Exploring Wireless

Networking

Wireless LANs

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Key Word :
-DSSS : Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum
-OFDM : Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing
-BSS : Basic Service Set
-ESS : Extended Service Set
-SSID : Service Set Identifier
-WEP : Wired Equivalent Privacy
-WPA : Wi-Fi Protected Access
-TKIP : Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
-MIC : Message Integrity Check
-PSK : PreShared Key
-EAP : Extensible Authentication Protocol
-LEAP : Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol
-PEAP : Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol
-AES : Advanced Encryption Standard
-CCMP : Counter mode with Cipher block chaining Message authentication
code Protocol
-RF : Radio Channel

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Market Trends

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Introduction Wireless
-Cordless phone, television, bluetooth, remote
-3G
-Wireless LAN
-Hz, KHz, MHz, GHz
Mobile phone : 900, 1800 MHz
FM : 99,9 MHz
Cordless phone 2,4 GHZ
-AM, FM, BPSK, QAM,
-Wireless LAN : DSSS, OFDM

*DSSS :direct-sequence spread spectrum

*OFDM :orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Radio Frequency Transmission

Radio frequencies are radiated into the air via an antenna,
creating radio waves.
Objects can affect radio wave propagation resulting in:
Reflection
Refraction
Absorbtion
Consume
Scattering
Higher frequencies allow higher data rates; however, they have a
shorter range.

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Differences Between WLAN and LAN

WLANs use radio waves as the physical layer.
WLANs use CSMA/CA instead of CSMA/CD for media access.
Two-way radio (half-duplex) communication.
Radio waves have problems that are not found on wires.
Connectivity issues:
Coverage problems
Interference, noise
Privacy issues
Access points are shared devices similar to an Ethernet hub for
shared bandwidth.
WLANs must meet country-specific RF regulations.
*Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Advoidance
2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Organizations That Define WLAN

ITU-R:

International
Telecommunication UnionRadiocommunication Sector
Regulates the RF used in
wireless
IEEE:

Institute of Electrical and

Electronic Engineers
802.11 documents wireless
technical standards
Wi-Fi Alliance:

Global nonprofit industry

trade association
Promote wireless growth
through interoperability
certification
2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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ITU-R with FCC Wireless

ISM: industry, scientific, and

medical frequency band
No license required
2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

No exclusive use
Best-effort
Interference possible
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Wi-Fi Certification
Wi-Fi Alliance certifies
interoperability between products.
Products include 802.11a, 802.11b,
802.11g, dual-band products, and
security testing.
Provides assurance to customers of
migration and integration options.

Cisco is a founding member of

the Wi-Fi Alliance.
Certified products can be found at
http://www.wi-fi.com.

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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802.11 Topology Building Blocks

Ad hoc mode:
Independent Basic Service Set
(IBSS)
Mobile clients connect directly
without an intermediate access
point.

Infrastructure mode:
Basic Service Set (BSS)
Mobile clients use a single
access point for connecting to
each other or to wired network
resources.

Extended Service Set (ESS):

Two or more BSSs are
connected by a common
distribution system .
2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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IEEE 802.11 Standards Comparison

802.11b

802.11a

802.11g

Frequency
band

2.4 GHz

5 GHz

2.4 GHz

No. of
channels

Up to 23

Transmission

Direct
Sequence
Spread
Spectrum
(DSSS)

Orthogonal
Frequency
Division
Multiplexing
(OFDM)

Direct
Sequence
Spread
Spectrum
(DSSS)

Data rates
[Mb/s]

1, 2, 5.5, 11

6, 9, 12, 18, 24,

36, 48, 54

1, 2, 5.5, 11

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Orthogonal
Frequency
Division
Multiplexing
(OFDM)
6, 9, 12, 18,
24, 36, 48, 54

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802.11b

Standard was ratified in September 1999

Operates in the 2.4-GHz band
Specifies direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS)
Specifies four data rates up to 11 Mbps
1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

ICND1 v1.03-12

2.4-GHz Channel Use

Each channel is 22 MHz wide.

North America: 11 channels.
Europe: 13 channels.
There are three nonoverlapping channels: 1, 6, 11.
Using any other channels will cause interference.
Three access points can occupy the same area.
2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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802.11b/g (2.4 GHz) Channel Reuse

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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802.11b Access Point Coverage

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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802.11a

Standard was ratified September 1999

Operates in the 5-GHz band
Uses orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)
Uses eight data rates of up to 54 Mbps
6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps
Has from 12 to 23 nonoverlapping channels (FCC)
23 access points can occupy the same area.

