Hardening IEEE 802.11 wireless networks

IEEE 802.11 is a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standard which specifies a radio interface and Layer 2 (Link Layer) protocol for data communications in the 2.4 Ghz spectrum. 802.11b supports up to 11 Mbps of capacity, depending on what part of the world you are in, and has a range of up to a hundred meters or more in open spaces, but more like 50 Meters in a practical office environment using off the shelf equipment. 802.11b is not just popular, it is now widespread. Shipments of 802.11b WLAN (just WLAN from now on) components now exceed 3 million units per quarter as of late 2001 – and are growing fast1. Increasingly, WLANs will replace the traditional fixed-line LANs because of their flexibility, affordability and the Return on Investnment they offer through cheap deployment and support costs2. There are dozens manufacturers of WLAN products, which is contributing to the growth of the market and competitive prices3.

Từ khóa: wireless networks, Wireless Local Area Network, data communications, truyền thông dữ liệu, kỹ thuật mạng, công nghệ mạng