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Information Technology for Managers Project Report

Topic: Wireless facility and the communication protocols used among the devices in the hostels

Abstract
The project focuses on a comprehensive study of the Wi-Fi facilities provided in the hostels, the protocols followed, the operational problems that are faced and also to come-up with some basic solutions to tackle them. During the course of the project, we divided our work into two clear stages. During the initial stage, we collected the information regarding the facilities that the college has, the service provider, the mode of transmission, security layers, hardware deployed, etc. followed by a research on the basic networking techniques, process and working information, jargons, etc., to get a better view on the subject. We also studied the advantages and limitations of the existing facilities in the campus, along with gathering knowledge regarding the basic framework within which the communication facilities function. During the second stage we worked upon the shortcomings and the troubles that were facing in providing the wi-fi facilities. We studied the reasons behind the frequent drops that we face and also the speed constraints. Then we tried to bring up some feasible solution regarding as to what steps should be taken to improve the overall facilities, reduce the problems to least possible level, taking in both the long term and short term prospective. The solutions suggested are possible within the existing functional framework.

Wireless Technology & Communication Protocols


Wireless Communication is one of the fastest growing technologies. It is the exchange of information between two or more devices that are not connected by electrical conductor. Basically, wireless communication used in PCs, Laptops etc. are through the wireless network. Wireless Networks refers to any type of computer network that utilizes some form of wireless network connection. There are various types of wireless networks:1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Wireless PAN (Wireless Personal Area Network). Wireless LAN (Wireless Local Area Network). Wireless Mesh Network. Wireless MAN (Wireless Metropolitan Area Network). Wireless WAN (Wireless Wide Area Network). Cellular Network.

Most commonly used wireless technologies are Bluetooth, WI-Fi, Infrared, Wi-max (latest technology). Some of the wireless technologies are described below:
Infrared Technology:

A wireless technology allows computing devices to communicate or exchange data via infrared radiation. Infrared is electromagnetic energy at a wavelength or wavelengths somewhat longer than those of red light. Infrared wireless technology is used in intrusion detectors; home-entertainment control units; robot control systems; medium-range, line-of-sight laser communications; cordless microphones, headsets, modems, and printers and other peripherals. Unlike radio-frequency (RF) wireless links, IR wireless cannot pass through walls. Therefore, Infrared communications or control is generally not possible between different rooms in a house, or between different houses in a neighborhood (unless they have facing windows). This might seem like a disadvantage, but infrared wireless is more private than radiofrequency wireless. Some IR wireless schemes offer a level of security comparable to that of hard-wired systems. It is difficult, for example, to eavesdrop on a well-engineered, line-ofsight, IR laser communications link. Bluetooth: A wireless LAN technology used for exchanging data over a greater range compared to Infrared using short wavelength radio transmissions. It uses radio waves (in 2.4 GHz range ) & is designed to be a secure, low power, & inexpensive way of connecting & exchanging information between devices without the need of wires or cables .

Bluetooth technology was designed primarily to support simple wireless networking of personal consumer devices and peripherals, including cell phones, PDAs, and wireless headsets. Wireless signals transmitted with Bluetooth cover short distances, typically up to 30 feet (10 meters). Bluetooth devices generally communicate at less than 1 Mbps. Wi-Fi:

