Chapter 3:

Wireless Networks and WAN Technologies

Wireless network
A wireless network is any type of computer network that uses wireless data connections for
connecting network nodes.

Wireless network is a network set up by using radio signal frequency to communicate among
computers and other network devices. Sometimes it’s also referred to as Wi-Fi network or
WLAN.

Wireless networking is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and enterprise

(business) installations avoid the costly process of introducing cables into a building, or as a
connection between various equipment locations.

Wireless telecommunications networks are generally implemented and administered using radio
communication. This implementation takes place at the physical level (layer) of the OSI model
network structure.

This network is getting popular nowadays due to easy to setup feature and no cabling involved.
You can connect computers anywhere in your home without the need for wires.

Examples of wireless networks include cell phone networks, Wi-Fi local networks and terrestrial
microwave networks.

Wireless Network Types

Wireless networks use different technologies depending on the distance to achieve, the number of
devices to connect, and the amount of information to transmit. The technologies include:-

 Wireless personal-area networks (WPAN): Interconnects devices in a short span, generally

within a person’s reach. Have a short range (up to 20–30 feet/7–10meters), commonly use the
802.15 family of specifications to connect two or a few devices with low power consumption.
Bluetooth is an example of WPAN protocol.
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  Wireless local-area networks (WLAN): Links two or more devices using a wireless distribution
method, providing a connection through access points to the wider Internet. Consume more
power but extend the connection to about 300 feet (100 meters).

 Wireless metropolitan-area network (WMAN): Extend the range to a larger geographic area,
such as a city or suburb. Connects several wireless LANs. Applications vary from point-to-
point or point-to-multipoint links to multiuser coverage. WMANs typically use licensed
frequencies (a fee has to be paid for permission to use the frequency), although implementations
in the ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) bands can also be found. WiMAX(Worldwide
Interoperability for Microwave Access) is an example of WMAN protocol (most WiMAX
implementations use licensed bands).

 Wireless wide-area network (WWAN): Provide connectivity over a wide geographical area.
Covers large areas such as neighboring towns and cities. Usually, WWANs are networks used
for mobile phone and data service and are operated by carriers. WWANs typically use licensed
frequencies.

Wireless Network Logical Topologies

Wireless networks have different topologies, just as wired networks do. However, wireless
networks use only two logical topologies:

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Star: - the star topology, used by Wi-Fi/IEEE 802.11–based products in the infrastructure mode,
resembles the topology used by 10BASE-T and faster versions of Ethernet that use a switch (or hub).
The access point takes the place of the switch because stations connect via the access point, rather
than directly with each other. This method is much more expensive per unit but permits performance
in excess of 10BASE-T Ethernet speeds and has the added bonus of being easier to manage.

Point-to-point: - Bluetooth products (as well as Wi-Fi products in the ad hoc mode) use the point-to-
point topology. These devices connect directly with each other and require no access point or other
hub-like device to communicate with each other, although shared Internet access does require that all
computers connect to a common wireless gateway. The point-to-point topology is much less
expensive per unit than a star topology. It is, however, best suited for temporary data sharing with
another device (Bluetooth) and is currently much slower than 100BASE-TX networks.

Advantages:-
 There is no need to carry out any personal digital representative.
 The comfort of connection between networks has supported and improved with the devices in
coming generation technologies.
 Wireless networks are low cost and easy to establish.
 You can use internet in several computers, laptops even mobiles in which wireless routers are
used.
 It can be used on multiple devices through a single connection at the same time.
 Its major and most important advantage is that you don’t need to mix up in wires.
 You can move anywhere because you don’t have to worry about wires to plug and unplug etc.
 In many hotels and restaurants, they facilitate you internet access that you can be connected at
all time.

Disadvantages:-

 security risk because wireless networks are created to have radio frequencies in them so
signals are transmitted within the range so if someone uses antenna etc. then willingly or
unwillingly your data can be intercepted.

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  Its coverage that sometimes somewhere users might have problems of range of signals. Some
routers allow limited access.
 Radio frequencies are used in wireless network so they are interrupted of signals.
 Sometimes their speed can be slower than wired networks cause of their signals dropping
problem.

Wide Area Network Technologies

A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a computer network covering multiple distance areas, which
may spread across the entire world.

Is a telecommunications network or computer network that extends over a large geographical

distance. Wide area networks are often established with leased telecommunication circuits.

