International Journal of Electronics and Computer Science Engineering

Available Online at www.ijecse.org

28

ISSN-2277-1956

An overview of Technical aspect for WiFi

Networks Technology
Shailandra Kaushik
System Analytic
Nucleus Software export Ltd
Delhi, India
Email- shivin.kaushik@yahoo.com
Abstract generally the wireless networks have been widely developed Compared with wired network and the wireless
communication removes the restriction of wired connections, as well as support to ubiquitous access to the Internet. One
of successful wireless networks architecture is WiFi (wireless fidelity) which is based on a serial standard of IEEE 802.11
and it is very popular in providing different data services. Integrated WiFi network is a great potential for the future due
to the high data transport capacity of WiFi. In a university campus environment, e.g. WiFi can be used for supporting
indoor high speed data applications and WiFi can be used inside a train for passengers to access various services.
Recently, WiFi have been proposed as attractive wireless communication technologies for providing broadband access for
metropolitan areas. This paper presents a study of the security-related standards, architecture and design for WiFi
technologies and we focus on how WiFi can be used in an enterprise environment under the assumption that a WiFi
network can be hosted by enterprise.
Keywords WiFi integrated network, IEEE802.11,Advantage and Application of WiFi.

I.

INTRODUCTION

Recently the wireless networks have been widely deployed in communication industries. The wireless
communication removes the restriction of wired connections and support fast access to the Internet. Wireless
devices alter the need of hardware-software co-design to remove the problems of present Wireless scenario.
Nowadays the wireless technology enables the connectivity between two or more computers to communicate using
standard network protocols.
Any fixed infrastructure and cabling system does not require for wireless networking or technology and most
popular and successful wireless networks architecture is WiFi (wireless fidelity) and it is based on a serial standard of
IEEE 802.11 [1]. Nowadays, WiFi provide the service in the various locations like as home, restaurant, public zone
including airports, etc. and WiFi is a portable and low cost technique. In WiFi technology, for the connectivity point
of view the Wireless network use an access point, or base station. In this type of network the access point acts like an
active hub to provide Wireless connectivity between the computers. WiFi technology is most popular technique and it
is use in notebook computers and Internet access devices such as routers and DSL or cable modems. The growing
frequency of WiFi is helping to extend the technology beyond the PC and into consumer electronics applications like
Internet telephony, music streaming, gaming, and even photo viewing and in-home video transmission. These new
uses, as well as the growing number of conventional WLAN users, increasingly combine to strain existing WiFi
networks [2] [3] and it can be connected through the bridges or routers. Nowadays, the mixed deployment of the WiFi
and WiMAX in a single network becomes a very hot and popular issue duo to the wide area of development of WiFi
and the big coverage of WiMAX.
In [4], a flexible architecture for hybrid wireless mesh network where both WiFi and WiMAX technologies are
deployed in a complementary way was presented. The conception of wireless city is present in [5], such as Wireless
Taipei City.

ISSN- 2277-1956/V1N1-28-34

An overview of Technical aspect for WiFi Networks Technology

Figure 1- Types of Wireless Network Access Technology.

In figure (1) shows the types of wireless network access technology, in which the Local area network (WiFi-IEEE
802.11) is lie between both technology Metropolitan area network (WiMAX-IEEE 802.16) and wireless personal area
network (Bluetooth). More than one billion people can connect to the Internet and take advantage of its broad
application in various fields but the remaining 5.5 billion people do not have the facility to access the computers or
the Internet, for example, only 3.6 percent of its population can connect to the Internet out of 14 percent of the
worlds population. In contrast, North America makes up about 5 percent of the worlds population and 69 percent of
its population has access to the Internet [6], [7]. The main target of these technologies to help everyone to stay
connected with the internet. Some of the technologies are already available, while others might be available towards
the end of this year or the beginning of the next year.
Wi-Fi's ultimate significance, then, may be that it provides a glimpse of what will be possible with future wireless
technologies. It has also changed the way regulators and technologists think about spectrum policy. Wi-Fi also shows
that agreeing on a common standard can create a market. Its example has been taken to heart by the backers of
WiMAX. Long-range wireless networking gear, like short-range technology before it, has long been dominated by
vendors pushing proprietary standards, none of which has been widely adopted. Wi-Fi is also under threat in the
home. At the moment it is the dominant home networking technology: Wi-Fi-capable televisions, CD players and
video-recorders and other consumer-electronics devices are already starting to appear.
This paper presents a summary analysis of WiFi/802.11 network architecture with an overview. The paper is
structured as follows. Section II presents IEEE 802.11 standard. Section III presents the characteristics feature of
WiFi, in section IV, V, VI, VII define the WiFi networks, WiFi network architecture, application of WiFi, advantages
of WiFi respectively and conclusions are drawn in section VIII.

II.

