IEEE 802.11 Operations

Course 153

Summary:

This three-day course covers the fundamentals of IEEE 802.11 short-range wireless communications. Participants will study indoor propagation characteristics and will be able to estimate range limits easily. A summary of government regulations is given and the techniques used by 802.11 to meet these regulations are described. The methods used by the various forms of 802.11 to modulate information are examined and compared. Next, the operation of 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a networks is presented, along with IEEE 802.11n proposals to enhance throughput. A detailed analysis of how security is implemented, followed by a look at countermeasures to various attack strategies. Finally, coexistence between 802.11 and other wireless networks such as Bluetooth is analyzed and interference solutions are presented.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completing the course, the participant will be able to:

• Calculate signal range using large scale path loss models for the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands
• Describe solutions to impairments caused by multipath
• Show how 802.11 signaling meets various government regulations
• Compare the 802.11 a, b, g, and proposed 802.11n modulation processes
• Describe the channel-access methods used by 802.11
• Demonstrate the strengths and weakness of 802.11 security
• Show how coexistence can be improved between 802.11 and other wireless systems

Target Audience:

Professionals who are developing or deploying 802.11a/b/g/n systems will benefit from the emphasis on propagation and methods for determining maximum useful range. Each system’s method of modulating data and real-world throughput figures will provide insight into their respective capabilities. Detailed application analysis of 802.11a/b/g/n will be especially useful to developers of low-cost short-range wireless networks. Security and coexistence issues will be of great interest to designers, deployment engineers, and users alike.

Outline:

Day One

Introduction
• Wired vs wireless communications • Categories of information transmission • Overview of 802.11 • The Wi-Fi Alliance and IEEE 802.11 task groups • Bluetooth, ZigBee, and WiMedia wireless networks
Propagation and Range Limit
• Review of decibels • Link budget equation and path loss model • Calculating maximum range • Partition attenuation and primary ray tracing • Eavesdropping and jamming vulnerabilities • Multipath characteristics and mitigation
Data Communications
• Advanced modulation methods for faster data rates • Direct sequence spread spectrum • Complementary coded keying (CCK) • Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) • Error control coding • Frequency regulation and administration

Day Two

802.11 Physical Layer (PHY) Operations
• 802.11b channel sets and modulation • The 802.11b radio and its performance • 802.11b PHY packet structure and data rates • 802.11g channel sets and modulation • 802.11g PHY packet structure and data rates • 802.11a channel sets and comparison to 802.11g
802.11 Medium Access Control (MAC) Operations
• Carrier-sense multiple-access operation and throughput • Distributed coordination function (DCF) operation • Point coordination function (PCF) operation • MAC frame construction and examples • Throughput and frame transmission times • 802.11 management operations

Day Three

802.11 Upgrades and Enhancements
• Types of security threats • Operation of 802.11 Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) • 802.11 WEP weaknesses • Temporal key integrity protocol (TKIP) • Advanced encryption standard (AES) • 802.1X port-based network access control • IEEE 802.11e quality-of-service • IEEE 802.11n higher data rates
Coexistence
• Consequences of interference • Wi-Fi deployment for interference-free operations • Coexisting with other wireless networks • Collocated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth nodes • Microwave ovens • Operation aboard commercial aircraft

Subject Areas Covered

Wireless LAN: IEEE 802.11 WiFi

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