Wireless communication is the transfer of information over a distance without the use of enhanced electrical conductors or "wires".

The distances involved may be short (a few meters as in television remote control) or long (thousands or millions of kilometers for radio communications). When the context is clear, the term is often shortened to "wireless". Wireless communication is generally considered to be a branch of telecommunications. It encompasses various types of fixed, mobile, and portable two-way radios, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and wireless networking. Other examples of wireless technology include GPS units, garage door openers and or garage doors, wireless computer mice, keyboards and headsets, satellite television and cordless telephones. ADVANTAGES OF USING WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY 1. Completes the access technology portfolio: customers commonly use more than one access technology to service various parts of their network and during the migration phase of their networks, when upgrading occurs on a scheduled basis. Wireless enables a fully comprehensive access technology portfolio to work with existing dial, cable, and DSL technologies. 2. Goes where cable and fiber cannot: the inherent nature of wireless is that it doesn't require wires or lines to accommodate the data/voice/video pipeline. As such, the system will carry information across geographical areas that are prohibitive in terms of distance, cost, access, or time. 3. Involves reduced time to revenue: companies can generate revenue in less time through the deployment of wireless solutions than with comparable access technologies because a wireless system can be assembled and brought online in as little as two to three hours. 4. Provides broadband access extension: wireless commonly both competes with and complements existing broadband access. Wireless technologies play a key role in extending the reach of cable, fiber, and DSL markets, and it does so quickly and reliably. It also commonly provides a competitive alternative to broadband wired

LIMITATIONS OF USING WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY 1. Security concerns: It is simple to set Wi-Fi network but keeping it secure takes much more effort, Access points of Wi-Fi do not deploy encryption methods. It is required to be done as network is enabled. Secure Wi-Fi network can be easily attacked by hackers to steal private information. Guests who are not potentially harmful can still utilize the network resources and minimize the performance. 2. Interference from other devices: Wi-Fi transmits data at 2.4 GHz making susceptible to interfere Bluetooth enabled devices, mobile phones, cordless, Microwaves and other communication devices, closer the interfering devices are the poor communication will be and vice versa. 3. Lacking high-quality media streaming: Todays fastest Wi-Fi standards are pushed beyond their limit when trying to view high end media. High definition video and audios cannot be viewed flawlessly because of lower transfer rate; things can be much more worst if other clients are accessing the same access points. Even the fastest current Wi-Fi standards are pushed beyond their limit when trying to handle some of today's high-end media. High-definition audio and video files are timely-delivery-intensive, and typical wireless networks have neither the transfer speeds nor the consistency to transfer them flawlessly. This problem is further compounded if there are

multiple devices connected to the same because the bandwidth must be divided between all of the equipment. TYPES OF WIRELESS NETWORK Wireless network refers to any type of computer network that is wireless, and is commonly associated with a telecommunications network whose interconnections between nodes are implemented without the use of wires. Wireless telecommunications networks are generally implemented with some type of remote information transmission system that uses electromagnetic waves, such as radio waves, for the carrier and this implementation usually takes place at the physical level or "layer" of the network. 1. Wireless PAN Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) interconnect devices within a relatively small area, generally within reach of a person. For example, Bluetooth provides a WPAN for interconnecting a headset to a laptop. ZigBee also supports WPAN applications. Wi-Fi PANs are also getting popular as vendors have started integrating Wi-Fi in variety of consumer electronic devices. Intel My WiFi and Windows 7 virtual Wi-Fi capabilities have made Wi-Fi PANs simpler and easier to set up and configure. 2. Wireless LAN A wireless local area network (WLAN) links two or more devices using a wireless distribution method (typically spread-spectrum or OFDM radio), and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network. Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is increasingly used as a synonym for 802.11 WLANs, although it is technically a certification of interoperability between 802.11 devices. Fixed Wireless Data: This implements point to point links between computers or networks at two locations, often using dedicated microwave or laser beams over line of sight paths. It is often used in cities to connect networks in two or more buildings without physically wiring the buildings together. 3. Wireless MAN Wireless Metropolitan area networks are a type of wireless network that connects several Wireless LANs. WiMAX is the term used to refer to wireless MANs and is covered in IEEE 802.16d/802.16e. 4. Wireless WAN Wireless wide area networks are wireless networks that typically cover large outdoor areas. These networks can be used to connect branch offices of business or as a public internet access system. They are usually deployed on the 2.4 GHz band. A typical system contains base station gateways, access points and wireless bridging relays. Other configurations are mesh systems where each access point acts as a relay also. When combined with renewable energy systems such as photo-voltaic solar panels or wind systems they can be stand alone systems.