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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802.11g
Standard was ratified June 2003
Operates in the 2.4-GHz band as 802.11b
Same three nonoverlapping channels: 1, 6, 11
DSSS (CCK) and OFDM transmission
12 data rates of up to 54 Mbps
1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps (DSSS / 802.11b)
6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps (OFDM)
Full backward compatiblity to 802.11b standard

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

ICND1 v1.03-17

802.11g Protection Mechanism

Problem: 802.11b stations cannot decode
802.11g radio signals.
802.11b/g access point communicates
with 802.11b clients with max. 11 Mbps.
802.11b/g access point communicates
with 802.11g clients with max. 54 Mbps.
802.11b/g access point activates
RTS/CTS to avoid collisions when
802.11b clients are present.
802.11b client learns from CTS frame the
duration of the 802.11g transmission.
Reduced throughput is caused by
additional overhead.

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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802.11 Standards
Comparison

2005 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

ICND1 v1.03-19

802.11 Standards Comparison

802.11b

802.11g

802.11a

Ratified

1999

2003

1999

Frequency band

2.4 GHz

2.4 GHz

5 GHz

No of channels

Up to 23

Transmission

DSSS

Data rates [Mbps]

Throughput
[Mbps]

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

DSSS

OFDM

1, 2, 5.5, 11 1, 2, 5.5, 11
Up to 6

OFDM

6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24,

36, 48, 54
36, 48, 54

Up to 22

Up to 28

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Range Comparisons

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Ratified IEEE 802.11 Standards

802.11: WLAN 1 and 2 Mbps at 2.4 GHz
802.11a: WLAN 54-Mbps at 5 GHz
802.11b: WLAN 11-Mbps at 2.4 GHz
802.11d: Multiple regulatory domains
802.11e: Quality of service
802.11f: Inter-Access Point Protocol (IAPP)
802.11g: WLAN 54-Mbps at 2.4 GHz
802.11h: Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS)
Transmit Power Control (TPC) at 5 GHz
802.11i: Security
802.11j: 5-GHz channels for Japan
http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/
2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Worldwide Availability

http://www.cisco.com/go/aironet/compliance

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

ICND1 v1.03-23

General Office WLAN Design

Eight 802.11g access
points deployed
7 users per access point
with no conference rooms
provides 3.8 Mbps
throughput per user
7 users + 1 conference
room (10 users) = 17 total
users, provides 1.5 Mbps
throughput per user

54 Cubes4 Conference Rooms

Conference
Room

Conference
Room

120
Feet

Conference
Room

Reception

Conference
Room

95 Feet

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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WLAN as a Shared Medium: Best

Practices
2.4-GHz 802.11b bandwidth calculations
25 users per cell; general office maximum users limited by bandwidth
Peak true throughput 6.8 Mbps
6.8 Mbps * 1024/25 = 278.5 kbps per user

2.4-GHz 802.11g bandwidth calculations

20 users per cell; general office maximum users limited by bandwidth
Peak true throughput 32 Mbps
32 Mbps * 1024/20 = 1683 kbps per user

5-GHz 802.11a bandwidth calculations

15 users per cell; general office users limited by coverage, not bandwidth
Peak true throughput 32 Mbps
32 Mbps * 1024/15 = 2188 kbps per user

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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BSA Wireless Topology

Basic Coverage

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

ICND1 v1.03-26

Service Set Identifier (SSID)

SSID is used to logically separate
WLANs.
The SSID must match on client and
access point.
Access point broadcasts one SSID in
beacon.
Client can be configured without
SSID.
Client association steps:
1. Client sends probe request.
2. A point sends probe response.
3. Client initiates association.
4. A point accepts association.
5. A point adds client MAC
address to association table.

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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ESA Wireless Topology

Extended Cover

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

ICND1 v1.03-28

WLAN Roaming

-Using the same SSID

-Using nonoverlapping channels (1,6,11)
-Overlapping 10-15% area
2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Wireless Repeater Topology

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Workgroup Bridge Topology

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Summary
People now expect to be connected at any time and place.
However, the most tangible benefit of wireless is the cost
reduction.
Both WLANs and LAN use CSMA. However WLANs use collision
avoidance while LANs use collistion detection.
Radio frequencies are radiated into the air by antennas, where
they are affected by reflection, scattering, and absorption.
The IEEE defines the 802.11 standards.
The ITU-R local FCC wireless bands are unlicensed.
The 802.11 standards are a set of standards that define the
frequencies and radio bands for WLANs.
One of the primary benefits of the Wi-Fi Alliance is to ensure
interoperability among 802.11 products.
2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

ICND1 v1.03-32

Summary (Cont.)
The 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz frequency bands are used by WLAN
802.11 standards.
The throughput per user depends on the data rate and the
number of users per wireless cell.
802.11b has data rates of up to 11 Mbps at 2.4 GHz.
802.11a has data rates of up to 54 Mbps at 5 GHz.
802.11g has data rates of up to 54 Mbps at 2.4 GHz.
802.11a has a shorter range than 802.11g.
For maximum efficiency, limit the number of users per cell.
Different WLAN security types with authentication and encryption
satisfy the security requirements of enterprise and home users.

2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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