Wi-Fi AND Wi-Max – A WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY

Himanshu Gandhi

Priyanka Gandhi
Lecturer in YMCA College, Faridabad

Mob: 9968324005, 9953949435

Fax: 0129-4198111
E-mail: himanshu_ymca01@yahoo.co.in
ABSTRACT

Today the world is coming closer & closer and also more spacious due to the advent of wireless

technology. The wireless media enabled the communication between users all over the world. Wi-Fi which

is a local-area networking standard developed by IEEE 802.II where as Wi-Max which is the relatively new

IEEE 802.16 standard, both are the wireless replacement for a wired broadband connection. Wi-Fi has

revolutionized the networking concept and has made the dream of having an always-available, reliable,

high-speed, easy-to-connect LAN possible, using inexpensive base-station.

1. INTRODUCTION

This paper provides incumbent wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) like WI-FI and WI-MAX.

Wireless Technology is an alternative to Wired Technology, which is commonly used for connecting

devices in wireless mode. Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) is a generic term that refers to the IEEE 802.11

communications standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) which uses radio waves to transmit

data back and forth in computers. It covers IEEE 802.11 standards including 802.11a, 802.11b and

802.11g. Wi-Fi is supported by most personal computer operating systems, many game consoles, laptops,

smart phones, printers and other peripherals. Cell phones and palm pilots can only be connected to the

internet by wireless connection. Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, founded in 1999 as WECA

(Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance).

Wi-Max is designed to extend local Wi-Fi networks across greater distance, the most fundamental

difference between Wi-Max and Wi-Fi is that they are designed for totally different application .Wi-Fi is

local network technology designed to add mobility to private wired LANs while Wi-Max means

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is the technology is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard.

Wi-Max was designed to deliver a metro area broadband access (BWA) service. The idea behind BWA is
to provide a fixed location wireless internet access service to compete with cable modems and DSL. So,

while Wi-Fi supports transmission ranges up to a few hundred meters, Wi-Max system could support user

at range up to 30 miles. {1, 2}.The paper give a brief insight of both Wi-Fi and Wi-Max technologies with

there comparative usage as well as focus is also given on security issues regarding Wi-Fi.

2. The Wi-Fi Technology :

Many people use wireless networking, also called Wi-Fi or 802.11 networking, to connect their computers
at home or office without the need of wire. The big advantage of Wi-Fi is its simplicity as they are easy to
set up and inexpensive. In the near future, wireless networking may become so widespread that you can
access the Internet just about anywhere at any time, without using wires. {3}{4}

Radio waves are the keys which make Wi-Fi networking possible. These radio signals are transmitted from

antennas, routers and are picked up by Wi-Fi receivers such as computers and cell phones that are equipped

with Wi-Fi cards. Whenever a computer receives any of the signals within the range of a Wi-Fi network,

the Wi-Fi card will read the signals and thus create an internet connection between the user and the network

without the use of a cord. The basic concept of radio signals used in Wi-Fi networking is usually compared

to that of walkie talkies. These walkie talkies can transmit and receive radio signals which makes possible

to communicate with one another. Thus the same idea is used when it comes to radio signals in Wi-Fi

networking. The main sources of radio waves come from the antenna or router which transmits these waves
to another antenna, in this case, Wi-Fi cards, which give a direct signal to the user for internet access.

Usually the connection speed is increases as the computer gets closer to the main source of the signal and

decreases when the computer gets further away. Today laptops are coming with Wi-Fi card in built with

them or a user can install Wi-Fi cards into our computers in the form of USB antenna {5}. All you really

need to set up the typical Wi-Fi network which comprises a sender and a receiver. The typical sender is a

Wireless router that hooks up to your modem. There can be certain obstacles in signal strength, such as

furniture and thick walls. Currently there are three forms of the 802.11 standard proposed by the IEEE:

802.11b, which came before 802.11a, and then 802.11g as its last form. Wi-Fi radios that work with

802.11b and 802.11g broadcasts at a frequency rate of 2.4 GHz while those that comply with the 802.11a

form broadcasts at 5GHz. The higher frequency allows faster data rates. {5}

3. Wi-Fi SECURITY

Like any network, wireless LAN must be secured to ensure data integrity and protection of privacy. Wi-fi is

a new and exciting technology used to network homes and coffee houses. Connecting to the Internet

wirelessly presents a whole new set of security concerns. If you're setting up a wireless Wi-Fi network in

your home, you're going to need to take some extra security precautions to keep your computer safe and

secure. The technique called RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service) is introduced for the

protection of data in Wi-Fi. The wireless client contacts the access points, which in turn communicates with
the RADIUS server on the enterprise LAN that then verifies the client's credentials to determine whether

the device is authorized to connect to the LAN. If the RADIUS server accepts the client device, the server

sends data, including security keys, to the access point to enable a secure connection with the client. The

recommendations below summarize the steps you should take to improve the security of your home

wireless network.