WIRELESS LAN IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards carrying out wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. They are created and maintained by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee (IEEE 802). The base current version of the standard is IEEE 802.112007

802.11-1997 (802.11 legacy)

The original version of the standard IEEE 802.11 was released in 1997 and clarified in 1999, but is today obsolete. It specified two net bit rates of 1 or 2 megabits per second (Mbit/s), plus forward error correction code. It specified three alternative physical layer technologies: diffuse infrared operating at 1 Mbit/s; frequency-hopping spread spectrum operating at 1 Mbit/s or 2 Mbit/s; and direct-sequence spread spectrum operating at 1 Mbit/s or 2 Mbit/s. The latter two radio technologies used microwave transmission over the Industrial Scientific Medical frequency band at 2.4 GHz. Some earlier WLAN technologies used lower frequencies, such as the U.S. 900 MHz ISM band. Legacy 802.11 with direct-sequence spread spectrum was rapidly supplanted and popularized by 802.11b.

802.11a - 1999
The 802.11a standard uses the same data link layer protocol and frame format as the original standard, but an OFDM based air interface (physical layer). It operates in the 5 GHz band with a maximum net data rate of 54 Mbit/s, plus error correction code, which yields realistic net achievable throughput in the mid-20 Mbit/s. Since the 2.4 GHz band is heavily used to the point of being crowded, using the relatively unused 5 GHz band gives 802.11a a significant advantage. However, this high carrier frequency also brings a disadvantage: the effective overall range of 802.11a is less than that of 802.11b/g. In theory, 802.11a signals are absorbed more readily by walls and other solid objects in their path due to their smaller wavelength and, as a result, cannot penetrate as far as those of 802.11b. In practice, 802.11b typically has a higher range at low speeds (802.11b will reduce speed to 5 Mbit/s or even 1 Mbit/s at low signal strengths). However, at higher speeds, 802.11a often has the same or greater range due to less interference.

802.11b - 1999
802.11b has a maximum raw data rate of 11 Mbit/s and uses the same media access method defined in the original standard. 802.11b products appeared on the market in early 2000, since 802.11b is a direct extension of the modulation technique defined in the original standard. The dramatic increase in throughput of 802.11b (compared to the original standard) along with simultaneous substantial price reductions led to the rapid acceptance of 802.11b as the definitive wireless LAN technology. 802.11b devices suffer interference from other products operating in the 2.4 GHz band. Devices operating in the 2.4 GHz range include: microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors and cordless telephones.

802.11g - 2003
In June 2003, a third modulation standard was ratified: 802.11g. This works in the 2.4 GHz band (like 802.11b), but uses the same OFDM based transmission scheme as 802.11a. It operates at a maximum physical layer bit rate of 54 Mbit/s exclusive of forward error correction codes, or about 22 Mbit/s average throughput 802.11g hardware is fully backwards compatible with 802.11b hardware and therefore is encumbered with legacy issues that reduce throughput when compared to 802.11a by ~21%. The then-proposed 802.11g standard was rapidly adopted by consumers starting in January 2003, well before ratification, due to the desire for higher data rates as well as to reductions in manufacturing costs. By summer 2003, most dual-band 802.11a/b products became dual-band/tri-mode, supporting a and b/g

in a single mobile adapter card or access point. Details of making b and g work well together occupied much of the lingering technical process; in an 802.11g network, however, activity of an 802.11b participant will reduce the data rate of the overall 802.11g network. Like 802.11b, 802.11g devices suffer interference from other products operating in the 2.4 GHz band, for example wireless keyboards.

802.11-2007
In 2003, task group TGma was authorized to "roll up" many of the amendments to the 1999 version of the 802.11 standard. REVma or 802.11ma, as it was called, created a single document that merged 8 amendments (802.11a, b, d, e, g, h, i, j) with the base standard. Upon approval on March 8, 2007, 802.11REVma was renamed to the current base standard IEEE 802.11-2007

802.11n - 2009
802.11n is a recent amendment which improves upon the previous 802.11 standards by adding multipleinput multiple-output antennas (MIMO) and many other newer features. The IEEE has approved the amendment and it was published in October 2009. Prior to the final ratification, enterprises were already migrating to 802.11n networks based on the Wi-Fi Alliance's certification of products conforming to a 2007 draft of the 802.11n proposal.