Business, education and government entities use WAN to relay data among staff, students, clients,
buyers, and suppliers from various geographical locations. In essence, this mode of
telecommunication allows a business to effectively carry out its daily function regardless of
location.

WANs often connect multiple smaller networks, such as local area networks (LANs) or metro
area networks (MANs). The world's most popular WAN is the Internet. Some segments of the
Internet are also WANs in themselves.

The key difference between WAN and a LAN technology is scalability. A set of switches
and routers are interconnected to form a Wide Area Network.

Both packet switching and circuit switching technologies are used in the WAN.
Packet switching allows users to share common carrier resources so that the carrier can make more
efficient use of its infrastructure. In a packet switching setup, networks have connections into the
carrier's network, and many customers share the carrier's network. The carrier can then create virtual
circuits between customers' sites by which packets of data are delivered from one to the other
through the network.

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Circuit Switching allows data connections to be established when needed and then terminated
when communication is complete. This works like a normal telephone line works for voice
Communication

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a good example of circuit switching. When a router
has data for a remote site, the switched circuit is initiated with the circuit number of the remote
network.

WANs are used to connect LANs and other types of networks together, so that users and
computers in one location can communicate with users and computers in other locations.

Many WANs are built for one particular organization and are private. Others, built by Internet
service providers, provide connections from an organization's LAN to the Internet. WANs are
often built using leased lines. At each end of the leased line, a router connects the LAN on one
side with a second router within the LAN on the other. Leased lines can be very expensive.
Instead of using leased lines, WANs can also be built using less costly circuit switching or packet
switching methods.

Network protocols including TCP/IP deliver transport and addressing functions. Protocols
including Packet over SONET/SDH, MPLS, ATM and Frame Relay are often used by service
providers to deliver the links that are used in WANs.

A WAN is owned by a service provider. An organization must pay a fee to use the provider’s
network services to connect remote sites. WAN service providers include carriers, such as a
telephone network, cable company, or satellite service. Service providers provide links to
interconnect remote sites for the purpose of transporting data, voice, and video.

In contrast, LANs are typically owned by the organization and used to connect local computers,
peripherals, and other devices within a single building or other small geographic area.

Wireless LAN
WLAN is a network of computers over distances of a few hundred feet that uses high frequency
radio signals to transmit and receive data.

Basically, WLAN allows peer-to-peer data communications and/or point-to-point, such as LAN
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 to-LAN, WLAN-to-LAN, or even WLAN-to-WLAN, within a relatively small area.

Conventional LANs typically use twisted pair, coaxial wires or in some cases optical fibers.
WLAN gets rid of these physical connections and uses electromagnetic wave signals instead to
transmit and receive data within the network.

Potentially, transmission is not as fast as the one provided by a conventional LAN but for most
users, average and industry professionals alike, the slower transfer rate is a minor limitation.

Wi-Fi
WI-FI means Wireless Fidelity. The term is actually a trademark name used to brand products that
belong to a category of WLAN devices.

Wi-Fi uses radio waves like radio, television, mobile phones and many other uses of wireless
technology. The Wi-Fi is different from other forms of radio waves, by use of wireless technology
based on IEEE 802.11. IEEE is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. IEEE 802.11 has
the family of standards – 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n and the newest 802.11ac.

Wi-Fi Alliance is a network of companies that bring Wi-Fi technology. It is responsible for growth of
Wi-Fi industry, support of Wi-Fi standards and product connectivity through testing and certification.

A WI-FI (ready) device effectively means that it is ready for use in a WLAN. Such devices range
What is the difference between Wi-Fi and WLAN?
WLAN is the wireless network of devices connected with radio signals based on IEEE 802.11.
Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi) is a term used for a family of products that work in WLAN networks.
WAN is a network of computers or devices that uses high frequency radio signals to communicate
data, while Wi-Fi is the trademark name used to identify WLAN-compatible devices.

WLAN eliminates the need for conventional wiring by using electromagnetic radio wave signals
to communicate between computers within the network.

Wi-Fi is the trademark name used to describe devices manufactured with the ability to be used
within a wireless network.

Wi-Fi is just a term covering some of the wireless protocols described on IEEE 802.11 standard

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 and their implementation in actual devices.

