802.

11 WLANs Physical Layer Security

Topics discussed in this section:

to
JumpingFromFrequency
one another
▪ Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) twomethodsto
solve

▪ Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) theproblemsinthe

previousslide

6.1
 6-1 SPREAD SPECTRUM

byusing specific code wewillsendsingle bit to be 10or bits

In spread spectrum (SS), we combine signals from

different sources to fit into a larger bandwidth, but
our goals are to prevent eavesdropping and
jamming. To achieve these goals, spread spectrum
techniques add redundancy.
widerangeusedtosendmysinglebit

bitsina.y.cn
rigid

6.2
 Wireless LANs vs Wired LANs (from previous slides)
A wired LAN or a wireless LAN operates only in the lower two layers miss
of the TCP/IP protocol suite.
That is,
Wired LAN to wireless LAN just needs to change wireless NIC and
replace link layer switch to link layer wires access point

The IP address and other layers above remain the same

6.3
Wireless LANs vs Wired LANs (from previous slides)

missix
Wireless LANs vs Wired LANs (from previous slides)

missix
 Spread Spectrum
is
P
◼ A signal that occupies i a bandwidth of B, is spread out to
occupy a bandwidth of Bss
◼ All signals are spread to occupy the same bandwidth
Bss
◼ Signals are spread with different codes so that they can
be separated at the receivers.
◼ Signals can be spread in the frequency domain or in the
time domain.

6.6
 Figure 6.27 Spread spectrum

The figure shows the original bandwidth B and the spread bandwidth
BSS.
iwlcw

6.7
 Spread spectrum- Two Principles

Principal 1: signal
single

The bandwidth allocated to each station needs to be, by far, larger

than what is needed. This allows redundancy

Principal 2:
The expanding of the original bandwidth B to the bandwidth Bss
must be done by a process that is independent of the original.
- Spreading process occurs after the signal is created by the source

6.8
 Spread spectrum- Two Principles

There are two techniques to spread the bandwidth:

1. Frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS)

2. Direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS).

6.9
 Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)

▪ (FHSS) technique uses M different carrier

frequencies that are modulated by the source signal
▪ Modulation is done using one carrier frequency at a
time
5 ▪ At one moment, the signal modulates one carrier
frequency; at the next moment, the signal
modulates another carrier frequency
▪ M frequencies are used in the long run

6.10
 Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)

Definition and Basic Concept

FHSS is a spread spectrum technique in which the transmitter “hops” or changes its carrier frequency rapidly across a set of predefined channels
(frequencies) according to a specific hopping pattern.

Both the transmitter and the receiver must use the same hopping pattern and timing so that the receiver can “follow” the transmitter through the
sequence of frequencies.

How It Works Advantages

Hopping Pattern/Sequence: Interference Avoidance:

The system defines a sequence or list of frequencies By rapidly changing frequencies, FHSS can reduce the
impact of narrowband interference on any single
within a broad band.
channel.
At regular intervals (referred to as the dwell time),
Security Through Obscurity:
the transmitter switches from one frequency to the An eavesdropper or jammer not synchronized to the
next. hopping sequence might have difficulty intercepting or
Synchronization: disrupting the communication.
The receiver knows the exact order and timing of Robustness in Crowded Bands:
hops, allowing it to tune in to the correct frequency Hopping can help mitigate the effects of collisions with
at the right time. other systems using the same or overlapping frequency
Data Transmission: ranges.
Actual data is modulated on the carrier frequency
currently in use. After the dwell time, both parties Disadvantages
“hop” to the next frequency.
Lower Throughput: amountofdata inspecifictime
processed

Hopping between frequencies introduces overhead in

synchronization, which can limit data rates compared to
FHSS - Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum other methods (like DSSS or OFDM).
Complexity:
Both ends need precise synchronization. The hardware
design for rapid hopping can be more complex.
 Figure 6.28 Frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS)

Figure 6.28 shows the general layout for FHSS

The frequency synthesizer

creates a carrier signal of that
frequency

what
The source signal modulates
the carrier signal

6.12
 Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)

missix

6.13
 Figure 6.29 Frequency selection in FHSS

A pseudorandom code generator,

called pseudorandom noise (PN), creates a k-
bit pattern for every hopping period Th

Jumping
FromFreq
toanother
example
on For
571,0
cult
it hated
The frequency table uses the pattern to
find the frequency to be used for this
hopping period and passes it to the
frequency synthesizer.

