Wireless and mobile networks Flashcards
Which 3 functions are necessary for a DCF?
NAV, RTS/CTS, CSMA/CA.
How does the IEEE 802.11 ad hoc mode work?
The nodes can communicate directly with each other, meaning that one node can send a packet to another. It is decentralized.
How does the IEEE 802.11 infrastructure mode work?
In the infrastructure mode, an access point (AP) is necessary. The nodes communicate with each other through the AP. It is centralized. The client sends and receives its packets through the AP.
Which IEEE 802.11 work on the 2.4 GHz ISM band?
802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n.
Which IEEE 802.11 work on the 5 GHz UNII band?
802.11a, 802.11n, 802.11ac.
How many channels are there in the ISM band?
14, but only 13 used in Europe.
How many non-overlapping channels are there in the 5 GHz UNII band? Which ones?
24.
UNII-1: 36, 40, 44, 48
UNII-2: 52, 56, 60, 64
UNII-2e: 100-144
UNII-3: 149, 153, 157, 161, 165
How many devices can there be in a Bluetooth piconet?
Up to 7 devices/slaves and one master.
Which channels don’t overlap in the 2.4 GHz ISM band?
1, 6, 11.
Make a comparison of 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band regarding Wi-Fi and range.
2.4 GHz:
- Plauged by non-Wi-Fi interference since Bluetooth,
microwaves etc operate on the same channel.
- Longer range.
- Universal compatibility.
5 GHz:
- Very little non-Wi-Fi interference.
- Shorter range.
- Limited compatibility (802.11a/n/ac).
Which devices use the 2.4 GHz ISM band?
Microwaves, Bluetooth.
What does FHSS stand for and what is the purpose of it?
FHSS = frequency hopping spread spectrum. A signal modulation method, introduced in the IEEE 802.11 base version.
The purpose of FHSS is to avoid interference, to prevent eavesdropping and to enable code-division multiple access (CDMA).
What does DSSS stand for and how does it work?
What about the bandwidth?
DSSS = direct-sequence spread spectrum. A modulation method used to reduce overall signal interference. DSSS makes the transmitted signal wider in bandwidth than the information bandwidth.
How does beamforming work? Can you give one example?
Beamforming has directional transmission, meaning that the signal is stronger. A flashlight is a type of beamforming since it only sends light in one direction.
How does CSMA/CA work?
Carrier-sensing multiple access/collision avoidance. The goal is to avoid collisions from occurring, not detecting them.
Nodes attempt to avoid collisions by starting transmission after the channel is sensed to be idle. Important for wireless networks.
What is the objective of power management?
The objective is to increase the battery life.
How many channels does Bluetooth have?
79
How does a piconet work and where is it mainly used?
A piconet is a small ad hoc network, used in Bluetooth. It has one master and up to 7 active slaves. It can have a total of 255 slaves, but not in active status at the same time. The master can put a parked slave in active mode by inactivating another.
What is the bandwidth of each channel in the 2.4 GHz ISM band?
22 MHz.
What does NAV stand for and how does it work? Where is it used?
NAV = network allocation vector. It should be thought of as a counter, counting down to zero (0) at a uniform rate. Used in DCF.
NAV is a virtual carrier-sensing mechanism used with Wi-Fi.
What does RTS/CTS stand for and how does it work? Where is it used?
RTS = request to send. CTS = clear to send. RTS/CTS is used in DCF mode. A frame sends a RTS to see if the medium is idle, if it is then the frame is transmitted, CTS. If the medium is not idle, the medium waits for a random amount of time and then it sends a new RTS.
What is spatial multiplexing (SM) and how does it work?
SM is a multiplexing technique used in MIMO. Simultaneous transmission of streams by different antennas, all operating on the same channel.
What is a basic service set (BSS)?
A BSS is a group of stations, with only one access point (AP). The AP is considered as the master that controls all wireless devices within the BSS.
BSS is a small range network –> more secure.
What is an extended service set (ESS)? Range?
An ESS is a group of BSS’s, which means that an ESS had more than one access point (AP). ESS is a long range network –> less secure than BSS.
What happens when a user walks from one side of the building to another in terms of changing AP’s?
The user will stay connected to the same network, but the user will go from one AP to another and she will also get a new SSID.
What is roaming?
Roaming is when a user changes network location, meaning that the user will connect to a new network and therefore a new AP. Roaming is when a phone is used outside the range of its native network and connecting to another available network.
What is the hidden terminal problem?
The hidden terminal means that there are stations hidden to one another. This means that the two stations can transmit a package at the same time to a third station in the middle, and collision will occur at the middle station since the outer two stations cannot sense each other and do therefore not know that the other one is already transmitting a package.
