SEMINAR REPORT ON WIRELESS NETWORKING

(SHIVDAN SINGH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT-ALIGARH)

SUBMITTED TOMr.G.S. SAHOO Mr.UMESH MAURYA Mr.CHANDRASHEKHAR

SUBMITTED BYRAHUL KUMAR B.TECH.(E.C.) 6th 0900731020

CONTENTS
1. 2. 3. 4. INTRODUCTION INFRARED DATA ASSOCIATION BLUETOOTH HOME RF (SWAP) a) Advantages b) Drawbacks 5. Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) a) Advantages b) Disadvantages 6. References

INTRODUCTION
A wireless network is a flexible data communications system, which uses wireless media such as radio frequency technology to transmit and receive data over the air, minimizing the need for wired connections (What is Wireless LAN, White Paper). Wireless networks are used to augment rather than replace wired networks and are most commonly used to provide last few stages of connectivity between a mobile user and a wired network. Wireless networks use electromagnetic waves to communicate information from one point to another without relying on any physical connection. Radio waves are often referred to as radio carriers because they simply perform the function of delivering energy to a remote receiver. The data being transmitted is superimposed on the radio carrier so that it can be accurately extracted at the receiving end. Once data is superimposed (modulated) onto the radio carrier, the radio signal occupies more than a single frequency, since the frequency or bit rate of the modulating information adds to the carrier. Multiple radio carriers can exist in the same space at the same time without interfering with each other if the radio waves are transmitted on different radio frequencies. To extract data, a radio receiver tunes in one radio frequency while rejecting all other frequencies. The modulated signal thus received is then demodulated and the data is extracted from the signal.

Different Wireless Networks

IrDA (Infrared Data Association) Uses beams in the infrared light spectrum

 Bluetooth Uses 2.45 gigahertz radio waves, but emits weak signals Limits distance to 10 feet, but travels through walls HomeRF (SWAP) developed by businesses 6 voice channels and 1 data channel Slow, and limited range, but cheap

IrDA(Infrared Data Association)

The Infrared Data Association (IrDA) is an industry driven interest group that was founded in 1993 by around 50 companies. IrDA provides a complete set of protocol specifications for wireless infrared communications. The main reason for using IrDA had been wireless data transfer over the last one meter using point and shoot principles. Thus, it has been implemented in portable devices as mobile phones, laptops, cameras, printers, medical devices and many more. Main characteristics of this kind of optical wireless communication is physically secure data transfer, Line-of-Sight (LOS) and very low bit error rate (BER) that makes it very efficient. Uses beams of light in the infrared spectrum Remote controls Fairly reliable and low-cost Drawback: It is a line-of-sight technology less interference Drawback: one-to-one technology You can send data only between two things at once (but increased security?)

Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short-wavelength radio transmissions in the ISM band from 2400 2480 MHz) from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks (PANs) with

high levels of security. Created by telecoms vendor Ericsson in 1994,[1] it was originally conceived as a wireless alternative to RS-232 data cables. It can connect several devices, overcoming problems of synchronization. The magic number: 2.45 gigahertz Radio-frequency also used by baby monitors, garage door openers, and cordless phones How do you avoid interference? Bluetooth sends weak signals of 1 mili watt Powerful cell phones use 3 watts Bluetooth devices limited to 10 meters But they can go through walls better than others

HomeRF (SWAP)
HomeRF is a wireless networking standard developed by the Home Radio Frequency Working Group. HomeRF is a subset of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and focuses on the development of a standard for inexpensive RF voice and data-communication devices. The HomeRF wireless network protocol is called the SWAP (Shared Wireless Access Protocol) specification, based on the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standard and the 802.11 wireless-Ethernet specification for data, but is more commonly referred to as HomeRF.

 Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP) Developed by an alliance of businesses 6 voice channels and one data channel The data channel is the 802.11 wireless-Ethernet specification by the IEEE One drawback: SWAP can only be used with computers Printers and such need to be attached to a computer and used as a resource

Data Security Understanding Wireless

Provided by HP Most Internet traffic travels in plain sight -- it's not secured in any way. Anyone with the right tools can intercept data and then view or change it. Most Internet traffic simply isn't important enough to encrypt. Not many hackers care enough to intercept and alter the news stories you read online or steal the e-mail from your golf buddy letting you know Saturday's tee time. However, not all Internet traffic is unimportant. With the rise of broadband technology, more daily business takes place online, which makes the risk of data theft greater than ever. Luckily, there are ways to protect yourself and your data from the unsavory characters who call the Internet home.

What is encryption? The industry standard for secure Internet transmissions is 128-bit encryption. It encodes messages by using a linked key method. On one end, the message is encoded with a private key. The recipient uses the sender's public key to decode the message after it arrives. If the message was tampered with in any way, the public key doesn't decode the message correctly -- alerting the recipient that the information shouldn't be trusted. Verifying that messages are intact when they arrive is all well and good, but what about confidential messages that shouldn't be read by anyone but the intended recipient? Say you need to send confidential plans for your newest product line to your marketing manager. You would encode the documents by using the recipient's public key, ensuring that only his or her private key could decode the information. Anyone else who tried would get a mess of random characters. Does your Web browser support 128-bit encryption? To check your Web browser's level of encryption, open the About dialog box. In Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer, select Help > about Internet Explorer. The Cipher Strength field indicates your encryption level.