6.14
 Figure 6.30 FHSS cycles
Figure 6.30 shows how the signal hops around from carrier to carrier. We assume the
required bandwidth of the original signal is 100 kHz.

end
the
1
may

6.15
 Figure 6.31 Bandwidth sharing

If the number of hopping frequencies is M, we can multiplex M channels into one by using the same Bss
bandwidth. This is possible because a station uses just one frequency in each hopping period; M − 1
other frequencies can be used by M − 1 other stations.

6.16
 FHSS- Privacy

▪ How a sender and receiver can have privacy?

Solution:
▪ Let there are many k-bit patterns and the hopping period is short
▪ If an intruder tries to intercept the transmitted signal, she can
only access a small piece of data
▪ Spreading sequence is unknown to her

6.17
 FHSS- Antijamming

▪ How it protects from jamming?

ñ
Solution:
▪ A malicious sender may be able to send noise to jam the signal
for one hopping period (randomly), but not for the whole period.

6.18
 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum

The direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) technique also expands the
bandwidth of the original signal, but the process is different.

In DSSS, each data bit is replaced with n bits using a spreading code- chip rate is n
times that of the data bit

code

Figure 6.32 DSSS

6.19
 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)

Definition and Basic Concept

DSSS is a spread spectrum technique where the original data signal is multiplied by a pseudo-random spreading code
(also called a chipping code) that spreads the signal’s energy over a wider bandwidth than needed for the data rate
alone.

How It Works Advantages

Chipping Code: Resistance to Interference and Noise:
1. Each data bit is represented by multiple “chips,” Spreading the signal over a wider bandwidth makes it
which are high-rate pseudo-random bits. harder for narrowband interference to wipe out the
2. For instance, if the chipping rate is 11 chips per data communication.
bit, each data bit is spread across 11 chips. Security Enhancement:
Signal Spreading: Only receivers with the correct chipping code can
1. This multiplication process spreads the signal power effectively despread the signal, which provides a layer of
across a wider spectrum. protection against casual eavesdropping.
Despreader at Receiver: •Better Throughput than FHSS (in early WLANs):
1. The receiver uses the same pseudo-random code to DSSS typically allowed for higher data rates in the early
“despread” the signal, reconstructing the original 802.11 standards.
data bits.
2. Interference or noise that does not match the code Disadvantages
tends to average out, providing a level of Requires Large Bandwidth:
robustness. Spreading the signal uses more bandwidth, potentially
limiting spectral efficiency in some scenarios.
Code Management:
The transmitter and receiver must share and
synchronize to the same spreading code.

iii
DSSS - Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum
Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum
 understandtheconcept
Figure 6.33 DSSS example of correlation

Let us consider the sequence used in a wireless LAN, the famous Barker
sequence, where n is 11.
Assume that the original signal and the chips in the chip generator use polar
NRZ encoding.

ode

code

innor

Fig. 6.33: chips and the result of multiplying the original data by the chips to
6.22 get the spread signal.
 Figure 6.33 DSSS example – Privacy and Antijamming

Figure 6.33, the spreading code is 11 chips having the pattern 10110111000 (in
this case).
If the original signal rate is N, the rate of the spread signal is 11N - required
bandwidth for the spread signal is 11 times larger than the bandwidth of the
original signal.

i may

Fig. 6.33: chips and the result of multiplying the original data by the chips to
6.23 get the spread signal.
 Figure 6.33 DSSS example – Privacy and Antijamming

The spread signal can provide privacy if the intruder does not know the code.

It can also provide immunity against interference if each station

uses a different code.

Fig. 6.33: chips and the result of multiplying the original data by the chips to
6.24 get the spread signal.
Barker sequence

iii
 Comparing FHSS and DSSS