IEEE 802.11 STANDARDS

IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for wireless local area network (WLAN) for computer communication and it is
developed by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee (IEEE 802) in the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz public spectrum
bands, these two public spectrum bands are most popular and widely used for internet connection.
Although the terms 802.11 and Wi-Fi (Local Area Network) are often used interchangeably, the Wi-Fi Alliance
uses the term "Wi-Fi" to define a slightly different set of overlapping standards. The 802.11 family support or use the
over-the-air modulation techniques for communication that uses the some basic protocols, protocols defines a set of
rules. The most popular protocols are defined by the IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g protocols, and are amendments
to the original standard. IEEE 802.11a was the first wireless networking standard, but IEEE 802.11b was the first
widely accepted one which is followed by IEEE 802.11g and IEEE 802.11n.
IEEE 802.11 (legacy mode): The original version of the standard IEEE 802.11 was released in 1997 and it is
clarified in 1999. It specified two type of raw data rates, first one of 1 megabits per second (Mbps) and second one is

ISSN- 2277-1956/V1N1-28-34

IJECSE,Volume1,Number 1
Shailandra Kaushik

2 megabits per second (Mbps) to be transmitted in Industrial Scientific Medical frequency band at 2.4 GHz. Legacy
IEEE 802.11 was rapidly supplemented (and popularized) by IEEE 802.11b.
IEEE 802.11a: The IEEE 802.11a standard uses the same core protocol as the use by original standard. It is
completely different from 11b and 11g. It is operates in 5 GHz band with a maximum raw data rate of 54 Mbps,
which was a great achievement throughput in the mid-20 Mbps. It runs in the 5 GHz range, so less interference from
other devices .The IEEE 802.11a is more Flexible because multiple channels can be combined for faster throughput
and more access points can be co-located .It uses the Runs in the 5 GHz range, so less interference from other devices
.Since the 2.4 GHz band is heavily used to the point of being crowded. However, this high carrier frequency also
brings a slight disadvantage: The effective overall range of IEEE 802.11a is slightly less than that of IEEE
802.11b/IEEE802.11g.
IEEE 802.11b: IEEE 802.11b has a maximum raw data rate of 11 Mbps and uses the same media access method
which is defined in the original standard of IEEE802.11. IEEE 802.11b products developed in the market in early
2000. IEEE802.11b is longest, well-supported, stable, and cost effective technique, but security is the main
disadvantages of this standard. It has limited number of access points. It Uses direct-sequence spread-spectrum
technology. Some time the IEEE 802.11b devices affected by interference from other products which are operate in
the 2.4 GHz band. Devices operating in the 2.4 GHz range include: microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, baby
monitors and cordless telephones.
IEEE 802.11g: The IEEE802.11g use the 2.4 GHz band (which is similar to the IEEE 802.11b) but it is operates at
a maximum data rate of 54 Mbps, or about 19 Mbps. The IEEE 802.11g uses the frequency division multiplexing
technology. It has a shorter range than 802.11b. IEEE 802.11g is Flexible because multiple channels can be combined
for faster throughput, but limited to one access point and this is main problem of IEEE802.11g. The IEEE 802.11g
standard was rapidly adopted by consumers starting in January 2003, due to the higher speeds, and reductions in
manufacturing costs. By summer 2003, maximum number of IEEE 802.11a/b products became dual-band and trimode, and these also supporting IEEE802.11a and IEEE802.11b/IEEE802.11g in a single mobile adapter card or
access point. Some time Like IEEE 802.11g devices affected by the interference from other products which are
operating in the 2.4 GHz band and it is similar to IEEE 802.11b. Devices operating in the 2.4 GHz range include:
microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors and cordless telephones.
IEEE 802.11n: The IEEE 802.11n is a proposed amendment which is developed to improve the previous IEEE
802.11 standards by adding multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) with many other newer features.

III.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF WIFI

WiFi has both positive feature and negative feature. And they are(i) Physical Layer- at this layer the following techniques are involves providing the service of WiFi, DSSS (Direct
Sequence Spread Spectrum), FHSS (Frequency hope Spread Spectrum), OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division
Multiplexing), and IR (Infrared).
(ii) Frequency Band- it use 2.4GHz and 5 GHz
(iii) Data Rate- It use 1Mbps, 2 Mbps, 5.5 Mbps for 802.11b, and 54 Mbps for 802.11a.
(iv) Data and Network Security- RC-4 based stream encryption algorithm for confidentiality, authentication and
integrity, limited key management, AES is being considered for 802.11
(v) Operating Range- it can provide the services up to 50 feet for indoors and 1500 feet for outdoors.
(vi) Positive Aspects- The speed of Ethernet is very high without wire. It provides the connectivity for many
different products from many different companies. It decreases the wireless client cards and access point costs.
(vii) Negative Aspects- It security become poor with increase distance and load.
(viii) Network Topology- it use infrastructure (Ad-hoc also possible).
(ix) Access Protocol- it use CSMA/CA.

