Module 3

Wireless Metropolitan and

Local Area Networks

Dr. Archana Ekbote (IT)

1
CO3: Analyze IEEE Standards used for
implementation of WLAN and WMAN
technologies
 Types of Wireless Network Technologies

• A large number of technologies have been developed to

support wireless networking in different scenarios.
➢ WLAN
➢ Bluetooth
➢ WMAN
➢ MANET
➢ Wi-Fi
➢ Wimax

• Wireless local area network technologies comprise of fast

growing flexible wireless access
• Generally useful in smaller organizations like home,
offices, or production environments etc.
 Advantages of WLAN

• Mobility
• Low Implementation cost
• Installation speed and simplicity
• Network expansion
• Reliability
• Scalability
• Usage of ISM band
 Disadvantages of WLAN

• Quality of service
• Proprietary solutions
• Restrictions
• Safety and security
 Types of WLAN

• Infrastructure Network
• Ad hoc Network
Infrastructure Network
 Infrastructure Network
• Infrastructure based network provides access to other
networks, it includes forwarding functions, medium
access control functions, etc
• Communication takes place between wireless nodes and
access points
• Wireless nodes cannot directly communicate with each
other

Advantages:
• Simple design
• When AP takes all control of medium access, there are
very less chances of collisions

Disadvantages:
• May lose flexibility of wireless networks. Ex. Cannot be
used for disaster relief in case of no infrastructure is left.
 Adhoc Network

• Don’t need any infrastructure to work.

• Each node can communicate directly with other nodes
and access point is not needed.

Ad hoc wireless networks

 Ad hoc Network
• Nodes within adoc network can communicate only if they
are in the coverage range of each other
• They can also communicate if other nodes can forward
their messages
• Complexity of each node is higher as every node has to
implement medium access mechanism

Advantages:
• Better flexibility

Disadvantages:
• Hardware complexity
 IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi)

• In the family of IEEE 802.11 many WLAN standards are

included. The main goal of this standard is to set up
simple and robust WLAN which offers time-bounded and
asynchronous services.
 System architecture of IEEE 802.11

• Two different basic architecture

1. Infrastructure based WLAN
2. Ad hoc WLAN
 Infrastructure based WLAN architecture

• STA (Station)
• Access Point
• Portal
• DS (Distribution System)
• BSS (Basic Service Set)
• ESS (Extended Service Set)
 Infrastructure based WLAN architecture

STA (Station): Mobile station

Access Point (AP): Special central traffic relay station usually

operates on fixed channel. It is a coordinator in the group of
stations. It supports roaming that is changing access points.

Portal (PO): Typical access point which interconnects wired LAN

and Wireless LAN.

Distribution System (DS): Backbone network responsible for the

MAC layer transport of MAC service data units ex. 802.3 Ethernet,
802.4 token bus LAN, fiber optic LAN, etc. DS connects several BSSs
via AP to form a single network.
 Infrastructure based WLAN architecture

Basic Service Set (BSS): Smallest building block of the WLAN

system. Consists of some number of stations and access points in
the network. BSS may be isolated, or it may be connected to the
backbone distribution System (DS) through AP.

Extended Service Set (ESS): Set of two or more BSS forming a

single sub network. Multiple BSSs are linked by either wired or
wireless backbones known as DS. STAs in ESS can be mobile or
stationary. Stationary STAs are AP. They are part of wired LAN.
Ad hoc WLAN architecture
 Ad hoc WLAN architecture

IEEE 802.11 supports ad hoc network between stations. It forms

Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS).

• When all the stations in BSS are mobile and it has no connection
with other BSSs, the BSS is called IBSS.
• It is an ad hoc network. It does not contain AP and it can not
transmit data to other stations.
• It is formed using one or more stations belonging to same radio
frequency. The stations within IBSS can communicate directly
without APs.
• Several IBSS can be formed by keeping certain distance
between them or by using different carrier frequencies.
 Protocol architecture of IEEE 802.11

IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN connected to a switched IEEE 802.3 Ethernet via a
bridge
The IEEE 802.11 standard only covers the physical layer PHY and medium
access layer MAC.
Protocol architecture of IEEE 802.11
 Physical Layer and MAC Layer
The physical layer is subdivided into:
• Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP)
• Physical Medium Dependent sublayer (PMD)

The PLCP sub layer provides a carrier sense signal, called clear
channel assessment (CCA), and provides a common PHY service
access point (SAP) independent of the transmission technology.

PMD sub layer handles modulation and encoding/decoding of

signals.

The basic tasks of the MAC layer comprise of medium access,

fragmentation of user data, and encryption.
 Management Layer

MAC management:
• It supports the association and re-association of a station to
an access point and roaming between different access points.
• It controls authentication mechanisms, encryption and
synchronization of a station with regards to an access point.

PHY management:
• It include channel tuning and physical MIB (Management
Information Base) maintenance.