WIRELESS LANS DEVICES For WLAN, the following components are available: WLAN Access-point : Allows multiple systems with WLAN network cards to connect to the network, for communication with other wireless systems and/or systems connected via network cables ( like a network hub, but using wireless communication instead of cables)

WLAN Network Interface card For installation in a desktop PC

WLAN PC-Card / PCMCIA Card For installation in a notebook computer

WLAN via USB For connection via a USB port (in case that you do not like to open a desktop PC or that the PC-card / PCMCIA slot of a notebook are already filled with other devices.

SERVICE SET IDENTIFIER (SSID) Service set identifier, or SSID, is a name that identifies a particular 802.11 wireless LAN. A client device receives broadcast messages from all access points within range advertising their SSIDs. The client device can then either manually or automaticallybased on configurationselect the network with which to associate. The SSID can be up to 32 characters long. As the SSID displays to users, it normally consists of human-readable characters. However, the standard does not require this. The SSID is defined as a sequence of 132 octets each of which may take any value. It is legitimate for multiple access points to share the same SSID if they provide access to the same network as part of an extended service set. Some wireless access points support broadcasting multiple SSIDs, allowing the creation of Virtual Access Points, partitioning a single physical access point into several virtual access points, each of which can have a different set of security and network settings. This is not yet part of the 802.11 standard Basic service set The basic service set (BSS) is the basic building block of an IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN (according to the IEEE 802.11-1999 standard). In Infrastructure mode a single access point (AP) together with all associated stations (STAs) is called a BSS. This is not to be confused with the coverage of an AP, which is called Basic Service Area (BSA). An AP acts as a master to control the stations within that BSS. In ad hoc mode a set of synchronized STAs, one of which acts as master, forms a BSS. Each BSS is identified by a BSSID. The most basic BSS consists of one AP and one STA.

WIRELESS CHANNELS Home wireless networks based on the 802.11b or 802.11g standards transmit their signal in a narrow radio frequency range of 2.4 GHz. Various other electronic devices in a home, such as cordless phones, garage door openers, baby monitors, and microwave ovens, may use this same frequency range. Any such device can interfere with a Wi-Fi home network, slowing down its performance and potentially breaking network connections. Likewise, the wireless networks of neighbors generally all use the same form of radio signaling. Especially in residences that share walls with each other, interference between different home networks is not uncommon. The 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi signal range is divided into a number of smaller bands or "channels," similar to television channels. In most countries, Wi-Fi equipment provides a set of available channels to choose from. In the United States, for example, any of the Wi-Fi channels 1 - 11 can be chosen when setting up a wireless LAN (WLAN). Setting this Wi-Fi channel number appropriately provides one way to avoid sources of wireless interference. Many wireless products in the U.S. ship with a default Wi-Fi channel of 6. If encountering interference from other devices within the home, consider changing the channel up or down to avoid it. Note that all Wi-Fi devices on the network must use the same channel. Unlike television channels, some Wi-Fi channel numbers overlap with each other. Channel 1 uses the lowest frequency band and each subsequent channel increases the frequency slightly. Therefore, the further apart two channel numbers are, the less the degree of overlap and likelihood of interference. If encountering interference with a neighbor's WLAN, change to a distant channel. Both channels 1 and 11 do not overlap with the default channel 6; use one of these three channels for best results.

EXTRA NOTES

WLAN : Wireless networking

Like networking via coax-cable (10base2) or via coax-cables (10baseT / 100baseT / 1000baseT), WLAN networking is a world-wide standard : 802.11b : maximum bandwidth : 11 Mbps 802.11g : maximum bandwidth : 54 Mbps Most 802.11g installations allow dual-speed operations, allowing wireless connection of 802.11b - 11Mbps clients and of 802.11g - 54 Mbps clients. At this time ( Sept.2003), 802.11g devices are still more expensive than 802.11b devices, so which one should you buy ? - for home to share an Internet connection : 802.11b is sufficient, since it is still faster than most cable-modems or DSL/ADSL connection. - for office use, where you need to copy via the network large files, use 802.11g. Range: Depending on the WLAN devices and where it is used (outside or in a building with walls), you can have a wireless connection between 50 meter (side a building through walls and floors) and 500 m (outside with no items between Access Point and client).