Meyers CompTIA 4e PPT Ch15

Mike Meyers’ CompTIA Network+® Guide to Managing and
Troubleshooting Networks, Fourth Edition (Exam N10-006)
Wireless Networking
Chapter 15
Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Objectives
• Explain wireless networking standards
• Describe the process for implementing Wi-Fi
networks
• Describe troubleshooting techniques
for wireless networks

Historical/Conceptual

Introduction to Wireless Networking

• Wireless network uses radio frequency (RF)
waves to communicate between devices
– Enables flexibility and mobility
– Uses the same OSI layers as wired networks
• Except first two OSI layers
– Differs from wired networking in type of media
and protocols for transmitting and accessing data
– The dominant wireless implementation is Wi-Fi
• IEEE 802.11 wireless Ethernet standard
Test Specific
Wi-Fi Standards

Wi-Fi Standards
• Wi-Fi is by far the most widely adopted
wireless networking type today
• Wi-Fi technologies have been around since
the late 1990s
– Supported and standardized under the umbrella
IEEE 802.11 standard
– Examples of 802.11 amendments: 802.11g and
802.11 ac
802.11
• Standards define how wireless devices
communicate
– Also address communication security
• 802.11 established the baseline features
common to all Wi-Fi standards
– Wireless network cards, configuration software,
capability to run in multiple network styles
– How transmissions work
Hardware
• Wireless Ethernet NICs
– Same function as wired, except transmission uses
radio waves
• Networking capabilities are built into many
modern devices
– Can add an expansion card to desktop computers
• USB NICs are placeable

Figure 15.1 Wireless PCIe NIC

Figure 15.2 External USB wireless NIC

Wireless Access Point (WAP)

• Interconnects wireless network nodes with
wired networks
• A basic WAP operates like a hub at Layer 1
• Often multiple devices combined in one box
– Built-in switch and/or router

Figure 15.3 Linksys device that acts as wireless

access point, switch, and DSL router
Software
• Wireless device drivers
– Consult your vendor’s instructions
• Wireless configuration utility settings
– Link state
– Signal strength
– Wireless network modes
– Security encryption
– Power-saving options
Figure 15.4 Wireless client configuration utility

Wireless Network Modes

• Ad hoc mode
– Also called peer-to-peer mode
– Uses a mesh topology
– Works well for small groups of computers or
temporary networks
• Independent Basic Service Set (IBBS)
– Two or more wireless nodes communicating in ad
hoc form
Figure 15.5 Wireless ad hoc mode network

Wireless Network Modes (cont’d.)

• Infrastructure mode
– Uses one or more WAPs to connect the wireless
network nodes centrally
– Similar to a wired star topology
• Basic service set (BSS)
– Serviced by a single WAP
• Extended service set (ESS)
– Serviced by two or more WAPs
Figure 15.6 Wireless infrastructure mode network

Range
• Wireless networking range is hard to define
– Greatly affected by environmental factors
• Qualifiers such as around 150 feet and about
300 feet
• Actual range is about half of manufacturer’s
listed maximum range

Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID)

• The most basic infrastructure mode network
• A BSS of one WAP and one or more wireless
clients
• The BSSID is the same as the MAC address of
the WAP
• IBSS nodes (ad hoc mode) generate a 48-bit
string as the BSSID
– BSSID is added in every frame
Service Set Identifier (SSID)

• Another level of naming
• Standard name applied to the BSS or IBSS
• Sometimes called a network name
• 32-bit identification string
– In the header of each frame processed by a WAP
• Every Wi-Fi device must share the same SSID
to communicate in a network
Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID)

• A Wi-Fi network with multiple WAPs (ESS)
• Each WAP is connected to a central switch or
switches to become part of a single broadcast
domain
• Clients connect to whichever WAP has the
strongest signal
– Roaming: process of changing WAP connections
• Most Wi-Fi devices use the term SSID
Broadcasting Frequency
• Potential for interference from other wireless
devices
– Wireless devices must operate in specific
broadcasting frequencies
– A tech must know frequencies of other wireless
devices in troubleshooting interference issues
• Original 802.11 standards use 2.4-GHz or 5.0-
GHz frequencies
Broadcasting Methods
• Original IEEE 802.11 standard used spread-
spectrum radio waves
– Broadcasts data in small, discrete chunks
– Uses different frequencies within a range

Spread-Spectrum Broadcasting
Methods
• Direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS)
• Frequency-hopping spread-spectrum (FHSS)
• Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing
(OFDM).

Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum
(DSSS)
• Sends simultaneously on different frequencies
• Used by early 802.11 standards
• Uses about 22 MHz of bandwidth
• Capable of greater data throughput than
OFDM
• More prone to interference than FHSS

Frequency-Hopping Spread-Spectrum
(FHSS)
• Constantly shifts (hops) from frequency to
frequency
• Sends on one frequency at a time
• Uses less bandwidth than DSSS (~1MHz)

Orthogonal Frequency-Division
Multiplexing (OFDM)
• Latest method
• Combines multiple frequencies of DSSS
with FHSS’s hopping capability
• Used on all but the earliest 802.11 networks

Channels
• A channel is a portion of the spectrum
• 802.11 standard defined 14 channels of
20MHz each
– Different countries may limit channels
– In the U.S., WAP may use channels 1 through 11
• Do not use adjacent channels on nearby WAPs
• Most WAPs use channels 1, 6, or 11

Channels (cont’d.)
• The 5.0-GHz band offers many more channels
than the 2.4-GHz band
• There are 40 different channels in the
spectrum
• 802.11 versions that use the 5.0-GHz band use
automatic channel switching

Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision

Avoidance (CSMA/CA)
• Wireless devices cannot detect collisions
– Cannot listen and send at the same time
– If two clients were to collide, there is no simple-
to-detect electrical peak
• Two collision avoidance methods
– Distributed Coordination Function (DCF)
– Point Coordination Function (PCF)

DCF and PCF

• Only DCF is implemented
• DCF specifies rules for sending data onto the
network media
– Defines a backoff period in addition to the normal
interframe gap (IFG) wait period
– Requires an ACK from receiving nodes

802.11b
• Data throughput up to 11 Mbps
• Range up to 300 feet
• Popular
• Uses the crowded 2.4-GHz frequency
– More likely to have interference from other
wireless devices
– Signal interference can increase latency

802.11a
• Devices on market after 802.11b
• Different from all other 802.11 standards
– 5-GHz frequency range
– Speeds up to 54 Mbps
– Short range: about 150 feet
– Never as popular as 802.11b
– Incompatible with 802.11b


802.11g
• Up to 54 Mbps
• Range of 802.11b: about 300 feet
• Backward compatible with 802.11b
• WAP can service both 802.11b and 802.11g
• All 802.11g network runs in native mode
• Runs in mixed mode if 802.11b devices added
– Communications drop to 11 Mbps max
802.11n
• Faster and newer antenna technology
• Most devices must use multiple antennas
• Multiple in/multiple out (MIMO)
• Up to 600 Mbps theoretically
• Many WAPs employ transmit beamforming
• Dual-band WAPs run at 2.4- and 5.0 GHz
• WAPs support 802.11b/g/n devices
802.11ac
• Expansion of the 802.11n standard
• Incorporates additional streams
• Wider bandwidth
• Better speed
• Only operates in the 5.0 GHz band
• Multiuser Mimo (MU-MIMO)
– Can broadcast to multiple users simultaneously

Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)

• A special standard created by the wireless
industry to makes configuration easier
• Works in two modes
– Push button
– PIN method
• Easy to use
• Susceptible to various WPS attacks

Wi-Fi Security
• Problem
– Easy-to-install devices have no default security
– Network data frames are in radio waves
• Three wireless security methods
– MAC address filtering
– Authentication
– Data encryption

MAC Address Filtering

• Limits access to specific NICs
• Lists MAC addresses for accepted users
– The list is stored in a table in the WAP
• Rejects frames with other MAC addresses
• Alternatively create an exclusion list
• Not scalable on a modern network
• Problem: hackers can spoof MAC addresses
Wireless Authentication
• Users with proper credentials get access
• Can use a centralized security database
• Requires extra steps for wireless users
• 802.1X standard
– RADIUS server
– Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)
password encryption

Wireless Authentication (cont’d.)

• RADIUS server
– Provides authentication for network access
– Enables access to user’s rights on the network
– Client wireless computer is called a supplicant
– WAP is the Network Access Server (NAS)
– NAS contacts the RADIUS server
– RADIUS server checks the security database
– User is given access if credentials are correct
Figure 15.7 Authenticating using RADIUS

Wireless Authentication
Problem Areas
• Connection between devices must be secure
– PPP between supplicant and WAP/NAS
– IPsec between NAS and RADIUS server
– RADIUS server uses an authentication protocol
(EAP)
– WAP and wireless NICs must use the same
authentication scheme