Station management:
• Interacts with both management layers and is responsible for
additional higher layer functions like control of bridging,
interaction with distribution system, etc.
 Physical Layer of IEEE 802.11

IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard defines 3 different physical layer

specifications based on type of transmission used:
1. Based on radio transmission: Direct Sequency Spread
Spectrum (DSSS) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum
(FHSS).
2. Based on Infrared transmission
 Direct Sequency Spread Spectrum

• Uses 2.4 GHz ISM band

• Offers 1Mbps and 2 Mbps data rate
• Uses Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying (DBPSK) for
1Mbps and Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying
(DQPSK) for 2 Mbps
• Symbol rate is 1MSps (1 Million Symbols per second) and
chipping rate is 11 Mcps (Mega chips per second)
• Provides more stable signal and better radio coverage
 Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum

• Uses 2.4 GHz ISM band

• Carrier modulation scheme used is 2-level GFSK (Gaussian
FSK) for 1Mbps data rate and 4-level GFSK for 2 Mbps data
rate
• Defines 79 pseudo-random hopping channels, each with
1MHz bandwidth
• Maximum transmit power is 1W in US and 100mW in
Europe
• Simple to implement than DSSS based WLAN system
 Infrared transmission

• Makes use of near visible light spectrum at 850nm – 950

nm
• Does not need line-of-sight communication between
sender and receiver. It also works with diffused light
• Supports point to multi point communication
• Omnidirectional coverage of up to 20m radius
• Carrier modulation scheme used is 16 level PPM for 1
Mbps data rate and 4 level PPM for 2Mbps data rate
• Frequency reuse scheme implementation is very simple
IEEE 802.11 Physical-layer specifications
 MAC Layer

• MAC layer provides functionality for several tasks like

control medium access, can also offer support for roaming,
authentication, and power conservation.
• The basic services provided by MAC are asynchronous
data service (mandatory) and time-bounded service
(optional).
 MAC Sublayer
IEEE 802.11 defines two MAC sub-layers:-

Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) –

DCF uses CSMA/CA as access method. It only offers
asynchronous service.

Point Coordination Function (PCF) –

PCF is implemented on top of DCF and mostly used for time
bounded service transmission. It uses a centralized,
contention-free polling access method. PCF needs access
point to control medium access and avoid contention.

The IEEE 802.11 MAC algorithm is also called Distributed

Foundation Wireless MAC (DFWMAC) that provides a
distributed access control mechanism with an optional
centralized control.
IEEE 802.11 : MAC Frame Format
 IEEE 802.11 : MAC Frame Format
1.Frame Control(FC) –
It is 2 bytes long field which defines type of frame and some
control information. Various fields present in FC are:
2.Version:
It is a 2 bit long field which indicates the current protocol version
which is fixed to be 0 for now.
3.Type:
It is a 2 bit long field which determines the function of frame i.e
management(00), control(01) or data(10). The value 11 is
reserved.
4.Subtype:
It is a 4 bit long field which indicates sub-type of the frame like
0000 for association request, 1000 for beacon.
IEEE 802.11 : MAC Frame Format
4. To DS:
It is a 1 bit long field which when set indicates that
destination frame is for DS(distribution system).
5. From DS:
It is a 1 bit long field which when set indicates frame coming
from DS.
6. More frag (More fragments):
It is 1 bit long field which when set to 1 means frame is
followed by other fragments.
7. Retry:
It is 1-bit long field, if the current frame is a retransmission of
an earlier frame, this bit is set to 1.
 IEEE 802.11 : MAC Frame Format
8. Power Mgmt (Power management):
It is 1-bit long when set to 1 indicates that the station goes into
power-save mode. If the field is set to 0, the station stays active.
9. More data:
It is 1-bit long field that is used to indicate receiver that a sender
has more data to send than the current frame.
10. WEP:
It is 1 bit long field which indicates that the standard security
mechanism of 802.11 is applied.
11. Order:
It is 1 bit long field, if this bit is set to 1 the received frames must
be processed in strict order.
 IEEE 802.11 : MAC Frame Format
• Duration/ID –
It is 2 bytes long field which contains the value indicating the
period of time in which the medium is occupied(in µs).

• Address 1 to 4 –
These are 6 bytes long fields which contain standard IEEE 802
MAC addresses (48 bit each). The meaning of each address
depends on the DS bits in the frame control field.

• SC (Sequence control) –
It is 16 bits long field which consists of 2 sub-fields, i.e., Sequence
number (12 bits) and Fragment number (4 bits). A sequence
number is used to filter duplicate frames.
 IEEE 802.11 : MAC Frame Format
• Data –
It is a variable length field which contain information specific
to individual frames which is transferred transparently from a
sender to the receiver(s).