Use Antivirus and Antispyware Software

Installing a firewall on your PC is vitally important to security, but unfortunately, just blocking the entrance to your system isn't enough to keep it secure. You also need to have virus-scanning and spyware-detection software installed and running. Antivirus Methods These packages need to be updated regularly to remain effective because malicious hackers don't write one virus and then go home. They write one, and then watch to see what virus-scanning software vendors do to detect it. Hackers learn how to make their viruses less detectable and more virulent -- and every time new viruses are released, virus software gets smarter about detecting them. It's a cat-and-mouse game that catches computer users in the middle. The best steps to take to avoid infection are:

Practice caution when using the Internet -- don't visit questionable Web sites, don't click on pop-up ads, and don't click links haphazardly. Update your virus protection software daily.

Antispyware Methods

Spyware-detection software scans your system for evidence of spyware. Spyware is any software that's installed without the user's consent or knowledge and reports data about the user back to the software owner. Spyware can record and relay anything from innocuous data about Web browsing habits to credit card numbers and other highly sensitive data that the user enters at a Web site or stores on the PC.

The best way to reduce your risk of spyware is to avoid getting it in the first place by reading all terms of service agreements carefully before you download software from the Internet, and avoid downloading anything advertised in spam or made available on public peer-to-peer networks. However, no matter how careful you are, spyware is still a risk. You should scan your system for spyware at least once every week -- more often is better.

Use Third-Party Tools

Computer hardware and software companies offer tools and utilities to keep your data safe. Some provide enhanced security capabilities, such as double passwords, to help protect against unauthorized access to networks and data. Other options include

electronic e-mail signing and encryption, authentication, auditing of data import and export from multiple devices, hardware locks, and more.

Use Secure Passwords

Secure passwords are another component of data security, and they are even more important when you're working remotely. You should have your PC set up to require a password when you log on to the system. Entering a password every time you start your PC can be tedious, but the added security is worth the extra 30 seconds. What constitutes a good password? The following is a list of characteristics that add up to a secure password:

Length: In general, the longer your password, the more difficult it is to crack. However, you do need to balance the benefit of a very long password with the inconvenience of remembering and typing it every time you need to log on to your PC. Eight characters should be the minimum length for passwords.

Combination of letters (both upper case and lower case), numbers, and symbols: A password that includes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols (such as @, $, _, and &) is more secure than one that's made up of only letters.

Difficult to guess: You should choose a password that's easy for you to memorize but difficult for anyone else to guess. These types of passwords might be easy to guess: - Your name or birthday or family members' names or birthdays - The name of your pet - Your user name - Common strings such as "a b c d e f g" or "12345" - Keys that are adjacent on the keyboard, such as "qwerty" or "a s d f g h" - Any word found in the dictionary

However, you can increase the strength of an easy-to-guess password by combining words or misspelling them. For instance, if your name is Mary Smith, "m smith" wouldn't be a secure password. Instead, try "m@rY_sM1Th." It's 10 characters long and includes a number, both uppercase and lowercase letters, and two different symbols. It's still easy to remember but more difficult to crack. The HP Small Business Connection brings together products, services, and solutions designed with your business in mind.

Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) The name of a popular wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections. The Wi-Fi Alliance, the organization that owns the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) term specifically defines Wi-Fi as any "wireless local area network (WLAN) products that are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.11 standards." Initially, Wi-Fi was used in place of only the 2.4GHz 802.11b standard, however the Wi-Fi Alliance has expanded the generic use of the Wi-Fi term to include any type of network or WLAN product based on any of the 802.11 standards, including 802.11b, 802.11a, dual-band, and so on, in an attempt to stop confusion about wireless LAN interoperability. Wi-Fi works with no physical wired connection between sender and receiver by using radio frequency (RF) technology, a frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum associated with radio wave propagation. When an RF current is supplied to an antenna, an electromagnetic field is created that then is able to propagate through space. The cornerstone of any wireless network is an access point (AP). The primary job of an access point is to broadcast a wireless signal that computers can detect and "tune" into. In order to connect to an access point and join a wireless network, computers and devices must be equipped with wireless network adapters Wi-Fi works with no physical wired connection between sender and receiver by using radio frequency (RF) technology, a frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum associated with radio wave propagation. When an RF current is supplied to an antenna, an electromagnetic field is created that then is able to propagate through space. The cornerstone of any wireless network is an access point (AP). The primary job of an access point is to broadcast a wireless signal that computers can detect and "tune" into. In order to connect to an access point and join a wireless network, computers and devices must be equipped with wireless network adapters

HomeRF (SWAP) Advantages:

Cheap, easy-to-install Allows multiple-networks in the same location Can encrypt data

Drawbacks:
Not very fast (typically limited to 1 Mbps) Limited Range (75 to 125 ft) Physical obstructions (walls, large metal objects) cause huge interference issues Difficult to integrate into existing wired networks

Frequency 802.11b transfers at 2.4 gigahertz 802.11a transfers at 5 gigahertz Coverage Distance 802.11b goes about 400 feet indoors 802.11a goes about 60 feet indoors Need more access points to cover a location Compatible to each other? Not yet. Advantages: Fast (11 Mbps) Reliable Long Range (up to 1000 ft outdoors, 400 ft indoors) Easy integration to wired networks Compatible with original 802.11 DSSS standard

References http://www.howstuffworks.com/wireless-network.htm http://www.80211-planet.com/columns/article/0,4000,1781_961181,00.html http://www.80211-planet.com/columns/article/0,4000,1781_947661,00.html http://www.pcausa.com