Wireless Networking Is Relatively Beneficial

Wireless Networking is relatively beneficial than wired networks to share information at work place or home. In a wireless network the need for cabling does not arise because data is transmitted through radio signals in the atmosphere. Wireless networks have an edge over wired networks in enabling portability of the user from one place to another. The development of wireless networking is gaining significance day by day in terms of innovation of new methods and new products. (Cohen, 132) it is an effective method of communication if a computer or laptop is fixed with the right technology. The equipment fixed to the computer to access wireless networks should be certified by any of the standards like IEEE -- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, WECA -- Wireless Ethernet Compatibility, IETF -- Internet Engineering Task Force and/or ITU -- International Telecommunication Union to confirm efficiency of the equipment. Some of the wireless networks are WPAN, WLAN, WWAN and WMAN. Wireless Local Area Network -- WLAN is applied to join equipment in an office or a public setting while Wireless Wide Area Network -- WWAN or 2G systems or second generation system is applied to give wireless connectivity to distant common areas and individual users. This network can join networks between cities and nations through antenna or satellites. Wireless Metropolitan Area Network -- WMAN is applied to enable wireless connectivity in a metropolitan region like a library by not utilizing wires. (Barber; Cross; Craft, 803)

Modern day wireless networking has two main advantages: it is essential to remove the obstruction caused by a number of devices in a small space and it is essential in a diversified area like a village where there is no proper mode of communication. The basic version of radio signals used in wireless technologies is 802.11. It was recognized for use in the year 1997, which was followed by various advanced versions in 1999. 802.11 is nothing but the well-known brand name Wi Fi. It is also called wireless Ethernet. The capacity of an 802.11 versions can touch 11 Mbps. The widely known version of Wi Fi is the 802.11b and its capacity extends to a radius of hundred meters from its basic point of installation. One installation can provide service to several points of operation. This reduces the expense on cabling in an office where a number of users can share a network. 802.11b is now the default standard used for high speed internet connectivity. This is the most preferred version for internet connections in cafes, universities, hotels and airport. 802.11b connected computer in a common area with a card and an antenna can enhance connectivity to all computers in the vicinity. (Vickery, 230)

This is however a threat to Internet Service Providers where individual connections can be used to serve more users by breaching the restrictions of use. 802.11g is a higher version of 802.11 which has a high speed ranging from 11 to 22 Mbps which maintains all standard principles of accessibility. High speed is attained by 802.11g by adopting a high frequency band of 5 GHz which gives better bandwidth. The maximum speed of 802.11g version can touch 54 Mbps. The installation of this standard is relatively costly and it is not possible to substitute 802.11a standard with 802.11g standard though it is of higher quality. Disadvantages of 802.11 include security problems, blockage in transmitting signals, intrusion, accounting problems and the equipments required for wireless service. (Vickery, 231)

WLAN is otherwise called Wi-Fi, RF technology comprising 802.11b which functions in the range of 2.4GHz. 802.11a and 802.11g expertise function at a range of 5 GHz. The difference between 802.11a and 802.11g lies in the speed at which information is transmitted and the distance covered. The usual distance covered by 802.11b is around hundred to three hundred meters. If a high capacity antenna is fixed to the device, this coverage can be increased to various miles.3. Wireless personal area network -- WPAN is also known as Bluetooth. It is applied in equipments like personal digital assistance -- PDA, mobile phones and laptops with a small range wireless connectivity through infrared. (Barber; Cross; Craft, 803)

Bluetooth is another wireless technology that use radio signals to share data in a small distance. The distance covered by a Bluetooth embedded device to share data wirelessly is ten meters. The size of a Bluetooth piece is one centimeter square which will easily fit into miniature mobile phone or fitted into a dress or fixed in other equipments. The bandwidth of a Bluetooth is very low and can transmit only one Mbps. Bluetooth is beneficial to unite various homes wirelessly. It is a comparatively less expensive device but may prove costlier for low end users. Bluetooth is widely fixed in costly appliances like laptops, computers, mobile phones, video cameras and printers. The increasing fall in the price may result in fixing this technology in low end equipments. The benefit of Bluetooth as against other wireless products is its low cost and less power requirements. Nevertheless, the speed and coverage of Bluetooth is very less as against the services of wireless technologies like 802.11. However, the technology in Bluetooth helps connectivity between user equipments unlike the connectivity of 802.11 to the Internet. The disadvantage of Bluetooth is the limitation for use by a group of users at the same time and security related problems. (Vickery, 233) windows server enables the working of a wireless networking easy. The Operating System has an embedded mechanical wireless network that performs automatically if fixed to a related device. The consumer with such facility can use network in a portable manner within an office, home or travel from one place to another with different network service. Some of the wireless networking technologies besides WLAN and Bluetooth are IrDA and Home RF. IrDA deploys infrared interface to transfer information for IrDA 1.1. The usual coverage of this technology is three to six meters; however few IR expertise's can cover a range of up to 1.5 miles since the interface deployed to transfer information relies on the climate. In addition, IR functions in a line of sight expertise which needs a free passage from the point of broadcast to the point of receipt. Home RF is otherwise called home radio frequency which covers a distance of around 150 feet. Wireless Networking requires certification as per 802.11 standards. There are two types of certification. One is open certification and the other is shared key certification. Open certification is an accurate method which is defines as equipment centered certification where none of the requests are turned down. In the absence of WEP, open certification method allows all users who are aware of the SSID in a WLAN. (Barber; Cross; Craft, 807)