ISSN- 2277-1956/V1N1-28-34

30

An overview of Technical aspect for WiFi Networks Technology

IV.

WIFI NETWORKS

WiFi stands for wireless fidelity, a wireless local area technology which is designed for home and small
implementation areas. WiFi is a data transmission system which is designed to provide or allow or support the
location-independent network access between different computing devices by using either radio waves or a guided
medium. The main target of WiFi is to providing in-building broadband coverage and It is based on the IEEE 802.11
standard for short range wireless communication. It is being developed to provide the coverage in the University
campuses, hotels, homes, restaurants and an airport. A hotspot is use to provide the connectivity between different
devices for data transfer and the hotspot is the region covered by one or several access points (AP). A wireless access
point provide a connectivity to a group of wireless devices to a wired Local Area Networks (LAN), for data
communicated between connected wireless devices with a single connected wired device.
Table 1 shows the comparison between various standard of IEEE 802.11 (such as IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b,
802.11g, 802.11j, 802.11h, 802.11n, 802.11y) in terms of operating frequency, throughput and data rate. The
theoretical maximum throughput of the IEEE 802.11 standard is defined as the maximum amount of MAC (Media
Access Control) layer service data units (SDUs) that can be transmitted in a time unit [8].
Table 1- Family of IEEE802.11 [9]

V.

WIFI NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

The WiFi network architecture consist a set of APs (Access Point) or it consists one or more number of APs and
one or more clients. One client is direct connected to the one A P. The AP communicates with the client by
broadcasting its Service Set Identifier (SSID) or network name through packets, which is known as beacons. The AP
broadcasts the beacons in every 100ms duration with 1Mbps data rate. The connectivity between client and AP is
basically depending on settings of the SSID, if the setting is not perfect the connection may be not possible. If there
are several APs with the same SSID, the client firmware uses the signal strength as a measure of which AP to connect
to. Figure 2 show the WiFi architecture in detail.

ISSN- 2277-1956/V1N1-28-34

IJECSE,Volume1,Number 1
Shailandra Kaushik

Figure 2- WiFi Network Architecture.

The WiFi network uses radio signals to provide connectivity to the Internet or to the mobile operator's network for
connectivity or for used the internet services. It provides services only up to the link layer level, and therefore depends
on the wired IP infrastructure for the end to end connectivity [10]. As shown in figure 2, the Gateway NAPT provides
connectivity to other IP based networks while the AAA server proxy handles access control and authentication of
portable terminals. WiFi uses remote authentication dial in user service (RADIUS) protocol together with the
extensible authentication protocol (EAP) to authenticate a terminal that is trying to gain access to the network. Each
AP in a WiFi network has a limited range in which the client is connect. The actual distance varies depending upon
the environment means the client is located in indoor or in outdoor environment. The normally indoor range is 45 - 90
meters and the outdoor range is 300 meters. From the QoS (Quality of Service) point of view, WiFi was not designed
with in-built QoS support. It was designed for the best effort data services but several studies such as [11] have
explored various QoS schemes. There is also an extended IEEE 802.11e standard for delay sensitive multimedia
applications such as voice over IP, and video streaming [12].
The widely researched QoS schemes are based on the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) medium access
protocol. The schemes are classified as service differentiation, admission control and bandwidth reservation, and the
link adaptation. The schemes are defined as follows [11] Service differentiation: The Service differentiation is achieved by priority and fair scheduling mechanisms or
concept. Priority mechanism binds channel access to different traffic classes by prioritized contention parameters.
Fair scheduling fairly partitions the channel bandwidth by regulating waiting times of traffic classes in proportion.
Admission control and bandwidth reservation: this scheme provides QoS guarantee for flows during high traffic
load conditions. It performs admission control and reserves bandwidth so as to provide good quality for the
multimedia data traffic.
Link adaptation: Link adaptation use the algorithms like as the channel signal-to-noise ratio, received power level,
average payload length, and transmission acknowledgements to maximize the throughput under dynamically
changing channel conditions.
VI.

APPLICATION OF WIFI

Common applications for Wi-Fi include the Internet, VoIP phone access, and gaming, network connectivity for
consumer electronics such as televisions, DVD players, and digital cameras.
Some of the important applications of WiFi are describe as follows1) Immediate bedside the access to the patient information for doctors and hospital staff.

ISSN- 2277-1956/V1N1-28-34

32

An overview of Technical aspect for WiFi Networks Technology

2) Easy, real-time network access for on-site consultants or auditors improved database access for roving
supervisors such as production line managers, warehouse auditors, or construction engineers.
3) Simplified network configuration with minimal MIS involvement for temporary setups such as trade shows or
conference rooms.
4) Faster access to customer information for service vendors and retailers, resulting in better service and improved
customer satisfaction Location-independent access for network administrators, for easier on-site troubleshooting and
support.
5) Real-time access to study group meetings and research links for students.
VII.

