The Future of Hotspots: Making Wi-Fi as Secure and Easy to
Use as Cellular
ABSTRACT
Wi-Fi
is a local area wireless computer networking
technology that allows electronic devices to network, mainly using the 2.4
gigahertz (12 cm) UHF and 5 gigahertz (6 cm) SHF
ISM radio bands.
The term "Wi-Fi" is used in general English as a synonym for "WLAN" since most
modern WLANs are based on these standards. "Wi-Fi" is a trademark of
the Wi-Fi Alliance. The "Wi-Fi CERTIFIED" trademark can only be used
by Wi-Fi products that successfully complete Wi-Fi Alliance interoperability
certification testing.
Many
devices can use Wi-Fi, e.g. personal computers, video-game consoles, smart phones, digital
cameras, tablet computers
and digital audio players. These can connect to a network resource such as the
Internet via a wireless network
access point. Such an access point (or hotspot) has a range of about
20 meters (66 feet) indoors and a greater range outdoors. Hotspot coverage can
comprise an area as small as a single room with walls that block radio waves,
or as large as many square kilometers achieved by using multiple overlapping
access points.
According
to the Wi-Fi Alliance, about 200 million households use Wi-Fi networks, and
there are about 750,000 Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide. Wi-Fi is used by over 700
million people and there are about 800 million new Wi-Fi devices every year.
Cisco has shipped over 11 million access points
to customers worldwide.
IEEE
802.11 standard
The
IEEE 802.11 standard is a set of media access control
(MAC) and physical layer
(PHY) specifications for implementing wireless local area
network (WLAN) computer communication in the
2.4, 3.6, 5, and 60 GHz frequency
bands. They are created and maintained by the IEEE LAN/MAN
Standards Committee (IEEE 802). The base
version of the standard was released in 1997.
Internet
Access
Wi-Fi
technology may be used to provide Internet access
to devices that are within the range of a wireless network
that is connected to the Internet. The coverage of one or more interconnected access points
(hotspots) can extend from an area as small as a few rooms to as large
as many square kilometers. Coverage in the larger area may require a group of
access points with overlapping coverage.
Devices
A wireless access point (WAP) connects a
group of wireless devices to an adjacent wired LAN. An access point resembles a network hub,
relaying data between connected wireless devices in
addition to a (usually) single connected wired device, most often an Ethernet
hub or switch, allowing wireless devices to communicate with other wired
devices. Wireless adapters allow
devices to connect to a wireless network. These adapters connect to devices
using various external or internal interconnects such as PCI, miniPCI, USB, ExpressCard,
Cardbus and PC Card.
As of 2010, most newer laptop computers come equipped with built in internal
adapters.
Range
The Wi-Fi signal range depends
on the frequency band, radio power output, antenna gain and antenna type as
well as the modulation technique. Line-of-sight is the thumbnail guide but
reflection and refraction can have a significant impact. An access point
compliant with either 802.11b or 802.11g,
using the stock antenna might have a range of 100 m (330 ft). The
same radio with an external semi parabolic antenna (15db gain) might have a
range over 20 miles.
Securing
Methods
A
common measure to deter unauthorized users involves hiding the access point's
name by disabling the SSID broadcast. Another method is to only
allow computers with known MAC addresses
to join the network. Wired Equivalent
Privacy (WEP)
encryption was designed to protect against casual snooping but it is no longer
considered secure. Tools such as AirSnort or Aircrack-ng can quickly recover WEP encryption keys. Because of WEP's
weakness the Wi-Fi Alliance approved Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) which uses TKIP
(Temporal Key Integrity Protocol).
The more secure WPA2 using Advanced Encryption Standard was
introduced in 2004 and is supported by most new Wi-Fi devices, WPA2 is fully compatible with WPA.
Growing
Data Demand\
In 2010, global mobile
data traffic nearly tripled (it grew to be 2.6 times larger than the previous
year) for the third year in a row, despite a slow economic recovery, increased
traffic offload, and the advent of tiered pricing.
• Global mobile data
traffic will increase 26 times from 2010 to 2015, a 92 percent compound annual
growth rate (CAGR).
• The average mobile
connection speed will increase by a factor of 10 from 2010 (215 kbps) to 2015
(2.2 Mbps), a 60 percent CAGR.
• The average mobile
connection speed will increase 10 times from 2010 (215 kbps) to 2015 (2.2
Mbps), a 60 percent CAGR.
• By 2015, global
mobile data traffic will reach an annual run rate of 75 Exabyte per year. 75 Exabyte
is equal to 75 times more than all IP traffic generated in 2000, or 19 billion
DVDs, or 536 quadrillion SMS text messages.
Next-Generation
Hotspot
• Network discovery and
selection: Mobile devices will discover and automatically select and
connect to Wi-Fi networks based upon user preferences and network optimization.
• Streamlined network access:
Mobile devices will be automatically granted access to the network based upon
credentials such as SIM cards, which are widely used in cellular devices today.
No user intervention will be required.
• Security: Over-the-air
transmissions will be encrypted using the latest-generation security technology
(Wi-Fi Certified WPA2-Enterprise). The key elements for
Release 2 of the Wi-Fi Certified Pass point certification program, anticipated
to launch in Q4CY2013, are as follows:
• Immediate account provisioning:
The process of establishing a new user account at the point of access will
be simplified, eliminating many user steps and driving a common provisioning
methodology across vendors.
• Provisioning of operator policy
for network selection: A mobile device's connection manager uses this
policy to select the best Wi-Fi network to join when multiple networks are
available.
Applications
·
Turn Your Smartphone into a Remote Control
·
Wirelessly Transfer Photos from Your Digital Camera
·
Stream Audio to Any Speakers in the House
Conclusion
Wi-Fi networks are an essential
component to meet the ever-growing demand for mobile broadband. The business
value of Wi-Fi will continue to expand by offering users consistent, portable
connectivity. What's more, that business value will be realized via seamless
authentication, provisioning, and roaming.
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