Wireless Networking

Why Wireless?

 Advantages
– Mobility (on the go)

– Flexibility (any place, any time, temporary, permanent)

– No problems with wiring (e.g. historical buildings, fire protection,

esthetics), also cost reducing

– Robust against disasters like earthquake, fire; in emergency situations

 It has really been a wireless revolution decade…with more to come

 Wireless is no longer a luxury but a necessity
Wireless Technology is everywhere

Driven by technology and vision

Wireless technologies
Device miniaturization
Mobile computing platforms

Need for ubiquitous connectivity

The field is moving fast
Image courtesy: Google
 The Wireless Revolution

 Cellular is the fastest growing sector of communication industry

(exponential growth since 1982, with over 2.5 billion users
worldwide today)
– Wireless mobile services grew from 11 million subscribers worldwide in
1990 to over 2 billion in 2005
– In the same period, the Internet grew from being a curious academic tool to
about 1 billion users
Estimated Global Subscribers mid 2006

2500
2200

2000
[subs x000,000]

1500

1023
1000

500
250

0
Internet Cell Phones Broadband
 WLAN Market: WiFi

Forecast Sales of Wi-Fi Equipment Worldwide WLAN Infrastructure

(Source: InfoTech Trends) Shipments (Source: Gartner)
5

Millions of Units
4
6
5
3
$-bil

2 3
2
1 1
0
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

WLAN growing exponentially

Today, NY city is totally
covered by Wi-Fi hotspots
Source: Pyramid Research

Source: AirTight Networks

Today, Variety of Wireless-Capable Devices

But how did it all get started?

Image courtesy: Google

An overview of Wireless Networks
 Wireless History

•1895: Marconi demonstrated the first radio based wireless transmission

•1901: First radio reception across the Atlantic Ocean
•1924: First Mobile Radio Telephone

Image courtesy: Google

 Early Cellular Systems

 1940s-50s: cellular concept discovered

 1946: First Mobile Telephone System (MTS) introduced in 25 cities in

USA
 Half-duplex
 Everything was “manual” in MTS
 Maximum 3 calls supported!!!
 Huge Mobile transceivers

 1960: Improved MTS (IMTS)

 Automatic call switching and full duplex
 Supported 23 channels
 MTS & IMTS used high power BS and used the spectrum inefficiently

Image courtesy: Google

 Early Cellular Systems (contd.)

 Post-1960: High power BS replaced by low-power low

coverage stations

 1st Generation (1G): Analog Systems

– Designed in late 1960s but due to regulatory delays deployed in
early 1980s

– 1983: The first analog cellular system deployed in Chicago:

Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), saturated by 1984

 2nd generation (2G): Digital Systems: early 90s

– Represent voice signal digitally
– Higher capacity
– Higher speed
– Reduced cost and power efficiency of digital hardware
– Encryption
 Early Cellular Systems (contd.)

 A number of 2G systems became very popular…

 Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) became famous

in Europe and partly in USA
– Operating around 900 MHz and also in 1800 MHz
– Primarily for voice
– GSM defines number of frequency channels, divided into uplink and downlink, in
turn divided into timeslots
– We will study GSM in detail later in this class…

 High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD) and General Packet

Radio Service (GPRS)
– Extension of GSM: Primarily for data applications
– GPRS is packet switched while GSM and HSCSD are circuit switched network

– *** What is circuit switching and packet switching? ***

 Circuit Switching

 End-end resources
reserved for “call”

– dedicated bandwidth
resources: no sharing
– circuit-like (guaranteed)
performance
– call setup required
 Packet Switching

A C

1.5 Mb/s
B
queue of packets
waiting for output
link

D E

each end-end data stream divided into packets

 user A, B packets share network resources
 each packet uses full link bandwidth
 resources used as needed
 Wireless Data Systems

 Characteristics of data systems are different from voice systems

– Data systems are characterized by bursty transmissions
– Unless there is a packet to transmit, terminals remain idle
– Appropriate for packet switching and sharing the resources among multiple users

 ALOHANET developed at University of Hawaii, first wireless data systems, 1971

 Wireless data systems revolutionized by Wireless LAN

– Commenced in the late 1980s
– Driven by FCC’s decision to authorize license-free bands
– Provide high speed data within a relatively small region
– IEEE standard 802.11
– Will study IEEE 802.11 system in detail

 A wide variety of wireless data systems now exist – can be categorized based on
coverage area
 IEEE Wireless Standards

RAN
IEEE 802.22
WAN

IEEE 802.20
IEEE 802.16e
MAN
IEEE 802.16d
WiMAX

LAN
IEEE 802.11
Wi-Fi

IEEE 802.15 PAN

Bluetooth

Image courtesy: Google

 Wireless LANs: WiFi/802.11

 Based on the IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n family of standards

 Designed to provide in-building or campus broadband coverage.
– IEEE 802.11b peak physical layer data rate of 11 Mbps
– IEEE 802.11a/g peak physical layer data rate of 54 Mbps and
indoor coverage over a distance of 100 feet.