Figure 15.8 Authentication using RADIUS with protocols in place

Figure 15.9 Setting EAP authentication scheme

Data Encryption
• Encryption electronically scrambles data
packets
– The receiving network device requires the
encryption key to unscramble the packet
• WPA2 provides a good level of security to data
packets in transit

Data Encryption Using WEP

• Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
– 64- or 128-bit encryption algorithm called RC4
– Uses an initialization vector (IV) of 24 bits
• Issues with WEP
– IV length uses 24 of the 64 (or 128) bits
– Encryption key is static and shared
– No user authentication
– Outdated and easily cracked
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)

• Dynamic encryption key generation
– Issued per user and per session
• Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP)
• 128-bit encryption key
• Problem: key can be broken

Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)

• Uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
– 128-bit block cipher
– Not completely hack proof
– Difficult enough to deter casual hackers
• Adding a RADIUS server for authentication
enables WPA2-Enterprise

Enterprise Wireless
• Enterprise devices differ from SOHO devices
– Robust construction
– Centralized management
– VLAN pooling
– Power over Ethernet
– Bringing personal wireless devices into the
enterprise environment

Robust Device Construction

• Enterprise WAP is made of better materials
• More configurable
• Can swap out antennas and radios making it
possible to upgrade to the latest technologies

Figure 15.10 Cisco Enterprise WAP

Enterprise Wireless Administration

• Large number of WAPs
– Offload configuration job to a wireless controller
– Switch designed to handle multiple WAPs
• Thick client: configurable via its own interface
• Thin clients: configurable by a wireless
controller
• Standard protocol: Lightweight Access Point
Protocol (LWAPP)
Figure 15.11 Configuring WAPs

Figure 15.12 Wireless Controller

VLAN Pooling
• A large number of clients may be on a single
SSID at a given moment
• Traditional solution
– Divide the WLAN into multiple broadcast domains
– Use routers to interconnect the domains
• VLAN pooling
– Create a pool of VLANs for a single SSID
– Randomly assign wireless clients to one VLAN
Power over Ethernet (PoE)

• Power and Ethernet signals via Ethernet
cables
• Good for WAPs far from power outlets
• The WAP and the switches must support PoE
• 2003: original PoE standard 802.3af
– Supported a maximum 15.4 watts of DC power
– Revised in 2009 to support 25.5 watts
– New amendment called 802.3at or PoE+
Bring Your Own Device

• Integrating personal mobile devices into a
corporate network
• Network administrators can allow or deny
mobile devices access to network resources
– On- and off-boarding mobile devices
• Mobile device management solutions
– Provide robust security without compromising
connectivity
WLAN vs. PAN

• Wireless LAN (WLAN)
– Always an 802.11-based network and able to
serve multiple clients
• Personal Area Networks (PAN)
– Point-to-point over short distances
– Examples: Bluetooth, infrared, and NFC

Implementing Wi-Fi

Steps for Installing a Wireless Network

• Perform a site survey
• Install one or more access points
• Configure the access point(s) and wireless
clients
• Test the network to verify that it works as
intended

Performing a Site Survey

• Reveals obstacles and determine best
locations for access points
• Main components for crating a site survey
– Floor plan of the area
– Wireless survey tools

Performing a Site Survey

• What wireless is already there?
– Discover wireless networks in the same area
– Today’s challenge is the preexistence of high
device density environments
– Tools are available to assist with the survey
• Interference sources
– Create a sketch of potential interference sources
– Plan the network to eliminate dead zones
Figure 15.13 AirMagnet Survey Pro

Figure 15.14 Acrylic Wi-Fi

Figure 15.15 Site survey with heat map

Figure 15.16 Site survey with interference sources noted

Installing the Client

• Install Wi-Fi hardware and software
• PCIe NIC
– Install the NIC onto a free slot on the
motherboard
– May need to attach the antenna
• USB NIC
– Install drivers and software before you connect
the NIC to the computer
Figure 15.17 Wi-Fi NIC installed

Setting Up an Ad Hoc Network

• Set NICs for ad hoc mode
• SSID
– Each wireless node must use the same network
name
• IP addresses
– No two nodes can use the same IP address
• Ensure the File and Printer Sharing service is
running on all nodes
Figure 15.18 Selecting ad hoc mode in a

wireless configuration utility
Setting Up an Infrastructure Network

• Determine the optimal location for the WAP
• Configure the WAP
• Configure any clients to access the WAP

Placing the Access Points/Antennas

• Omnidirectional antenna
– Radiates outward from the WAP in all directions
– Antenna is place the in the center of the area
– Standard straight-wire dipole antennas are used
• Omnidirectional and centered does not work
for every network
• The gain from a typical WAP is 2 dB
– Increase gain with one or more bigger antennas
Figure 15.19 WRT54G showing two antennas