ADVANTAGES OF WIFI

The important advantages of wireless include mobility and elimination of unsightly cables wireless networks are
easy to find. Some of the advantages are describe below1) Wi-Fi allows to the LAN to be data transferring without cabling for client devices and reducing the costs of
network development deployment and expansion.
2) The wireless LANs behaves as a host where cables cannot be run, such as outdoor areas and historical buildings.
3) The price of chipsets for Wi-Fi continues to drop, making it an economical networking option included in ever
more devices.
4) Products designed as Wi-Fi certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance are backwards interoperable. Wi-Fi is a global set of
standards. Unlike mobile telephones, any standard Wi-Fi devices will work anywhere in the world.
5) New protocols for Quality of service (WMM) make Wi-Fi more suitable for latency- sensitive applications (such
as voice and video), and power saving mechanisms (WMM Power Save) improve battery operation.
6) Because of the comfortable and quick installation people often replace bold wired LANs with Wi-Fi. Such
connection allows moving your machine around the place without losing the Internet or other network resources.
7) However, building Wi-Fi network is often the cheapest way to achieve the desired connection with the
surroundings. The price of a single wireless adapter is decreasing almost every day, so making a large network area
by means of Wi-Fi is the most reasonable way.
8) Quick, easy setup: setting up a wireless network may sound like a daunting task, but it's actually a pretty
straightforward process. Wi-Fi networks don't require professional installation, and, best of all, there are no holes to
drill or wires to run through walls
9) Fast data transfer rates: With transfer speeds up to 54 megabits (Mb) per second (6.75 megabytes), 802.11g is
currently the fastest commercially available Wi-Fi protocol on the market.
VIII. CONCLUSION
This paper proposed an overview of Technical aspect for WiFi networks technology by focusing on the basic
overview and architecture design. The WiMAX and LTE will play equally important roles in the future of wireless
networks. WiMAX is very important as it represents a whole new dimension of market opportunities. WiMAX is a
promising wireless communication technology for wireless MANs. LTE-Advanced provides smooth evolution path
for both LTE and HSPA to provide further enhanced end user experience with mobile broadband services. It
decreases cost of operation and deployment and opens new business opportunities in local area deployments. The
robustness and effectiveness of end-to-end security approaches in WiMAX and LTE will become clear only after
deployment. Therefore it is easy to predict that LTE-Advanced and WiMAX are the mainstream technology for
mobile broadband evolution.

IX- REFERENCES
[1] IEEE Standard 802.11 i: Amendment 6: Medium Access Control (MAC) Security Enhancements. April 2004.

ISSN- 2277-1956/V1N1-28-34

IJECSE,Volume1,Number 1
Shailandra Kaushik

[2] Introduction to Wi-Fi technology, Retrieved on September 24, 2006, www.wi-fitechnology.com

[3] Broadcom, 802.11n: Next-Generation Wireless LAN Technology, White paper, April 2006.
[4] S Abed Ellati: A Miloud, "Security and AAA architecture for WiFiWi MAX mesh network", in Co,?! Rec.
2007 IEEE Int. Symposium on Wireless Communications Systems, Trondheim, Norway, pp. 587-591.
[5] C. Yu-Tso, "Achieve user authentication and seamless connectivity on WiFi and WiMAX interworked wireless
city", in Con! Rec. 2007 IEEE and IFI? Wireless Optical Communications Networks, Singapore, pp. IS.
[6] Global Challenges Facing Humanity, The Millennium Project: Global Futures Studies & Research. American
Council for the United Nations University (AC/UNU) 2006.
http://www.acunu.org/millennium/Global_Chall enges/chall-06.html 2.
[7] World Internet Usage Statistics- News and Population Stats, Miniwatts Marketing Group. 2001 2006.http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.ht ml.
[8] Jun, J., Peddabachagari, P., and Sichitiu, M.: Theoretical maximum throughput of IEEE 802.11 and its
applications, North Carolina State University, April 2003. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?
arnumber=1201163
[9] Ming-Chieh Wu: A comparison of WiFi and WiMAX with case studies, Master's thesis, Florida state University,
2007. http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/ etd-11192007-103135/
[10] Karvo, J.: Wireless Networks, Lecture notes, Helsinki University of Technology, Autumn 2007.
[11] Chlamtac, I., Li, M., Prabhakaran, B., and Zhu, H., A survey of Quality of Service in IEEE 802.11 Networks,
University of Texas, August 2004.
[12] Hou, J., Hu, C., Kim, H., and Ge, Y.: QoS provisioning in IEEE 802.11- compliant networks: Past, present and
future, University of Illinois, October 2006.

ISSN- 2277-1956/V1N1-28-34

34