 Much higher peak data rates than 3G systems, primarily since it

operates over a larger bandwidth (20 MHz).
– Its MAC scheme CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access) is
inefficient for large numbers of users
– The interference constraints of operating in the license-exempt
band is likely to significantly reduce the actual capacity of
outdoor Wi-Fi systems.
– Wi-Fi systems are not designed to support high-speed mobility
 WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network)

 Cable replacement RF technology (low cost)

 Short range {10m (1mW), 100m (100 mW)}
– Lower power than WiFi
 Widely supported by telecommunications, PC,
and consumer electronics companies.
– Hands free phone (ear set) for cars, internet
chat/VoIP
– Intra-car networking announced by some
car manufacturers in Europe

 IEEE 802.15 includes seven task groups…

– Numbered from 1 – 7 with each of them having own
responsibility

Image courtesy: Google

 WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network)

 IEEE 802.15.1
– WPAN/Bluetooth standard: includes MAC and PHY spec.
 IEEE 802.15.2
– Addresses the issue of coexistence of WPAN with other wireless devices such as
WLAN
 IEEE 802.15.3
– MAC and PHY standard for high rate WPANs
 IEEE 802.15.4
– MAC and PHY standard for low rate but high endurance (power-aware)
 IEEE 802.15.5
– Mesh networking standards for WPAN devices
 IEEE 802.15.6
– Body area network standard (low power, low frequency), can be helpful in health
monitoring
 IEEE 802.15.7
– Very recently started..still working
– PHY and MAC standard for visible light communications
 WiMAX: worldwide interoperability of microwave access

2 . 16 -2004
80
WiFi

WiFi
Urban WiFi
DSL/T1
04
Replacemen 802
80 200
2.16-20
WiFi WiFi
t

WiFi
-2 004 802
.16e
0 2.1 6
WiFi 8

Rural
802
Rural .16e
Rural Rural
Broadband

Image courtesy: Google

 WiMAX Fixed and Mobile

 WiMAX Fixed / Nomadic  WiMAX Mobile

– 802.16d or 802.16-2004 – 802.16e
– Usage: Backhaul, Wireless DSL – Usage: Long-distance mobile
– Devices: outdoor and indoor wireless broadband
installed CPE – Devices: PC Cards, Notebooks
– Frequencies: 2.5GHz, 3.5GHz and future handsets
and 5.8GHz (Licensed and LE) – Frequencies: 2.5GHz
– Description: wireless connections – Description: Wireless connections
to homes, businesses, and other to laptops, PDAs and handsets
WiMAX or cellular network towers when outside of Wi-Fi hotspot
coverage

Image courtesy: Google

 Wide Area: Satellite Systems

 Cover very large areas

 Different orbit heights
– Low Earth Orbit (LEO): ~1000 miles
– Mid Earth Orbit (MEO): ~6000 miles
– Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO): ~22,300 miles

 Optimized for one-way transmission

location positioning, GPS systems, Satellite Radio

 Most two-way systems struggling or bankrupt

 Ad hoc Networks

 All the wireless networks mentioned so far are known as

infrastructure network
– Require initial setup
– Radios mostly follow master/slave concept
– Base stations act as master while user devices are controlled by BS
 Infrastructure networks are not appropriate in
– emergency situations like natural disasters or
– military conflicts or
– in areas where access is difficult

 Ad hoc networks are particularly suitable in such scenarios

– Decentralized
– Peer-to-peer
– Does not depend on a central entity
– Minimal configuration and quick deployment
 Ad-Hoc/Mesh Networks

Wireless Ad hoc networks

1. Mobile ad hoc networks
2. Wireless mesh networks
3. Wireless sensor networks

Wireless mesh network

Mobile ad hoc network

Image courtesy: Google

 Wireless Sensor Networks

• Particularly useful for sensing and Event detection

• Battlefield surveillance
• Security surveillance

• Sensor Nodes
• Low power, Small size

Image courtesy: Google

 Wireless Sensor Network
Classification
Infrastructured
•In buildings
• Secured places

Infrastructure-less
•No human intervention
• Not replaceable
• One time deployment
• Finite energy available with sensor
nodes

Image courtesy: Google

 Wireless
Technical Challenges & Basic Concepts
 Challenge 1: Unreliable and Unpredictable Wireless Coverage

 Wireless channel “feels” very different from a wired channel.

– Wireless links are not reliable: they may vary over time and space
– Noise adds on to the signal
– Signal strength falls off rapidly with distance
– Signal strength may weaken due to obstacles
– Medium “air” shared among many users

 Results:
– Capacity is shared with others
– Variable capacity
– Unreliable channel: errors, outages
– Variable delays
 Challenge 2: “Open” Wireless Medium

 Wireless interference

S1 R1

S2 R1
 Challenge 2: “Open” Wireless Medium

 Wireless interference

S1 R1
S2 R1

 Hidden terminals

S1 R1 S2
 Challenge 2: “Open” Wireless Medium

 Wireless interference

S1 R1
S2 R1

 Hidden terminals
S1 R1 S2

 Exposed terminal

R1 S1 S2 R2
 Challenge 2: Open Wireless Medium

 Wireless security
– eavesdropping
– jamming
– denial of service
– and many more…
 Challenge 3: Mobility

 Mobility causes poor-quality wireless links

 Mobility causes intermittent connection

– under intermittent connected networks, traditional routing,
TCP, applications all break

 Mobility changes context, e.g., location

Challenge 4: Portability: Energy-Constrained Nodes

 Limited battery power

 Limited processing, display and storage
 Each node can only send a finite number of bits.
– Transmit energy minimized by maximizing bit time
– Introduces a delay versus energy tradeoff for each bit

 Short-range networks must consider transmit and

processing energy
– Sophisticated techniques not necessarily energy-efficient
– Sleep modes save energy but complicate networking

 Changes everything about the network design:

– Delay vs. throughput vs. node/network lifetime tradeoffs.
– Optimization of node cooperation.
Challenge 5: Crowded Spectrum: FCC Chart

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/allochrt.pdf
 The field is challenging
 With new wireless technologies and with more
sophistication, there are additional challenges…
– Operational
– Security
– Efficiency and more

 This course is all about

– learning current and new wireless technologies
– Understanding the challenges
– Design + Implement new mechanisms to counteract
against the challenges and make wireless networking
more efficient