Wireless Security - Network

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Wireless network may be classified into different categories based on the range of operation they offer. The most common classification scheme divides the wireless networks into four categories listed in the table below, together with short examples.

Category	Coverage	Examples	Applications
Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN)	Very short - max 10 meters but usually much smaller	Bluetooth, 802.15, IrDA communication	Data exchange between smartphones Headsets Smart watches
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)	Moderate - inside the apartments or work places.	802.11 Wi-Fi	Wireless extension of the local network used in − Enterprises Markets Airport Home
Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN)	All around the city	Wimax, IEEE 802.16 or proprietary technologies	Between homes and businesses
Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN)	Throughout the world	3G, LTE	Wireless access to the internet from

This tutorial is mainly going to cover WLAN technology, however we will also cover the various aspects of Bluetooth communication (WPAN).

Wireless Technology Statistics

Just to give you some proof, that wireless technologies will affect our lives in more and more ways every year. Have a look at the sample statistics that have been found! Some of them seems to be a scary, but at the same time they simply show how much we rely on wireless communication nowadays.

• By 2020, around 24 Billion devices will be connected to the internet, with more than half connected via wireless. This is true Internet of Things (IoT). How does it sound, taking into a fact that we have around 7.4 Billion people living on the earth now?
• About 70% of all the types of wireless communication is Wi-Fi (802.11 standard).
• The speed of the Wi-Fi network has grown from 802.11a - 54Mbps (in 1999) to ac-wave 1 - 1.3 Gbps (in 2012). On top of that, there is the 801.11ac-wave2 on the horizon with multi-Gbps speeds.
• Every day, millions of people are making cash transfer and accessing their bank account using smartphones over the Wi-Fi!

Are you still hesitant about the importance of security in wireless implementations?

Wi-Fi Networks

The choice of devices used in wireless deployments is influenced by the type of deployment whether this is going to be a network for a small house, shop, a big enterprise network or the one for hotels.

Scale	Example	Type of devices used
Small deployments	Home, Small shops	Most often home router/switch (integrated with wireless AP)
Big deployments	Hotels, Enterprises, Universities	Huge number of AP's Centralized wireless controller RFID based services Other type of wireless location tracking services