Wireless Network

PMIT-

By-
Jesmin Akhter
Associate Professor
Institute of Information Technology
Jahangirnagar University
 Q1. Describe Wireless LAN

A WLAN provides wireless network communication over short

distances using radio or infrared signals instead of traditional
network cabling.
 A wireless LAN or WLAN is a wireless local area network that uses
radio waves as its carrier.
 Wireless LANs provide high-speed data within a small region, e.g. a
campus or small building, as users move from place to place.
Wireless devices that access these LANs are typically stationary or
moving at pedestrian speeds.
 It operates at a maximum net data rate from 54 Mbit/s to 600
Mbit/s.
 In WLAN, wireless adapters provide the interface between the
network operating system and an antenna to create a transparent
connection to the network.
2
Ethernet is widely used
Wireless LANs can operate in one of two configurations,
 with a base station and
 without a base station.
 Figure a:
 The last link with the users is wireless, to give a network connection to all
users in a building or campus.
 The backbone network usually uses cables

(a) Wireless networking with a base station.

3
(b) Ad hoc networking.
Figure b:
Each user in the wireless network communicates directly with
all others, without a backbone network sometimes called ad-hoc
network.

(a) Wireless networking with a base station.

(b) Ad hoc networking.
4
Q2. “Access points can serve a varying number of
computers using DHCP”. Explain the statement.
Setting up a wireless LAN can be done with one box (called Access point).
This box can serve a varying number of computers using DHCP. Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a protocol for assigning dynamic
IP addresses to devices on a network. With dynamic addressing, a device
can have a different IP address every time it connects to the network

5
Q3.Mention the Major Problems of Wireless
network.
First Problem: A computer on Ethernet always listens to the
ether before transmitting. Only if the ether is idle does the
computer begin transmitting. With wireless LANs, that idea
does not work so well. The range of a single radio may not
cover the entire system. As a result Hidden Terminal Problem
occurs.

6
Second Problem: Multipath propagation (Multipath fading)
due to presence of reflecting and refracting and scatterers hence
cause multiple versions of the signal arrive at the receiver.

With small variation of distance and time cause wide variation of

received signal called small scale fading experienced in a dense city.

7
Third Problem: Handoff is necessary like mobile communications.
A well-implemented handoff is important for delivering uninterrupted
service to a caller or data session user

Handoff Region
Signal Signal
strength due strength due
to BSi to BSj

Pi(x) Pj(x)

E
Pmin
BSi MS BS
X1 X3 X5 Xth X4 X2 j
By looking at the variation of signal strength from either base station it is
possible to decide on the optimum area where handoff can take place. 8
Fourth Problem: Some times software is not aware of mobility. For
example many word processors have a list of printers that users can
choose to print a file. When the computer on which the word
processor runs is taken into a new environment, the built-in list of
printer becomes invalid.

9
 Q3. Describe Distributed Binary Exponential Backoff Algorithm

To reduce the packet dropping probability or to enhance throughput of wireless LAN

exponential binary backoff algorithm is widely used. The access method of MAC
protocol of IEEE 802.11 based on exponential binary backoff algorithm can be
explained with the following steps.
Step: 1
The transmitting node first senses the status of the channel. If the channel is found
busy then the Tx node continues to monitor the channel.
Step:2
If the channel is found idle for a fixed duration know as DIFS (Distributed Inter-
frame Space), the Tx chooses a random number according to the binary exponential
back off algorithm. The random number is used as a back off timer.
10
Step:3
Time immediately after the DIFS (Distributed Inter-frame Space) is
slotted known as idle slots where the duration of a slot is
considered as the sum of the time required to sense a station and to
switch the Tx from sensing / listening mode to transmitting mode.
Step:4
Elapsing of each idle slot the back off timer is decreased by one. If
the channel is found busy before the back off timer reaches to zero
then repeat the steps 1 to 3. The transmission of data from begins
only if the back off timer reaches to zero.
11
Step:5
To determine whether a data frame transmission is successful,
after its completion, a positive acknowledgement (ACK) is
transmitted by the receiver. ACK is transmitted after a short
interframe space (SIFS) period upon receiving the entire data
frame successfully.

If ACK is not detected within an SIFS period after the

completion of the data frame transmission, the transmission is
assumed to be unsuccessful, and a retransmission is required. 12
Q4. “Avoid data frame collisions completely using
small reservation packets!” Explain
• sender first transmits small request-to-send
(RTS) packets to BS using CSMA
– RTSs may still collide with each other (but they’re
short)
• BS broadcasts clear-to-send CTS in response to
RTS
• CTS heard by all nodes
– sender transmits data frame
– other stations defer transmissions

Wireless, Mobile Networks 6-13

 Collision Avoidance: RTS-CTS
exchange
A B
AP

RTS(A) RTS(B)

reservation collision
RTS(A)

CTS(A) CTS(A)

DATA (A)
defer

time
ACK(A) ACK(A)
So avoid data frame collisions completely using small reservation
packets!
Wireless, Mobile Networks 6-14
Q5. Whether CDMA is a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum
system or not? Clarify with example.

• Yes, CDMA is a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum system.

• In CDMA, each bit time is subdivided into m short intervals
called chips. Typically there are 64 or 128 chips per bit. Each station is
assigned a unique m-bit chip sequence.
• Increasing the amount of information to be sent from b bits/sec
to mb chips/sec can only be done if the bandwidth available is
increased by a factor of m, making CDMA a form of spread spectrum
communication.
• Example:
To transmit a 1 bit, a station sends its chip sequence.
To transmit a 0 bit, it sends the one's complement of its chip sequence.
No other patterns are permitted.
Thus for m = 8, if station A is assigned the chip sequence 00011011, it
sends a 1 bit by sending 00011011 and a 0 bit by sending 11100100. 15
 Q5.Discuss Directional Antennas mentioning
•
with some applicants
A directional antenna focuses the wireless signal in a specific direction
resulting in a limited coverage area. Like a vehicle head light
illuminates the road. High gain directional antennas can transmit and
receive wireless signals for several miles given clear line of sight and
sufficient transmit power.
• Applications for directional antennas include point to point wireless
links connecting buildings, a back-haul data link connecting a cell
towers together and point to multi point wireless links where multiple
remote clients with directional antennas communicate with a single
central tower with an Omni directional antenna.

16