802.11b
802.11b
The 802.11b amendment to the original standard was ratified in 1999. 802.11b has a maximum raw data rate of 11 Mbit/s and uses the same CSMA/CA media access method defined in the original standard. Due to the CSMA/CA protocol overhead, in practice the maximum 802.11b throughput that an application can achieve is about 5.9 Mbit/s over TCP and 7.1 Mbit/s over UDP.
802.11b is usually used in a point-to-multipoint configuration, wherein an access point communicates via an omni-directional antenna with one or more clients that are located in a coverage area around the access point. Typical indoor range is 30 m at 11 Mbit/s and 90 m at 1 Mbit/s. With high-gain external antennas, the protocol can also be used in fixed point-to-point arrangements, typically at ranges up to eight kilometers (km) although some report success at ranges up to 80–120 km where line of sight can be established. This is usually done in place of costly leased lines or very cumbersome microwave communications equipment. Designers of such installations who wish to remain within the law must however be careful about legal limitations on effective radiated power.
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802.11b Related Products
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3e-527 Access Point featuring 802.11a/b dual mode with integrated 8 port switch and wireless bridge. The 3e-527 combines the benefits of advanced access point features with an integrated 8 port switch in one secure case, built to withstand the rigors of harsh environments. The user management interface is designed to allow quick set up and installation. A key feature is the ability to auto-detect multiple bridges.
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3e525A-3 Wireless Access Point Maximum security and flexibility with outdoor or indoor use. The 3e525A-3 Wireless Access Point is packaged in a rugged NEMA 4/IP 67 weatherproof enclosure and conforms to 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g wireless standards.
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The AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer proactively identifies, classifies, graphs and finds sources of RF interference in all Wi-Fi bands. It is an ideal complement to AirMagnet Laptop, the world's most popular Wi-Fi performance and security troubleshooting tool.
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802.11b Related Industry News
Appliances, standards boost WLAN security When we looked at wireless LAN security last October in a previous Roundup, we painted a fairly bleak picture. At that time, virtual private networks (VPNs) were the best way to fix the well-known vulnerabilities in the Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP), which guards most wireless LANs. But VPNs cost as much as $1,500 per wireless access point (AP) and often forced you to lock yourself into one vendor's gear.
Since then, we've seen progress on both......
[more] Ten steps to low-cost wireless LAN security Let me guess: Despite your best efforts to stop them, users are hooking low-cost 802.11b (Wi-Fi) access points (APs) to the corporate network. And, despite your best efforts, your CFO has zero interest in buying the tools you really need to secure these wireless LANs.
Here, then, are some relatively simple, low-cost ways to boost the security of your wireless LANs. They're not perfect, but they do provide at least a first line of defense. And if a......
[more] Alliance to certify Wi-Fi security specs HANOVER, GERMANY -- The Wi-Fi Alliance expects to certify by May its WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) set of specifications in the first of several efforts to provide greater security to users of high-speed wireless networks, said Andrea Vocale, a technical expert with the alliance, speaking Monday at a news conference at the CeBIT trade show here.
WPA is a subset of the 802.11i security standard, which has yet to be approved by the IEEE ( Institute of El......
[more] Getting a grip on WLAN futures The wireless LAN world is a pretty bad offender when it comes to Alphabet Soup, what with 802.11b preceding 802.11a, and neither being the same type of thing as 802.11e*. So it was useful to hear Jan Haagh, a senior product manager in Proxim's WLAN division, talk through some of latest acronyms.
One to watch out for is WPA, or WiFi Protected Access. This will replace the original WEP wireless security standard, which turned out to be not very secure after all.......
[more] The Wireless-Security Balancing Act If you choose an EAP that doesn't gain de facto standard status, the access point will be to other EAP clients what a two-hole electrical outlet is to three-pronged plugs. Wireless LANs have been billed as the great security wasteland. But thanks to the 802.11b Wi-Fi community's frenetic activity in the last year, an abundance of good security choices now exist, with more on the way.
Wi-Fi security efforts have focused on encryption and authentication, wi......
[more] City sees the benefits of wireless networks Survey shows more businesses are convinced but security is still lax The third annual Wireless Security Survey of London has highlighted a significant increase in the use of wireless networks by businesses.
In the two years since the survey was first undertaken, the number of wireless networks used in the City has increased from 124 in 2001, to 328 in 2002 and 1078 in 2003.
The benefits of the technology appear to have convinced companies, and th......
[more] Opportunities for Wi-Fi hackers on the increase London home to rogue access points IT managers are catching up to the dangers of Wi-Fi, but opportunities for drive-by hackers in London may actually be increasing. New wireless LANs are popping up very fast, and many of them are insecure 'rogue' access points.