• CRC (Cyclic redundancy check) –

It is 4 bytes long field which contains a 32 bits CRC error
detection sequence to ensure error free frame.
Comparison of IEEE 802.11 standards
 IEEE 802.16/WMAN/WiMAX
• Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) is the name
trademarked by IEEE 802.16 Working Group. It was
invented in 2001.
• WMAN can provide data communication network for
entire city.
• The standard 802.16a popularly known as Worldwide
Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX).
• WiMAX is designed to provide broadband wireless
connectivity across a large geographical area.
• It is an alternative to cable and DSL.
• WiMAX is IP centric service provided over wide area.
 Features of WMAN standards
• Operating frequency: 10 – 66 GHz
• Modulation used: QPSK, 16 QAM and 64 QAM
• BW: 20/25/28 MHz
• Multiple Access Technique: Uplink TDMA, Downlink:
TDD/FDD
• Nominal data rate: 120 Mbps for 25 MHz
134.4 Mbps for 28 MHz
WiMAX Network Architecture
 WiMAX Network Architecture
• Network is divided into three parts-
• Mobile Stations (MS) used by the end user to access the
network.
• The access service network (ASN) which comprises one or
more base stations and one or more ASN gateways that
form the radio access network on the border.
• Connectivity service network (CSN) which provides IP
connectivity and all the IP core network functions.
 WiMAX Network Architecture
Core Network: It is the standard internet network. It provides
the platform for the broadband connectivity.
Base Station (BS): The BS is responsible for providing the air
interface to the MS. A single BS can cover up to 3000 Sq. miles of
area.
Subscriber Station (SS): It is equipped with an antenna mounted
on building.
Terminal Equipment (TE): It can be any device like mobile or
laptop, etc. It is connected to SS via access point.
 WiMAX Network Architecture
Access service network gateway (ASN-GW) −

ASN provides extra functions like paging, intra-ASN location

management, admission control, radio resource management,
encryption keys & caching of subscriber profiles.

This network may also comprise the mobility tunnel

management through base stations, the establishment of AAA
client functionality, policy enforcement, QoS, routing to the
selected CSN.
 WiMAX Network Architecture
Connectivity service network (CSN) − The CSN provides
connectivity to the Internet, ASP, other public networks, and
corporate networks.

The CSN is owned by the NSP and includes AAA servers that
support authentication for the devices, users, and specific
services.

The CSN is also responsible for IP address management, support

for roaming between different NSPs, location management
between ASNs, and mobility and roaming between ASNs.
 WiMAX Channel Connectivity
Two types of channel connectivity

1. Line of Sight (LoS): An antenna is fixed on the rooftop of

the building. It has line of sight communication with WiMax
tower. It is more stable and stronger connection. Send lot of
data with fewer errors. Uses frequency of about 66MHz.

2. Non Line of Sight(NLoS): It is Wi-Fi kind of service. A small

antenna on the computer connects to the tower. Uses lower
frequency range of about 2 to 11 GHz.
 Features of WiMAX
• Uses wireless link with microwave or millimeter waves
• Uses licensed spectrum
• It is connection oriented wide area service
• Supports high bandwidth and hundreds of users per channel
• Capable of providing broadband access to remote places
• Make use of point to multipoint architecture
• Provides broadband service and guarantee quality of service
for data transmission.
 IEEE 802.16a standard
• Advancements in the physical layer of IEEE 802.16 are
done in IEEE 802.16a to meet growing broadband wireless
access demand.
• Developed to give access of high-speed internet access to
home or business organizations.
• Supports NLoS communications.
 Features of IEEE 802.16a

• Operating frequency 2 – 11 GHz

• Supports TDD/FDD duplexing
• 256 points FFT OFDM used
• Supports flexibility through flexible channel sizes
(3.5 MHz, 5MHz, 10 MHz, etc.)
• Scalable to hundreds of subscribers
• Connection-oriented service
• Efficient bandwidth usage
Physical and MAC Layer
 Physical Layer
• PHY layer supports TDD and full & half duplex FDD operations
• Adaptive modulation and coding is supported
• Three different air interfaces used in the range of 2 – 11 GHz
➢ Single carrier (SC) modulation
➢ 256 carrier OFDM. This interface provides multiple access
to different stations through TDMA
➢ 2048 carrier OFDM. This interface provides multiple access
by assigning a subset of the carriers to an individual
receiver.
• The modulation mode and parameters of physical layer (such
as, modulation parameters, power level, polarization method,
etc.) can be adjusted dynamically to guarantee good
transmission quality
 MAC Layer
• MAC layer is designed to support distributed stations with high
data rates.
• The MAC layer is divided into three sub-layers: Service Specific
Convergence Sub-layer (CS), Common Part Sub-layer (CPS),
and Security Sub-layer (SS).
• The main function of CS is to convert and map the external
network data received by SAP to the MAC SDU (Service Data
Unit), and then transmit to the SAP of MAC layer.
• The main function of CPS is system access, band width
allocation, connection establishment and connection
maintenance. It also provides channel access and duplexing.
• The main function of SS is to provide authentication, key
exchange and encryption/decryption processing.