WLAN Infrastructure Mode

Infrastructure mode is used to connect computers with wireless network adapters, also known as
wireless clients, to an existing wired network with the help from wireless router or access point.

To organize the communication, most networks use a central device that defines common sets of
parameters: the access point (AP, also called AP-station in the 802.11 standard). The AP organizes
the Basic Service Set (BSS). Wireless devices send their signal to the AP, which relays the signal to
the destination wireless station or the wired network.

The area covered by the radio of this AP is called basic service area (BSA), or cell. Because the client
stations connect to a central device, this type of network is said to use an infrastructure mode as
opposed to an ad-hoc mode.

Infrastructure networks are collections of wireless devices attached to an intermediate piece of

network infrastructure, typically an access point, router, or PC running access point software.

WLAN Ad-hoc Mode

Two wireless devices in range of each other just need to share a common set of simple parameters
(frequency and so on) to be able to communicate and establish a WLAN. A first station defines the
radio parameters and a connection name; the other stations just need to detect the connection and
adjust their own parameters to connect to the first station and to each other. This is called an ad hoc
network.

As soon as wireless devices (called “stations” in the 802.11 standard) connect to each other over a
wireless network, a Basic Service Set (BSS) is formed. Because ad-hoc networks do not rely on any
device other than the stations themselves, the wireless network they form is called an Independent
Basic Service Set (IBSS). Ad-hoc mode is also known as “peer-to-peer” mode

Ad-hoc networks are limited in functionality because no central device is present to decide common
rules (radio parameters, priority, range, what happens if the first station disappears, and so on).

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Ad hoc mode is used to connect wireless clients directly together, without the need for a wireless
router or access point. An ad hoc network consists of up to 9 wireless clients, which send their data
directly to each other.

A wireless ad hoc network (WANET) is a decentralized type of wireless network. The network is
ad hoc because it does not rely on a pre existing infrastructure, such as routers in wired networks or
access points in managed (infrastructure) wireless networks.

Point to Point Wireless

Point to point wireless is a networking technique for linking or connecting to physical networking
devices with the help of wireless technology. Many devices such as bridges, routers, connecters and
transmitters work collectively in point to point wireless network. It is one of the leading techniques
which is platform independent and works efficiently and effectively for the receiving and transmitting
data from one place to another. Its organization is simple all required is to place the device in line of
sight order.

Point to point wireless network links connect two locations together through line of sight (LOS),
operating in unlicensed/licensed radio frequencies or through free space optics with speeds available
between 100mbps to 10Gbps.

The point-to-point wireless topology (also called P2P) is the simplest network architecture you can
set up in order to connect two locations using a wireless radio link. Point-to-point wireless links can
go from a short-range link connecting two locations just a few hundreds meters apart to a long range
point-to-point wireless link that connects two locations tens of miles away from each other. In a point

to-point-wireless link, distance is affected by the height of each Ethernet radio device, the frequency
used, the power level, and environmental interference.

Point-to-point wireless links are often used for telecom, security and networking applications. In the
telecom space, point-to-point wireless links are deployed to backhaul cellular base stations. Cellular
backhauls typically employ licensed spectrum and high capacity long-range point-to-point microwave
links. However, with the widespread deployment of small cells, license-free, long-range point-to-
point wireless links are being used more and more often, particularly in rural areas where interference
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 is not a significant concern.

In security and public safety projects, point-to-point outdoor wireless connections are deployed to
backhaul outdoor wireless video-surveillance systems. The video streams coming from outdoor field
cameras are collected using a point-to multipoint wireless network to a central location, often located
on a high point (e.g., a tall building or a mountaintop). From this central location, all the video
streams are transmitted over an outdoor point-to-point wireless link to the control room.

In wireless networking applications, two buildings can be interconnected using a point-to- point
wireless Ethernet connection and two IP Ethernet networks can be therefore interconnected without
trenching the area. This point-to-point wireless Ethernet solution is very often used in campus
environments or to connect two buildings owned by the same organisation sitting on two different
sides of a street, railway, or river.