This year, only two-thirds of the City's Wi-Fi networks have WEP (wired equivalent privacy), the basic Wi-Fi security standard turned on. That's not a great record, but it is better than l......
[more] THE A to Z of wireless terms and technologies Everything you need to know about Wireless Jargon 802.11a
54Mbps wireless Ethernet operating in the 5GHz band.
802.11b
The industry standard 11Mbps wireless Ethernet operating at 2.4GHz.
802.11e
Defines quality-of-service for wireless local area networks, to support voice-over IP for example.
802.11g
Successor to 802.11b, providing up to 54Mbps over the same 2.4GHz spectrum used by 802.11b.
802.11h
A supplement to 802.11a to ensure t......
[more] Security group warns of flaw in wireless protocol The Australian Computer Emergency Response Team issued an advisory Thursday warning companies that their wireless networks could be disrupted by an attacker with a handheld device. A vulnerability in the most common wireless networking protocol, the 802.11 standard established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), allows a device to essentially jam other devices on a network using a low-power signal.
"Previously, at......
[more] Is 802.11a like Betamax? Is 802.11a the Betamax vs. VHS of wireless networking? Betamax was technically better. Why haven't companies adopted 802.11a? We don’t believe that 802.11a will prove analogous to Betamax. The 802.11a radio spec provides a number of advantages over 802.11b for businesses, which more time and usage will make obvious.
At first glance, 802.11g seems to provide a similar performance improvement to 802.11a, with 54M bit/sec as the often-quoted maximum data rate, and the a......
[more] IT managers ready defenses against flaw in wireless LANs Users could face DoS attacks, but the risks are seen as low Information technology managers last week said a denial-of-service vulnerability that affects some Wi-Fi wireless LANs could force companies to develop new skills and rethink the way their networks are set up. But, they added, it should be relatively easy to defend WLANs against attacks seeking to exploit the flaw.
For example, an attacker would need to be within the typical 20......
[more] Rawhide gets taste of the Wi-Fi cowboy Herding cattle, 802.11b style While the corporate world struggles to find a business model that will make Wi-Fi hotspots pay, those agricultural types out in the countryside have been having other ideas. Not for the farmer the delights of high speed Internet access in a soulless coffee joint.
No. In the country, they'll use Wi-Fi to herd cattle.
The suggestion was actually made by roboticist Zack Butler, speaking at the MobiSys conference in Boston.......
[more] Wi-Fi hopper guilty of cyber-extortion A Maryland man with a grudge against a Connecticut-based patent firm used unsecured wireless networks at homes and businesses in the Washington DC area to penetrate the company's computers and deliver untraceable threats and extortion demands, until an FBI surveillance team caught him in the act.
Myron Tereshchuk, 42, pleaded guilty this month to a single charge of "attempted extortion affecting commerce" for demanding a $17m ransom in exchange for not......
[more] High-speed wireless begins its standardisation journey The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) will begin sifting through a record number of proposals for a high-speed amendment to the 802.11 standard next week, but wireless chip makers are already jumping the gun with pre-standard products.
802.11n is intended to more than triple the real throughput of wireless LAN (WLAN) by focussing on enhancements to the MAC (media access control) interface, rather than the physical l......
[more] Security concerns still plague wireless take-up Wireless has many benefits, provided companies minimise the risks and rein in ad hoc networks 'Be afraid, be very afraid' is the attitude of many companies when faced with the prospect of using a wireless network.
Because wireless is about broadcasting data that often goes beyond company perimeters, businesses worry that it won't be secure enough. And who can blame them, with a regular stream of surveys highlighting gaping security holes?
Secur......
[more] Massive free Wi-Fi hot spot lands on Paris Mobile workers in the main business area of Paris will soon be able to get free high-speed Internet connectivity on the move A wireless network is being deployed in the business district of Paris that will give high-speed Internet access to some 150,000 workers. The network, which is being deployed by Wi-Fi operator SFR using Alcatel kit, will incorporate 30 separate 802.11b hot spots into a single cloud of coverage.
It runs from the Bridge of Neuilly......
[more] Brits still blind to benefits of Wi-Fi It's 17 months since Intel launched its Centrino and began telling the world about wireless networking - Apple launched its first 802.11b product in 1999 - and still the majority of the UK public remain blissfully unaware what Wi-Fi is.
The chip giant today announced that its research - actually conducted by ICM Research - has revealed that 34 per cent of adults in the UK known the meaning of the term 'Wi-Fi'. This, the company feels, is impressive.......
[more] Intel formally introduces tri-mode Wi-Fi chip Processor supports 802.11a, b and g As expected, Intel introduced its tri-mode wireless chip Thursday with several software enhancements to the product to help improve security and reliability, it said during a Webcast.