A communication technology related to IEEE 802.11 family, used to exchange data using radio waves. This technology enables exchange of data over large distances as compared to Bluetooth. Wi-Fi Alliance defines Wi-Fi as any wireless local area network (WLAN) products that are based on the IEEE (Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineer) 802.11 standards. The major advantage of Wi-Fi is that it is compatible with almost every operating system, game device and advanced printer. How Wi-Fi works? Like mobile phones, a Wi-Fi network makes use of radio waves to transmit information across a network. The computer should include a wireless adapter that will translate data sent into a radio signal. This same signal will be transmitted, via an antenna, to a decoder known as the router. Once decoded, the data will be sent to the Internet through a wired Ethernet connection. As the wireless network will work as a two-way traffic, the data received from the Internet will also pass through the router to be coded into a radio signal that will be receipted by the computer's wireless adapter. Wi-Fi Frequencies A wireless network will transmit at a frequency level of 2.4 GHz or 5GHz to adapt to the amount of data that is being sent by the user. The 802.11 networking standards will somewhat vary depending mostly on the user's needs, as explained below: 1. The 802.11a will transmit data at a frequency level of 5GHz. The Orthogonal FrequencyDivision Multiplexing (OFDM) used enhances reception by dividing the radio signals into smaller signals before reaching the router. You can transmit a maximum of 54 megabits of data per second. 2. The 802.11b will transmit data at a frequency level of 2.4GHz, which is a relatively slow speed. You can transmit a maximum of 11 megabits of data per second.

3. The 802.11g will transmit data at 2.4GHz but can transmit a maximum of 54 megabits of data per second as it also uses an OFDM coding.

4. The more advanced 802.11n can transmit a maximum of 140 megabits of data per second and uses a frequency level of 5GHz. Many products conform to the 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n wireless standards collectively known as Wi-Fi technologies.

Comparison of Wi-Fi & related technologies:


802.11 Created by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 1997 Supported a maximum network bandwidth of 2 Mbps Radio signaling frequency of 2.4 GHz Slow and hence no longer manufactured 802.11b IEEE's expansion on orignal 802.11 in July 1999 Targeted towards home market Bandwidth of 11 mbps Pros - lowest cost; signal range is good and not easily obstructed Cons - slowest maximum speed; home appliances may interfere on the unregulated frequency band 802.11a IEEE's Second extension to 802.11 Usually found on business networks Supports bandwidth up to 54 Mbps Regulated frequency spectrum around 5 GHz Pros of 802.11a - fast maximum speed; regulated frequencies prevent signal interference from other devices Cons of 802.11a highest cost; shorter range signal that is more easily obstructed 802.11g New standard introduced in 2003-04 Backward compatible with 802.11b Supports bandwidth up to 54 Mbps Pros of 802.11g - fast maximum speed; signal range is good and not easily obstructed Cons of 802.11g costs more than 802.11b; appliances may interfere on the unregulated signal frequency 802.11n Multiple wireless signal antennas to improve bandwidth (MIMO) Supports bandwidth upto 600 mbps Pros of 802.11n fastest maximum speed and best signal range; more resistant to signal interference from outside sources Cons of 802.11n standard is not yet finalized; costs more than 802.11g; the use of multiple signals may greatly interfere with nearby 802.11b/g based networks.

Wireless Protocols: Communication between devices requires certain communication protocols. They are a set of digital rules for exchange of information between computers. Various types of communication protocols used are TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP, IMAP, etc. Wireless security: It is one of the important aspects of wireless network. It is used for the prevention of unauthorized access or damage to computers using wireless networks. The most common types of wireless security are Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). WEP is a notoriously weak security standard. WEP is an old IEEE 802.11 standard from 1999 which was outdated in 2003 by WPA or Wi-Fi Protected Access. WPA was a quick alternative to improve security over WEP. The current standard is WPA2; some hardware cannot support WPA2 without firmware upgrade or replacement. Topology: The Physical topology refers to the way in which a network is laid out physically. Two or more devices connect to a link which further forms a topology. The topology of a network is the geometric representation of the relationship of all the links & linking devices (nodes) to one another. There are four basic topologies:1. 2. 3. 4. Mesh Topology Star Topology Bus Topology Ring Topology

Connecting LANs & Backbone Networks LANs do not normally operate in isolation. They are connected to one another or to the Internet. To connect LANs, or segments of LANs, we use connecting devices. Connecting devices can operate in different layers of the Internet model. There are five different connecting devices: 1. Passive Hub ( operate below physical layer) A passive hub is just a connector. It connects the wires coming from different branches. In a star-topology Ethernet LAN, a passive hub is just a point where the signals coming from different stations collide; the hub is the collision point. This type of a hub is part of the media; its location in the Internet model is below the physical layer. 2. Repeater/Active Hub (operate at physical layer). A repeater is a device that operates only in the physical layer & work with signals on cables that carry information within a network can travel a fixed distance before

attenuation endangers the integrity of the data. A repeater receives a signal and, before it becomes too weak or corrupted, regenerates the original bit pattern.