• USE STRONG PASSWORDS: For sound security issues, firstly a users have to change the

default administrator password and a sufficient strong password is to be implemented which is not easily

guessable.

• USE GOOD WIRELESS ENCRYPTION: A slightly more complicated but more secure way to

keep out strangers is by encrypting (or scrambling) your wireless network password. Anyone seeking to

access your Wi-Fi network will need to type in the correct encrypted password. Many older base stations

use Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption to jumble the passwords. While this encryption code

will keep out a casual hacker, it has proven weak against more determined hackers. With a freely

available tool like aircrack, you can sniff wireless traffic protected by WEP and crack security on that

network in a matter of minutes. A new encryption protocol, called Wireless Protected Access (WPA),

comes with newer base stations.{6,7}

• DON’T BROADCAST YOUR SSID: SSID refers to Service Set Identifier , in this

recommendation user have to reconfigure the base station .This is the easiest way to prevent someone

from accessing your Wi-Fi network but it does not provide real security.

• SHUT DOWN THE NETWORK WHEN IT IS NOT USED: It simply means to use the Wi-Fi

only in the time of its utility. {6,7}

4. WI-MAX TECHNOLOGY: Wi-Max is a broad term that means 'wide wireless access' across an entire

city and it available in both indoor and outdoor versions which are comparable in size to a cable modem or

DSL modem. Wi-MAX is a wireless digital communications system, also known as IEEE 802.16 and

it is a second-generation protocol that allows for more efficient bandwidth use, interference avoidance, and

is intended to allow higher data rates over longer distances. However, Wi-MAX is very different from Wi-

Fi in the way it works. Wi-Max is potentially better in terms of coverage, self-installation, power

consumption, and bandwidth efficiency while comparing to Wi-Fi.

The Wi-Max network includes two key components: a base station and a subscriber device.

BASE STATION is basically the place where the Wi-Max tower is being set or mounted to broadcast the

wireless signal. Tower has range of around 9.5 km radius result in covering the whole city with the help of

few towers. Problem arises with Wi-Fi during traveling as its range of service is quite small, but in Wi-Max

technology range is quite high so it keeps a user away with the problem he face during Wi-Fi.

SUBSCRIBER DEVICE receives the signals on all Wi-Max enabled devices. With the receiver a router

can be connected thus creating a Wi-Fi network within.

5. FIXED AND MOBILE WI-MAX: Fixed Wi-Max is developed on the basis of IEEE 802.16-2004 or

IEEE 802.16d standard. It is suitably applied for LOS (LOS short for line of sight where a high frequency

signal travels the air directly from wireless transmitter to wireless receiver without any obstacle) and

NLOS (non line of sight in which a signal of lower frequency travels from wireless transmitter to wireless

receiver facing obstacle in his path and this propagation signal may be absorbed, scattered, reflected or
refracted), where as mobile Wi-Max is based upon IEEE 802.16e standard which is primarily focuses on

portable and mobile application in NLOS environment.

6. Wi-Fi VERSUS Wi-Max

• Wi-Max is a long mile system that uses license spectrum to deliver a point to point connection from ISP
to an end user. Different types of access are being provided by IEEE 802.16 in the form of both fixed and

mobile Wi-Max where as Wi-Fi is a shorter range (up to hundreds of meters) system which uses

unlicensed spectrum to provide access to the internet.

• The rate of data transmission for Wi-Max is 70 Mbps where as for Wi-Fi it is 54 Mbps.

• Wi-Fi range is about 100 feet where as the range of Wi-Max is about 30 miles or 50 km with wireless
access. The increase in Wi-Max range is due to high frequency signal used and high powered transmitter.

7. CONCLUSION:

Wi-Fi and Wi-Max is the framework for the evolution of wireless broadband. Both Wi-Fi and Wi-Max

signals the arrival of the next wave of wireless data technology. Unhampered by the short range and data

orientation of wireless LANs, these technologies hold the promise of taking high speed wireless and

suppose to provide a better and efficient connectivity.

8. REFRENCES

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi

2. http://www.electronics-manufacturers.com/products/wireless-communication

3. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wireless-network.htm

4. urtechfriend.googlepages.com/TheWi-FiTechnology.doc

5. www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~d_na/How%20WiFi%20Works2.doc

6. http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/security/?p=364

7. http://security.getnetwise.org/tips/wifi

8. http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Dyson