What is IFS and how does it work?
IFS = interframe spacing. IFS is a period of time where the medium is idle. IFS is the time from the end of one frame to the beginning of the next one.
IFS is part of a greater process which is used to avoid collisions with other frames.
How does SIFS work and what does it stand for?
SIFS = short interframe spacing. It is the difference in time between the first symbol of the response frame in the air and the last symbol of the received frame in the air. It has higher priority.
SIFS < DIFS.
How does DIFS work and what does it stand for?
DIFS = DCF interframe spacing.
DIFS is the time interval that a station should wait before it sends its request frame. It is the minimum medium idle time.
Which access method do the IEEE 802.11 networks use?
802.11b/a/g/n/ac all use CSMA/CA as access method.
Which is the maximum data rate of 802.11 base version?
2 Mbps.
Which is the maximum data rate of 802.11b?
11 Mbps.
Which is the maximum data rate of 802.11a?
54 Mbps.
Which is the maximum data rate of 802.11g?
54 Mbps.
Which is the maximum data rate of 802.11n?
600 Mbps.
Which is the maximum data rate of 802.11ac?
6.9 Gbps.
What is the WLAN architecture?
WLAN consists of a distribution system (DS), BSS with their APs and stations(computers), a portal and all of these elements are part of an ESS.
Which protocols belong to the physical layer?
PMD = physical medium dependent and
PLCP = physical layer convergence protocol
Which protocols belong to the data link control layer?
MAC = medium access control and
LLC = logical link control
What is a distribution system (DS)?
DS has a centralized computer system in the middle, other computer systems connected to it and then the DS software where it stores databases.
What does the MAC layer do?
Encryption, fragmentation, numbering, addressing.
What does the PMD layer do?
Online coding and modulation.
What does the PLCP layer do?
PLCP listens to the carrier and unit adaption of the MAC to PMD data.
What does the LLC layer do?
It controls the logic parts such as synchronization, multiplexing and flow control.
What does a service access point (SAP) do?
SAP requests the service of another protocol layer, for example can the MAC layer request service from the PHY layer.
What does MIMO stand for and how does it work?
MIMO = multiple-input, multiple-output.
MIMO is when you multiply the capacity of a radio link using the transmission and receiving antennas to exploit multipath propagation.
Used mainly in IEEE 802.11n and 802.11ac.
MU-MIMO only works in the 5 GHz in 802.11ac. Only affects the download link, not the upload link.
What does PCF stand for and how does it work?
PCF = point coordination function.
PCF > DCF.
What does DCF stand for and how does it work? In which layer is DCF used?
DCF = distribution coordination function.
DCF is the fundamental MAC technique of WLAN.
A station which only uses DCF might not gain access to the medium due to the fact that PFC > DCF. The solution to this is to use a repetition interval which covers both the contention free PCF and contention based DCF.
beacon frame - PCF - DCF
————-CFP————|CP
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using wireless communication instead of Ethernet?
Advantages: more robust to natural disasters since it doesn’t require cables, less costly since there is no cables.
Disadvantages: wireless communication is less secure, interference more likely.
Differences between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi?
Bluetooth:
- Used to connect different devices to each other.
- Usually no password –> less secure.
- Shorter range than Wi-Fi, usually 10 m.
- Slower data rate than Wi-Fi.
- Bluetooth uses less power –> smaller batteries.
- Less vulnerable to interference, since it uses FHSS.
Wi-Fi:
- Used to connect devices to internet.
- Usually requires a password.
- Longer range than Bluetooth, 30-91 m.
- Faster data rate than Bluetooth.
- Wi-Fi uses more power –> more costly.
What is ad hoc VANET mode and when is it used?
VANET = vehicular ad hoc network.
It is used to improve road safety by improving communication between the vehicles and the road.
What does WSN stand for? When is it used?
WSN = wireless sensor network.
Applications: surveillance and monitoring for security.
What does WMN stand for? When is it used?
WMN = wireless mesh network.
Applications: medical and industrial monitoring.
What does OFDM stand for? What is it?
OFDM = orthogonal frequency division multiplexing.
If we have three waves/signals, when one of them is at its peak, the other two will be at null.
It is a type of digital transmission and a method of encoding digital data on multiple carrier frequencies.
What are the layers of the OSI model called?
The OSI model contains 7 protocol layers.
- Physical layer
- Data link layer
- Network layer
- Transport layer
- Session layer
- Presentation layer
- Application layer
What is clear channel assessment (CCA)?
CCA is when the station checks if the medium is idle or not, so it knows if it can transmit a package or if it has to wait.