Wireless Flashcards
When looking at a radio wave - what is the relationship of frequency to distance?
The higher the frequency of the radio wave, the shorter the distance it will be able to travel.
What is the frequency of a radio wave?
The number of oscillations or pulses in a given time period - expressed in Hertz (Hz)
What is the wavelength of a radio wave?
The distance between two peaks or valleys of a radio wave.
What is the amplitude of a radio wave?
The “height” of a radio wave, which is indicative of it’s power/energy.
In wireless, what are the two purposes to manipulate the amplitude of a wave?
- Increase broadcast distance
- Convey information or data (using small variations in amplitude)
In wireless, what is the unit of measure for the power of a radio wave’s amplitude?
Watts - most wireless signals are expresses in milliwatts, though (1/1,000 of a Watt)
In wireless, what is the function of a Decibel (dB)?
To compare two levels of absolute power to each other: the source and the reference
What is EIRP and how is it measured?
Effective Isotropic Radiated Power - measured in Decibels (dB), an expression of how powerful a signal is being broadcast:
Transmitter (dB) - Cable Loss (dB) + Antenna Gain (dB)
What is RSSI and how is it measured?
Received Signal Strength Indication - expressed as a negative Decimal number relative to 1 milliwatt (-dBm). The lower the negative number, the better the quality of signal. (-20 great, -90 not usable)
What is SNR and how it is measured?
Signal to Noise Ratio - in Decibels (dB) its an expression of the difference of our wireless signal over the noise floor. A good number is between 25 - 40 dB.
What are the three most prevalent wireless channels used in the 2.4 Ghz range and why?
Channels 1, 6, and 11 - because they are spaced out far enough in the 2.5 Ghz frequency range (2400 Mhz - 2483 Mhz) there is no frequency overlap.
What two characteristics make 802.11ax unique among wireless standards?
- ability to use 1Ghz through 6Ghz frequency
- Bi-Directional MUMINO (Multi-User Multi-In/Multi-Out)
What is one of the biggest drawbacks of the 802.11ac standard?
160Mhz channels has a lot of potential for channel overlap and interference.
When considering any wireless standard that leverages MIMO, what client-side characteristic should be considered?
The number of wireless antennas the device has. This will affect multi-path capabilities and throughput.
What wireless standards support some form of MIMO?
- 802.11n
- 802.11ac
- 802.11ax
What is the biggest drawback to wireless being a Half-Duplex technology?
The slowest client in the “chain” of communication can cause delay for all the others communicating with a given access point.
What is an Isotopic radiation pattern?
A theoretically “perfect” radiation pattern where the signal is broadcast evenly in every direction. This is not possible in actuality but used to describe a “perfect scenario” in wireless terms.
What is inefficient about the way a dipole antenna broadcasts a signal?
The broadcast signal is weaker above and below the antenna (via the E-Plane)
What is the difference between an Autonomous Access Point and a Light-Weight Access Point?
Autonomous: All of the management of the wireless traffic is done on the AP (home router)
Light-Weight: Management and routing decisions are made by Controllers the APs are attached to on the back-end.