Point-to-point wireless links are usually deployed between two locations that are in clear line of sight
(LOS) with each other in other to maximise the performance of the wireless link. For point-to-point
wireless links working in the license free 5 GHz band (for example in the 5.8 GHz or 5.4 GHz
license-free bands) or in the 4.9 GHz public safety band we suggest to deploy the link in clear ling of
sight (LOS) because, above 2.4 GHz, line of sight (LOS) operations provide a much more reliable
wireless link. Point to point wireless link at frequencies around 900 MHz or in the UHF band (400
MHz) can work reliably in near line of sight (NLOS) or in non line of sight conditions (NLOS point
to point wireless links).

How point to point wireless Works?

Point to point wireless works in line of site sequence to devices are placed in physical sequence for
proper action of network. An appropriate distance should be maintained between networking devices
for assuring the excellent working of wireless point to point connection. different kinds of devices are
available in the market which are offering point to point high speed connections they works similarly
to the normal network but the only different is the absence of physical wires that acts as the
connecting media. In place of those wire both the device activate the connection programs which are
present in them .such as wireless internet service is the example of the point to point wireless.

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 Many radios also offer point to point wireless connections. Basically wireless point to point
connection provides a bridge for the data or signals from one place to another.

Typical Point to Point applications are:

 Building to building connectivity

 Leased line replacement
 Fiber line replacement
 Wireless failover

Advantages of Point to Point Wireless:

There are many advantages of point to point wireless some of them are listed below.

 One of the major advantages of point to pint wireless is the absence of wire. it requires on
physical wire connections of eth signal and data traveling. This makes it much safer from the
chance of fire cracker and mesh of sires like other networks.
 Another useful advantage of the wireless point to point connection is the high speed.
 Used in the daily use applications such as mobile connectivity.
 Totally compatible in WAN.
 Safer than the wired networking systems.
Disadvantages of Point to Point Wireless:
 Point to point wireless is much expensive than the ordinary network connection.
 It almost 3 times more costly than the wired connections.
 Wireless connections are easily interrupted by external noise and interference radiations such
as noise of air planes and laser radiations. When line of sight is interrupted the signals drops to
the nil.
 These connections are not maintained to the long are geographical locations, if we want to
develop the point to point wireless connections then it should line of sight order. Otherwise

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 the wireless would be complete failure.

Integrated Services for Digital Network (ISDN)

Integrated Services for Digital Network (ISDN) is a set of communication standards for
simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data, and other network services over the
traditional circuits of the public switched telephone network.

ISDN is a circuit-switched telephone network system, which also provides access to packet switched
networks, designed to allow digital transmission of voice and data over ordinary telephone copper
wires, resulting in potentially better voice quality than an analog phone can provide.

ISDN is employed as the network, data-link and physical layers in the context of the OSI model, or
could be considered a suite of digital services existing on layers 1, 2, and 3 of the OSI model.

In a videoconference, ISDN provides simultaneous voice, video, and text transmission between
individual desktop videoconferencing systems and group (room) videoconferencing systems.
ISDN Interface

The ISDN standards define several kinds of access interfaces, such as Basic Rate Interface
(BRI), Primary Rate Interface (PRI), Narrowband ISDN (N-ISDN), and Broadband ISDN (B-
ISDN).

Basic Rate Interface

The entry level interface to ISDN is the Basic Rate Interface (BRI), a 128 kbit/s service delivered
over a pair of standard telephone copper wires.

Primary Rate Interface

The other ISDN access available is the Primary Rate Interface (PRI), which is carried over
an E1 (2048 kbit/s) in most parts of the world. An E1 is 30 'B' channels of 64 kbit/s, one 'D' channel
of 64 kbit/s and a timing and alarm channel of 64 kbit/s. This is often referred to as 30B+D.

PRI-ISDN is popular throughout the world, especially for connecting private branch exchanges to the

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public network.

Frame Relay
Frame Relay is a standardized wide area network technology that specifies the physical and logical
link layers of digital telecommunications channels using a packet switching methodology.
Originally designed for transport across Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) infrastructure, it
may be used today in the context of many other network interfaces.

Frame Relay is an example of a packet-switched technology. Packet-switched networks enable end

stations to dynamically share the network medium and the available bandwidth.

The following two techniques are used in packet-switching technology:

 Variable-length packets

 Statistical multiplexing

Variable-length packets are used for more efficient and flexible data transfers. These packets
areswitched between the various segments in the network until the destination is reached.

Statistical multiplexing techniques control network access in a packet-switched network.

The advantage of this technique is that it accommodates more flexibility and more efficient use of
bandwidth. Most of today's popular LANs, such as Ethernet and Token Ring, are packet-switched
networks.

