products with the same SSID set. For example, the SSID for Linksys devices is normally
"Linksys." True, knowing the SSID does not by itself allow anyone to break into your network, but
it is a start. More importantly, when someone finds a default SSID, they see it is a poorly
configured network and are much more likely to attack it. C hange the default SSID immediately
when configuring your LAN.

9.4. Enable MAC Address Filtering

Each piece of Wi-Fi gear possesses a unique identifier called the "physical address" or "MAC
address." Access points and routers keep track of the MAC addresses of all devices that connect
to them. Many such products offer the owner an option to key in the MAC addresses of their home
equipment that restricts the network to only allow connections from those devices. Do this, but
also know that the feature is not so powerful as it may seem. Hacker software programs can fake
MAC addresses easily.

9.5. Disable SSID Broadcast

In Wi-Fi networking, the access point or router typically broadcasts the network name (SSID)
over the air at regular intervals. This feature was designed for businesses and mobile hotspots
where Wi-Fi clients may come and go. In the home, this feature is unnecessary, and it increases
the likelihood an unwelcome neighbor or hacker will try to log in to your home network.
Fortunately, most Wi-Fi access points allow the SSID broadcast feature to be disabled by the
network administrator.

9.6. Do Not Auto-Connect to Open Wi-Fi Networks

C onnecting to an open Wi-Fi network such as a free wireless hotspot or your neighbor's router
exposes your computer to security risks. Although not normally enabled, most computers have a
setting available allowing these connections to happen automatically without notifying you (the
user). This setting should not be enabled except in temporary situations.

9.7. Assign Static IP Addresses to Devices

Most home networkers gravitate toward using dynamic IP addresses. DHC P technology is indeed
quick and easy to set up. Unfortunately, this convenience also works to the advantage of network
attackers, who can easily obtain valid IP addresses from a network's DHC P pool. Turn off DHC P
on the router or access point, set a fixed IP address range, then set each connected device to
match. Use a private IP range (like 10.0.0.x) to prevent computers from being directly reached
from the Internet.

9.8. Enable Firewalls on Each Computer and the Router

Modern routers contain built-in firewall capability, but the option exists to disable them. Ensure
that your router's firewall is turned on. Additionally, consider installing and running personal
firewall software on each computer connected to the router for extra protection.

9.9. Position the Router or Access Point Safely

Wi-Fi signals normally reach to the exterior of a home. A small amount of "leakage" outdoors is
not a problem, but the further this signal reaches, the easier it is for others to detect and exploit.
Wi-Fi signals often reach through neighboring homes and into streets, for example. When
installing a wireless home network, the position of the access point or router determines its reach.
Try to position these devices near the center of the home rather than near windows to minimize
leakage.

9.10. Turn off the Network during Extended Periods of Non-Use

The ultimate in security measures, shutting down the network will most certainly prevent outside
hackers from breaking in! While impractical to turn off and on the devices frequently, at least
consider doing so during travel or extended periods offline. C omputer disk drives have been
known to suffer from power cycle wear-and-tear, but this is not a concern for broadband modems
and routers.

10. Wi-Fi in Gaming

Some gaming consoles and handhelds make use of Wi-Fi technology to enhance the gaming
experience:

• The Nintendo DS handheld is Wi-Fi compatible, although it has no support for WPA encryption,
only the weaker WEP.

• The Sony PSP includes WLAN to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots or make wireless connections.

• The Xbox 360 features 1 Wi-Fi accessory: A wireless network adapter.

“Figure 6. The next level of Gaming”

• The PlayStation 3 premium model ($599) features built-in Wi-Fi.

Figure 7. Nintendo to Offer Sturdier Straps

• The Wii features Wi-Fi.

• The Nintendo GameC ube has available Wi-Fi

11. Competing Technologies

• Bluetooth - an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs)

• European Installation Bus - intelligent electrical installation networking

• Home Plug - Focused on broadband applications

Figure 8. InsteON

• INSTEON - (http://www.insteon.net) Smart home's peer-to-peer mesh networking product that

features a hybrid radio/power line transmission. Designed for home usage, and interoperates with
X10.

• nanoNET - (http://www.nanotron.com/) A proprietary set of wireless sensor protocols, designed

to compete with ZigBee.

• OBEX - A communications protocol that facilitates the exchange of binary objects between
devices.

• RadioRa- (http://www.lutron.com/radiora/) A proprietary two-way RF protocol, developed by

Lutron for use in residential lighting control.

• TinyOS - (http://www.tinyos.net/) A mesh network OS using the NesC language.

• UPB - A new powerline protocol that offers improved performance and reliability over X10.

• Wi-Fi - A trademark for sets of product compatibility standards for wireless local area networks
(WLANs).

• Wireless USB - wireless extension to USB

• X10 - A powerline protocol first introduced in the 1970s.

• Z-wave - (http://www.z-wavealliance.com/) A proprietary protocol for wireless home control

networking.

• ZigBee - a set of high level protocols designed for low power digital radio.

11. Conclusion

The future of WLAN is looking good as more and more people are getting to know about the
emerging technologies. The major threat which Wi-Fi faces is security. As people transfer there
personal data in thin air using this technology. Security is a major criterion in the present day
scenario. The present day requirement of a proletariat is a technology which they can afford in
their daily life .

12. Refe ren ces

12.1. The Economist

12.2. www.howstuffworks.com

12.3. www.wifialliance.com

12.4. Wi-Fi Hotspots: Setting Up Public Wireless Internet Access (Networking Technology) by Eric
Geier

12.5. Wi-Fi Handbook : Building 802.11b Wireless Networks by Frank D. Ohrtman

12.6. www.mobile.snap9.com

12.7. www.answer.com

12.8. www.wikipedia.org

12.9. www.webopedia.com

12.10. www.searchmobilecomputing.com

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