In the presence of WEP, it serves as the hidden solution to certify WLAN users. Shared key certification involves four different stages of certification that starts with the receipt of request for connection. Several frames are broadcasted between the two users to give the certification. The user is verified and certified using cryptography methods. The step-by-step method may be defined as mentioned below: (i) the user asks for a connection (ii) the certifier gets the request and sends a message to the user (iii) the user receives the message and enters the key and send it back to the certifier (iv) the certifier receives the key message and checks its authenticity with the original. On finding the right answer, the user is given certification to use the network. Though access to the network is restricted with the secret key, it is also vulnerable to hackers to avail required date to find the WEP hidden key. (Barber; Cross; Craft, 807)

Another important protocol related wireless networking is 802.11e. This standard is mainly used in multi-media technologies for streaming video and VoIP in an 802.11 network. The original name of 802.11e was WME which was then names as WMM. WMM is described as a section of 802.11e. The QoS or Quality of service protocol in this standard gives importance to priority in the transmission of data. This is used in a restricted manner in wireless equipments. Free BSD provides assistance to networks that function with the standards 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g. The protocols that reserves privacy for these wireless standards are 802.11i and WPA. (29.3 Wireless Networking)

Wireless Sensor Network is a subdivision of wireless networking used to connect sensors and actuators in a network. There are various kinds of Sensor networks depending on the nature of the sensor, type of use such as vehicle, medicine or industry, the setting where the network works such as temperature, speed, vibration, explosive and network restrictions. The word Wireless Sensor and Actuators is shortly called Wireless Sensor Networks or WSN. The function of a sensor networks is to gather and transmit data to wireless transceivers fixed in the sensors or actuators. The advantage of WSN is the exclusion of the expense factor on wiring, workforce, resources, examining and checking the connections. If the networking is set in an office or house, it may need more resources for fixing the connection. (Gutierrez, Jose a; Callaway, 7)

Another benefit of WSN is the minimum damage or repair. A wiring may be lost or disconnected or might break due to various reasons. This is called last meter connectivity problem. Such problems are reduced by WSN. In a WAN, it is usually called the last mile connectivity problem. Finally, WSN enables collection of recurring information from a manufacturing environment to upgrade the quality of work. Deployment of cabled sensors in a manufacturing environment will lead to various barriers and would include huge costs. WSN is an adaptable method of connecting sensors. WSN registers various matters in an environment like security details, verification, radio frequency broadcast, fixing of an antenna, etc. A movable WSN has an edge over a fixed one, though the movement of WSN equipment does not arise. But this is helpful in the case of fixing a fast track network. Cabled and wireless networks work hand in hand to provide optimum solution in various stages of a network. Wireless networking is like a value added product of wired networking. (Gutierrez, Jose a; Callaway, 8)

Wireless networking has become so popular that a wireless LAN can be installed by anyone without incurring much cost. The devices that support wireless networking is becoming cheap day by day. The increase in the number of users of wireless networking also increases the number of hackers in the vicinity of a house or office. Thus wireless network should be protected using password at access points and routers. This requires the user to authenticate using a username and password to access the network and make changes in the default settings. Security concerns arise when a network uses the name of the manufacturer or the common password provided by the manufacturer. On purchasing a wireless network product, the default password should be replaced by a new password which cannot be guessed by any known person. Since it is a unique or rarely used word, it is safe to keep the password in writing for future reference. If the password is forgotten the only method to use the access point or router is to operate the system with default setting which will delete all the changes made to the wireless network. (Securing your Wireless Network)

The name or Service Set Identifier of the wireless network should not be displayed frequently. This increases the visibility of network details to other users in the area covered by wireless network. The identity of a network can be preserved by switching off the SSID, so that anyone with a wireless network cannot view the same. But the use of advanced hacking system like WLAN sniffers can reveal the identity of the wireless LAN. One of the disadvantages of Wired Equivalency Privacy or WEP in an 802.11 standard is the easy access provided to deliberate hackers. Hence a good method to secure wireless network is by using a WPA -- Wi-Fi Protected Access. WPA is embedded in most of the latest operating systems, hardware and windows XP. An intricate protection system is offered in the latest version of WPA2 which can be used by accessing to a XP patch from the Internet. Security concerns other than in personal computers however can be solved only by enabling WEP in equipments like personal digital assistance, media players and DVR. A better security is assured if the password is changed frequently; say once in a week or so. Security level of a WLAN can be further increased by decreasing the broadcasting power of the network. Access points and routers can be configured to limit the area covered by the radio signals. The accessibility of WLAN should be turned off in a router when not in use to avoid access by unidentified users from remote locations. (Securing your Wireless Network)