Fig: Repeaters A repeater does not actually connect two LANs; it connects two segments of the same LAN. The segments connected are still part of one single LAN. A repeater is not a device that can connect two LANs of different protocols. 3. Bridge/2-layered switch (operate at physical & data-link layer). A bridge operates in both the physical and the data link layer. As a physical layer device, it regenerates the signal it receives. A bridge connects two or more LANs.

4. Router/3-layered switch (operate at physical, data-link & network layer). A router is a three-layer device that routes packets based on their logical addresses (host-to-host addressing). A router normally connects LANs and WANs in the Internet and has a routing table that is used for making decisions about the route. The routing tables are normally dynamic and are updated using routing protocols.

LAN

LAN

WAN Router
LAN

LAN

Router To the rest of the internet

5. Gateway (operate at all layers). It understands the format & contents of data & can translate messages from one format to another. It operates in all the five layers of the Internet or seven layers of OSI model. A gateway takes an application message, reads it, and interprets it. This means that it can be used as a connecting device between two internetworks that use different models.

Note: - All the connections described above i.e. between routers, bridges, switches etc. are wired & connect through devices through a wireless connection such as Wi-Fi.

Structure at IIM Rohtak


Data Collected: o o o o Wireless Technology: WI-FI. Wireless Topology: Hybrid Topology. Service provider: RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. Access Point provider: Ruckus Wireless Selected via a tenders. Suited the environment of IIM Rohtak. One time investment with an extendable 3-year warranty. Quoted the lowest price. Controllers installed to control all the access points & contain information of the connected access points at a particular time. A GUI interface in place that helps in accessing the information about department wise allocated access points. Centralized server populating all the networks of academic block & both the hostels. 15-16 switches in academic block & 1 in boys hostel. 7 routers in the girlshostel & 12 in the boys hostel. Range of a particular router varies between 30-35m, which decreases during high traffic. While moving from the range of one router to the other, switching takes place without any hiccups as the network access is continuous. TCP/IP protocols used. WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) encryption used for wireless security. MDUs optical fibres used for wired network.

o o o o o o o o o o

Structure of Wireless Network in IIM-Rohtak:

ISP (Railtel)

Router

Firewall

L3 Switch

L2 Switch Access Points

L2 Switch

L2 Switch

L2 Switch

Users

Users

Users

Users

Users

Users

Users

Users

As it can be seen from below diagram, network in IIM-Rohtak is of wireless topology wherein multiple computers, laptops, mobiles etc. are connected to each other through routers & switches. Wi-Fi is the wireless technology used in hostels & academic block to connect to the network. Railtel (ISP) provides services via its router. The router is wired to a L3 switch which is further connected to multiple L2 switches. L2 switches are further connected to multiple access points placed in hostels. Using these access points, different laptops or mobiles can be connected through Wi-Fi.

Network configuration used in IIM Rohtak: Name SSID Network type Security type Encryption Type Connection-specific DNS Suffix DHCP Enabled NetBIOS over TCP/IP Enabled DHCP Enabled NetBIOS over TCP/IP Enabled IIM- Rohtak IIM- Rohtak Access point WPA-Personal AES iimrohtak.ac.in Yes Yes Yes Yes

Future Enhancements: Fluctuations in connectivity occur often due to power cuts. Need to manually restart the UPS every time there is a power cut. Better security system with stronger wireless encryption can be adopted. As the number of students is increasing per year, need to install more Wi-Fi routers in the hostels in order to ensure high speed internet access despite of heavy traffic.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_securityhttp://compnetworking.about.com/cs/wireless80211 /a/aa80211standard.htm Books: Computer Networks by Andrew S. Tanenbaum

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