The Advantages of Wireless Networking - Research Paper Example

Wireless Networking In the rapidly developing computer industry, mobile computers are fast becoming the new trend the world over. Technological gadgets like Personal Digitals assistants and computer notebooks are dominating the information technology world. Individuals with desktop computers connected to Wide Area Networks (WANs) and Local Area Networks (LANs) in their places of work may need to be connected while away, which is literary impossible with the concept of wiring. Here is where wireless networking comes in. A wireless network is a system that receives and transmits radio signal through the air from one point to another. The term wireless network often refers to a Wi-Fi or 802.11 networking, from the protocols that control the wireless network concept (Kumar, Manjunath & Kuri 2). Wireless networks are consistently proving their worth in today’s world, with coverage of important services like FM radio, AM radio, satellite television, broadcast television, and satellite internet, which all form a basic part of our lives. The history of wireless networking discovery takes us back to 1888 when Heinrich Herz discovered the first radio wave. In the years that followed, other scholars were further developing the radio frequency concept. Marconi was the first known man to successfully transmit and receive a message using radio waves in a distance of two miles, labeling him the “father of radio”. By the end of the nineteenth century, Marconi was able to send successfully radio signals across France from the English Channel, and later across the Atlantic Ocean (Kumar, Manjunath & Kuri 8). The first large scale use of radio signals was in the Second World War by the military forces of United States of America. This was a source of motivation for a research group in the University of Hawaii, who used the wireless network and radio signal concept to create the first radio communication network using data packets called ALOHNET. The network was the first wireless LAN (WLAN) comprising of five computer communicating in a bi-directional star topology. The technology using an unlicensed band that later became overcrowded, leading to the spread of the spectrum in efforts to minimize signal interference. The resultant second generation WLAN was upgraded and was four times faster, with an operational speed of 2Mbps. Further developments led t the design on the third generation WLAN, which are in use currently (Kumar, Manjunath & Kuri 23). The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802 committee in 1990 set up the 820.11 Working Group that would be the foundation of the WLAN standard. Among the specifications of the standard was an operating frequency of 2.4GHz ISM band, and consequently approved the IEEE 802.11 to be the first WLAN standard with frequency of between 1and 2 Mbps. Building a wireless network will require an access point, which receives and sends radio signals, as well as acting like a repeater. Another vital device required in all the devices in the wireless network is the wireless network card. A desktop computer usually has an internal card, and may or may not have antennas. Notebooks have a PCMCIA extension slots for the card, if not installed from the manufacturer. There are two basic forms of configuration for a wireless network: infrastructure and Ad-Hoc. An infrastructure wireless configuration constitutes more than one access point connections to an already existing single wireless network. This will enhance the sharing of resource among the devices in the network, like the internet and printers. Here, a computer acts like a hub that provides connectivity for the other computers in the network, hence connecting a wireless LAN to a wireless LAN (Kumar, Manjunath & Kuri 54). On the other hand, an Ad-Hoc wireless network configuration connects one device directly to another device on the network, hence the common reference to peer-to-peer network. All devices can connect directly to each other, but there must be one that is connected to the wired network in order to access the internet. The principle of wireless network applies the same concepts and network protocols like the wired LANs, and supports most of the applications (Kumar, Manjunath & Kuri 11). A simple example to understand how the concept of wireless networks work is to visualize the way in which two walkie-talkies function. Wireless networks operations is through radio frequencies, which essentially contains electromagnetic spectrum that enhances the propagation of radio waves. The transmission of a radio frequency to the antenna triggers the creation of an electromagnetic field that propagates through space to the recipient device, reversing the process. The pillar of wireless networking is the access point, which broadcasts the signals. Computers then detect the signals and tune into the frequency. An access point also serves a connection link between computers and available resources on the wireless network like the internet. Majority of wireless network connections observe the IEEE 802.11 protocol standards in their operations. The initial wireless networks were applying 802.11b and IEEE 802.11 protocol definitions with a frequency of 2.4GHz. Among the specifications are the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer transmission and framing rates and operating frequencies. Currently, there several protocol standards that guide wireless networking (Kumar, Manjunath & Kuri 201). The most common include 802.11b or the Wi-Fi that was established almost a decade ago, 802.11g of 2003 (a follow up of the first version but with greater range and speed), and 802.11n of 2009 that was a more improved version of the first two and is still in use today. Nonetheless, all the Wi-Fi variant standards still incorporate the 2.4GHz radio frequency majorly for the purpose of compatibility. The compatibility ability enables a wireless network to have devices of different standards. The problem with such a network would be the requirement of different configurations that may reduce the general performance of a network. Ideally, a network should incorporate devices of the same standards if possible. The advantages of wireless networking are the cost-benefits from the setup costs and installation cost, flexibility, and freedom. However, it has its shortcomings. As the concept bases its principle in sharing of resources, security is a concern. The technicality of wireless technology is the fat that the signal cannot be selectively be hidden from some people, leaving the only option of authorized denial and access. The other demerits include slow speeds and the range convenience. The major security threats for wireless networks are eavesdropping, denial of service, and the man-in-the-middle attack. Eavesdropping is the concept of secretly “listening” to a conversation by other people without their knowledge. This problem is particularly tricky as it is undetectable. Denial of service includes the attack on the transmission frequency while locking out one of the communicating devices (Kumar, Manjunath & Kuri 176). However, wireless network hardware devices incorporate security schemes, including the Wired Equivalent privacy (WEP), Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), and the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). Nonetheless, the best protection against wireless networking malice is through privacy and complex passwords. Work Cited Kumar, Manjunath D. & Kuri, Joy. Wireless Networking. Burlington, MA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2008. Print. Read More