Figure 15.20 Room layout with WAP in the center

Figure 15.23 Dipole radiation pattern

Figure 15.24 Replacement antenna on a WAP

Placing the Access Points/Antennas

(cont’d.)
• A unidirectional antenna focuses a radio wave
into a beam
– Various types: parabolic, dish, and Yagi
• Patch antennas work well for a strong signal
within a room
• Optimal placement depends on space needs
and security concerns
Configuring the Access Point

• Log in to the browser-based setup utility
• Configure the SSID (ESSID) and beacon
• Configure MAC address filtering
• Configure encryption
• Configure channel and frequency
• Configure the client

Figure 15.27 Security login for Linksys WAP

Figure 15.28 Linksys WAP setup screen

Figure 15.29 Setting the beacon interval

Figure 15.30 MAC address filtering

configuration screen for a Linksys WAP
Figure 15.31 Encryption key configuration screen on

Linksys WAP
Figure 15.32 Encryption screen on client wireless

network adapter configuration utility
Figure 15.33 Encryption screen with RADIUS option

Figure 15.34 Changing the channel

Figure 15.35 Selecting frequency

Figure 15.36 Typing in an SSID manually

Extending the Network

• Add a WAP to create an Extended Service Set
• Install a wireless bridge
– Connect two wireless networks; or join a wireless
and a wired network together
– Types of wireless bridges: point-to-point and
point-to-multipoint

Figure 15.37 Linksys wireless bridge device

Verify the Installation

• Move traffic between computers using the
wireless connection
• Always verify installation before leaving

Troubleshooting Wi-Fi

Logical Troubleshooting Steps

• Three types of symptoms
– Cannot get on the wireless network
– Wireless connections are way too slow
– Wireless connection is doing weird things

No Connection
• Channel problems
– Overlapping channels
– Mismatched channels
• Wrong encryption
– Entered the wrong encryption key
– Symptoms: not on network, continual prompting
for password, APIPA address
– Solution: enter the correct password
No Connection (cont’d.)
• Signal/power issues
– Symptoms: signal loss, not able to connect
– Solutions:
• Move closer to the WAP and avoid dead spots
• Turn up the power
• Replace the omnidirectional antenna with a
unidirectional antenna
• Upgrade to newer 802.11n or 802.11ac

Figure 15.38 Increasing power on a Cisco WAP

Slow Wireless Connections

• Clear connection to an SSID
• Good IP address
• Potential causes of slowness
– Too many devices overworking WAPs
– Too much RF interference on the network
– Insufficient RAM
– Malware
– Other non-wireless specific issues
Overworked WAPs
• Device saturation
– Too many devices attaching to a single SSID over
time
• Bandwidth saturation
• Bounce
• Solutions: add extra WAPs, upgrade hardware
to 802.11ac

Interference
• Sources of radio frequency interference (RFI)
– Non-Wi-Fi sources including lighting, Bluetooth,
wireless phones, and microwaves
– Wi-Fi networks
• Solution: abandon the 2.4-GHz channel
• Scan for RF sources using some type of RF
scanner/analyzer

Figure 15.39 SNR on AirMagnet

Weird Connection
• Open (non-encrypted) 802.11 networks
• Wrong SSID
• Untested updates/incompatibilities
• Rogue access point (rogue AP): an
unauthorized access point

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What are some of the objectives of wireless networking?

What are some of the objectives of wireless networking?

What are some common wireless networking standards?

What are some common wireless networking standards?

Mike Meyers’ CompTIA Network+® Guide to Managing and

Troubleshooting Networks, Fourth Edition (Exam N10-006)

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Introduction to Wireless Networking

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Figure 15.1 Wireless PCIe NIC

Figure 15.2 External USB wireless NIC

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Wireless Access Point (WAP)

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Figure 15.3 Linksys device that acts as wireless

Figure 15.4 Wireless client configuration utility

Wireless Network Modes

Figure 15.5 Wireless ad hoc mode network

Wireless Network Modes (cont’d.)

Figure 15.6 Wireless infrastructure mode network

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID)

Service Set Identifier (SSID)

Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID)

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision

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DCF and PCF

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Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.

Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)

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MAC Address Filtering

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Wireless Authentication (cont’d.)

Figure 15.7 Authenticating using RADIUS

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Figure 15.8 Authentication using RADIUS with protocols in place

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Figure 15.9 Setting EAP authentication scheme

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Data Encryption Using WEP

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)

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Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)

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