WIFI TECHNOLOGY

By Nikhila Ann Varghese Malla Reddy Engineering College

Introduction to Wi-Fi
Wireless Fidelity popularly known as Wi-Fi, developed on IEEE 802.11 standards, is the recent technology advancement in wireless communication. WI-FI provides wireless access to applications and data across a radio network. WI-FI sets up numerous ways to build up a connection between the transmitter and the receiver such as DSSS, FHSS, IR Infrared and OFDM. The development on WI-FI technology began in 1997 when the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) introduced the 802.11 technologies that carried higher capacities of data across the network. This greatly interested some of major brands across the globe such as the world famous Cisco Systems or 3COM.

Wi-Fi Technologies
Wi-fi networks use radio technologies to transmit and receive data at high speed

IEEE 802.11b
IEEE 802.11a IEEE 802.11g

Wi-Fi provides the liberty of connecting the internet from any place and is also faster than conventional modem. Standard Wi-Fi devices are: PCI, mini PCI, USB, Cardbus and PC card, express card. Most popular Wi-Fi technology 802,11b operates on the range of 2.40 GHz to 2.4835 GHZ.

Wi-Fi Hotspots
Wi-Fi location where the users can connect to the wireless network is called a Wi-Fi hotspot. Through the Wi-Fi hotspot, the users can even enhance their home business, as accessing information through Wi-Fi is simple. Accessing a wireless network through a hotspot in some cases is cost-free while in some it may carry additional charges.

few products, which provide connectivity to Hotspots:

Desktop wireless Wi-Fi cards enable desktop computers to connect to wi-fi network available in the area. Wifi network provides high speed internet if available and can share files with the clients in the network

Desktop Wireless Wi-Fi Cards

There is easy solution for Desktop / laptop owners who do not have wifi card already into their systems, they can use USB Wifi drive which connects to USB port on systems and performs as WiFi cards
Wireless Wi-Fi USB Adapters

Laptop / Notebook Wireless Wi-Fi Cards WiFi cards uses in laptops / notebooks to connect to wireless internet around through Wifi network

Wireless Wi-Fi Routers

Wireless WiFi routers are used to connect clients (having WiFi cards) with server. Wifi router is attached to server and configure with IP address or in some cases just with internet connection. This IP helps connect clients to the server for High speed internet and file sharing with server and other clients.

How to improve wifi range?

The first thing that should be done is to make sure that you are getting the most of your wireless router. Wireless router/switch should be placed on height by mounting it on wall preferably. Mounting it on center of premises can improve performance as well. Any electronic device ranging 2.4 GHz, which can be baby monitors, phones, Bluetooth devices, etc can create interference in communication of router resulting in decreased performance of connection. it is recommend to update your wireless router / access point. Their routers are specially designed for greater range then normal 802.11g standard routers, and also improve speed up to ten times.

Wifi Security Threats

Wireless technology does not remove any old security issues but introduces new ones Eavesdropping Denial of services Man-in-the-middle attack

Eavesdropping
Easy to perform,difficult to detect Everything is transmitted in clear text

Usernames,passwords, contents No security offered by transmission medium

Different tools are available on the internet

Network sniffers,protocol analysers Password collectors

Denial of service
Attack on transmission frequency used i.e.frequency jamming Attack on MAC layer Spoofing and reauthorization/disassociation messages Target a specific user Attacks on higher layer protocol SYN flooding

MITM ATTACK
1.
2.

3.

Attacker spoofs a disassociated message from the victim The victim looks for a new access point,and the attacker advertises his own access point on a different channel,using the real access points MAC address The attacker connects to the real AP using victims MAC address

Secure your WiFi connection as it may be misused by terrorists

Advantages
Mobility Easy installation Flexibility Cost Reliability Security Roaming Speed Use unlicensed part of the radio spectrum

Limitations of Wi-Fi
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. Hackers to steal private information can easily attack secure Wi-Fi network. The main issue with wireless network security is its simplified access to the network compared to traditional wired networks such as Ethernet.

Limitations of Wi-Fi

contd..

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.

Limitations of Wi-Fi
Lacking high-quality media streaming

contd..

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

Ways to improve wireless security:

Give priority to updating the equipment firmware (code that is stored in read-only memory). Enable encryption, to protect the data that is being transmitted. Opt for WPA, preferably WPA2, rather than WEP. Turn off SSID broadcasting. Service Set Identifier a sequence of letters or numbers that constitutes the name or ID of the network. Most wireless access points have a way of broadcasting their identity and these can be used to hack into vulnerable networks. Change the default SSID. The default SSID is set by the manufacturer and this should be changed to a unique one but not contain any personal information that could possibly be misused.

 Change the default password use a strong one. Wireless access points may be using default passwords, which are known to hackers. Enable MAC address filtering. Media Access Control Address is usually a unique sequence of numbers and letters assigned to your networking hardware. With filtering you can choose the computers that are allowed to access your network. Also remember to turn off the access points when they are not in use.

And do not assume that public hotspots are secure ones.

Opportunities for future development in Wi-Fi:

Opportunities for future work on the physical layer include the addition of higher layers of the protocol stack to the simulations, so that package error rate and message error rate may be simulated and the whole 2.4-GHz coexistence question may be considered. The related problem of multiple access protocols in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) bands also is waiting to be solved. The development of a wireless sensor network node with a practical energy scavenging system would certainly receive publicity similar to the wide acclaim received by Reutter with the introduction of his perpetual clock in 1928. Finally, probably the greatest opportunity for future development lies in the actual application of wireless sensor networks. The opportunity for the development of creative uses for these small, inexpensive, low-power, self-organizing communication systems appears limitless.

Bibliography
www.wifinotes.com www.google.com/images

Thank You