Frame Relay Device

 Devices attached to a Frame Relay WAN fall into the following two general categories:

 Data terminal equipment (DTE).

 Data circuit-terminating equipment (DCE)

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 DTEs generally are considered to be terminating equipment for a specific network and typically
are located on the premises of a customer. In fact, they may be owned by the customer. Examples
of DTE devices are terminals, personal computers, routers, and bridges.

DCEs are carrier-owned internetworking devices. The purpose of DCE equipment is to provide
clocking and switching services in a network, which are the devices that actually transmit data
through the WAN. In most cases, these are packet switches.

The connection between a DTE device and a DCE device consists of both a physical layer
component and a link layer component.

 The physical component defines the mechanical, electrical, functional, and procedural
specifications for the connection between the devices. One of the most commonly used
physical layer interface specifications is the recommended standard (RS)-232
specifications.

 The link layer component defines the protocol that establishes the connection between
the DTE device, such as a router, and the DCE device, such as a switch.

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)

 Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM): is an International Telecommunication Union-
Telecommunications Standards Section (ITU-T) standard for cell relay wherein information

for multiple service types, such as voice, video, or data, is conveyed in small, fixed-size cells.
ATM networks are connection-oriented.

ATM Devices
 An ATM network is made up of an ATM switch and ATM endpoints.

 An ATM switch is responsible for cell transit through an ATM network.

The job of an ATM switch is well defined:

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  It accepts the incoming cell from an ATM endpoint or another ATM switch.

 It then reads and updates the cell header information and quickly switches the cell to an output
interface toward its destination.

An ATM endpoint (or end system) contains an ATM network interface adapter. Examples of
ATM endpoints are workstations, routers, digital service units (DSUs), LAN switches, and video
coder-decoders (CODECs).

ATM Network Interfaces

An ATM network consists of a set of ATM switches interconnected by point-to-point ATM links
or interfaces.

ATM switches support two primary types of interfaces: UNI and NNI. The UNI connects ATM
end systems (such as hosts and routers) to an ATM switch. The NNI connects two ATM switches.

Depending on whether the switch is owned and located at the customer's premises or is publicly
owned and operated by the telephone company, UNI and NNI can be further subdivided into
public and private UNIs and NNIs.

A private UNI connects an ATM endpoint and a private ATM switch. Its public UNI connects an
ATM endpoint or private switch to a public switch. A private NNI connects two ATM switches
within the same private organization. A public NNI connects two ATM switches within the same
public organization

ATM Services
Three types of ATM services exist: permanent virtual circuits (PVC), switched virtual circuits
(SVC), and connectionless service.

 PVC allows direct connectivity between sites.

 An SVC is created and released dynamically and remains in use only as long as data is
being transferred. In this sense, it is similar to a telephone call.
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Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
DSL: originally digital subscriber loop is a family of technologies that are used to transmit
digital data over telephone lines.

In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean asymmetric digital
subscriber line (ADSL), the most commonly installed DSL technology, for Internet access. DSL
service can be delivered simultaneously with wired telephone service on the same telephone line.
This is possible because DSL uses higher frequency bands for data.

 DSL technologies include:

Symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL), umbrella term for xDSL where the bitrate is equal
in both directions.

 ISDN digital subscriber line (IDSL), ISDN based technology that provides a bitrate equivalent
to two ISDN bearer and one data channel, 144 kbit/s symmetric over one pair

 High bit rate digital subscriber line (HDSL), ITU-T G.991.1, the first DSL technology that
used a higher frequency spectrum than ISDN, 1,544 kbit/s and 2,048 kbit/s symmetric
services, either on 2 or 3 pairs at 784 kbit/s each, 2 pairs at 1,168 kbit/s each, or one pair at
2,320 kbit/s

 High bit rate digital subscriber line 2/4 (HDSL2, HDSL4), ANSI, 1,544 kbit/s symmetric over
one pair (HDSL2) or two pairs (HDSL4)

 Symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL), specific proprietary technology, up to 1,544 kbit/s
symmetric over one pair

 Single-pair high-speed digital subscriber line (G.SHDSL), ITU-T G.991.2, standardized

successor of HDSL and proprietary SDSL, up to 5,696 kbit/s per pair, up to four pairs

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