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002 21-Hacking-Wireless-Networks-Theory-And-Practice

Wireless transmission standards define specifications for wireless networks to ensure different manufacturer's products can communicate. Standard 802.11 and its variants like 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n define aspects of wireless data transfer like frequency bands, data rates and transmission ranges. Newer standards provide higher speeds up to 300Mbps but actual data speeds are lower due to protocol overhead.

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42 views3 pages

002 21-Hacking-Wireless-Networks-Theory-And-Practice

Wireless transmission standards define specifications for wireless networks to ensure different manufacturer's products can communicate. Standard 802.11 and its variants like 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n define aspects of wireless data transfer like frequency bands, data rates and transmission ranges. Newer standards provide higher speeds up to 300Mbps but actual data speeds are lower due to protocol overhead.

Uploaded by

Jardel Queface
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Wireless transmission standards 21

Wireless transmission standards


If networking products shipped by different manufacturers are to be
able to communicate with each other, they need to share parameters
related to signal and data transfer mode. These settings are defined
in networking standards, a set of communication specifications
for networks. An example is IEEE 802.3 (or Ethernet, as it is widely
known). IEEE 802.3 is a staple in wired local area network solutions.
Standard specifications in general are laid out by the non-profit
association Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (lending
its acronym, IEEE, to the standard names).

802.11 is the general standard for transmitting data over radio.


The technology exists in several amended variants denoted by
a letter (a, b, g, n and so on), which focus principally on the technical
aspects of wireless information transfer. For the average user, the
parameters that are meaningful include data rate, frequency, and
range, and often the choice of a standard is a matter of buying a piece
of gear that uses it. As for the difference in using devices that support
the other standards that will be mentioned: overall, there are none.
Wireless transmission takes place through the open air within the
public, unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands. The devices
using the ‘barebones’ version of the 802.11 protocol provide the
achievable data rate of up to 2Mbps with a frequency band in the
range of 2.4–2.5 GHz. Gradually however, this protocol would gain
new letter designations added as suffixes that represent the latest
standard modifications.

802.11 evolved into the 802.11a standard with the frequency


doubled to 5 GHz. Due to weak signal and high power consumption,
the technology failed to make its mark and spread with the average
user. Still, it did become popular with Internet providers due to
22 Chapter 1 – Introduction to wireless networks

its boosted transfer speed (up to 54Mbps). It also offered a relative


upgrade in range, which you can study in the table below.

802.11a
data rate [MB/s] 12 24 36 48 54
range [m] 150 80 50 30 15
802.11b
data rate [MB/s] 2 5,5 11
range [m] 150 90 45

Figure 1: Data rates

The first major standard update to catch on was 802.11b, and even
today devices that use this networking technology have not been
fully superseded. The strength of 802.11b was longer range, resulting
from a lowered frequency (at 2.4 GHz). The max speed is 11 Mbps,
but usable data (meaningful information, as opposed to for example
lost packets) only equals half of sent data.

802.11g is the successor to 802.11b and is backward compatible


with the 11b standard. As a result, the 11b and 11g equipment is able
to communicate. If just a single 802.11b receiver is on your network,
transmission speed (as high as 54 Mbps in normal conditions) drops
to 11 Mbps. To ensure compatibility, signal is emitted in the 2.4 GHz
range. The 802.11g networking devices remain the most prevalent
today.

The last and latest 802.11 standard enhancement is 802.11n.


The protocol achieves a stronger data rate of even up to 300 Mbps
today (with more than 100 Mbps of usable data).

The simultaneous use of multiple channels works to uphold the high


speed of transmission. This bears the question, what about the rest
of the bandwidth? Why only a third of the throughput constitutes
data that is of interest to network users? The answer is simple:
Wireless transmission standards 23

besides files and data used by application (goodput), throughput also


includes protocol overhead: addresses, checksums and other packets
that serve to ensure the validity of sent information.

First and foremost, wireless networks are not isolated from one
another by any means (like a cable can provide isolation in wired
networks). By contrast, wireless networks all share a medium, which
is the air. Very often neighboring residences or organizations set up
separate Internet connectivity. Channels have been developed to
negate the effects of antennas overlapping and causing interference.
Consider the way cellular networks, television or the radio
technology works with radio waves emitted over a shared medium,
the open air: nonetheless two or more wireless networks do not
create interference. The simple cause for this is that the signals are
broadcast over different frequencies: this is the reason we talk of the
2.4–2.5 GHz band rather than a specific frequency.

The 802.11b networks have 14 channels in the 2.4 GHz range,


however only Channels 1 and 11 are legal to use in the USA
(respective channel widths 2.401–2.423 GHz and 2.451–2.473 GHz).
Recent developments in wireless networking include a channel
bonding technology called Super G. This proprietary solution
achieves a gross data rate of 108 Mbps; however, Super G cannot be
used to its full potential on many devices.

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