The Intel Pro/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection allows laptops based on Intel's Centrino platform to connect to the three most commonly used wireless networks found in enterprises and homes. The first notebooks with the chip will b......
[more] Wi-Fi group says 'no' to pre-standard 802.11n kit The Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) today formally avowed its aversion to so-called 'pre-standard' wireless products by pledging not to certify kit featuring 802.11n technologies until the standard has been ratified by the IEEE.
That's not expected to take place until November 2006, but if past versions of Wi-Fi are anything to go by, a number of WLAN chip makers and equipment makers will undoubtedly try to beat the rest to market by offering products tha......
[more] World is going WiFi - fast Maybe it should be called the World Wireless Web. There are now more than 50,000 WiFi hotspots around the globe, with London leading the pack with more than 1,100 hotspots, according to JiWire.com.
Hotspots are physical locations where wireless connections to the Internet are offered. JiWire.com is a San Francisco company that monitors WiFi locations and offers a searchable database of hotspots on the Web.
The company recently issued a report tracking the world's t......
[more] When Is a Baked-Bean Can a Wi-Fi Network Antenna? You can make high technology when you're competing in Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair Is using an empty baked-bean can to grab a Wi-Fi signal from a mile away high technology? The answer is yes if you're an entrant in Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair being held this week in Phoenix.
Steven Buss, an 18-year-old Wi-Fi buff from Palm City, Florida, built three different types of antennas to see which provided th......
[more] Cyberguard brings networking to small businesses Cyberguard is coming out with a box that tries to be the only networking equipment needed in small offices.
Called SG565 the device includes a firewall, VPN support, intrusion protection, anti-virus software, traffic shaping, a five-port Ethernet switch and two USB ports that can support a printer and external storage. In addition to all that, it also includes an 802.11b and g Wi-Fi access point.
A box like this could support a small business......
[more] 802.11n supercharges Wi-Fi The forthcoming 802.11n standard will increase the capabilities of Wi-Fi kit The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), based in the US and not to be confused with our own Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), creates standards for various aspects of electronics. The best-known standards in the IT field are those written by committee 802, which include the standards for Ethernet, other LAN access methods and LAN security. However, 802 is now mos......
[more] AirMagnet Announces Laptop-Based Wi-Fi Spectrum Analyzer AirMagnet, the leader in WLAN security and performance solutions, today announced a new laptop-based RF spectrum analysis solution for Wi-Fi networks. The AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer -- based on Cognio's patented Intelligent Spectrum Management System -- is the industry's first to identify the specific sources of interference that can undermine the performance of wireless networks.
The AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer complements AirMagnet L......
[more] Wireless Noise Hampers DefCon A team of wireless security and performance specialists from AirMagnet today
reported their findings after spending the weekend monitoring wireless network
traffic at DefCon, the self-described "convention for underground hackers." A
representative from the AirMagnet group noted with some surprise that RF
interference from non-Wi-Fi devices seemed to pose the greatest threat to the
conference's wireless networks.
"The wireless attacks we saw--jamming,
de-au......
[more] Wi-fi: Coming soon on board U.S. airplanes Air travelers starved for in-flight Internet access may soon find solace, thanks to a Colorado company that wants to offer Wi-fi service aloft. AirCell said Monday that it plans to use a newly acquired radio spectrum license to offer "affordable" broadband service aboard commercial airplanes. Formed in 1991, the company already sells satellite-based voice and data services to the general aviation sector, primarily the corporate jet set. In th......
[more] Taipei's city-wide Wi-Fi passes test A number of cities around the world have boasted of plans to roll out Wi-Fi networks to make life easier for their citizens. But Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, is the first city to actually do it, according to Wi-Fi hot spot directory JiWire, which flew a crew in to test the system. "Taipei is the world's largest," JiWire CEO Kevin McKenzie said Tuesday. He said members of his team traveled around the city testing out the network, making......
[more] IEEE 802.11n Wireless LAN to Grab 20% of Market in 2007 Market research firm In-Stat believes that even though several companies initiated shipments of equipment compatible with draft 802.11n wireless local area networks (WLAN) standard, the market will shift to the new standard at a much slower pace compared to the transition to 802.11g."Buyers of these Draft n products are early adopters willing to pay two to three times the price of standard 802.11g products. In-Stat expects the transit......
[more] 10 things you should know before you buy an 802.11n wireless device If you've spent any time in your local tech shop, you are sure to have seen a rash of Pre-N and Draft-N wireless products. Before you get caught up in a rush of new product frenzy and plunk your money down, take a few minutes and look at exactly what you are buying.MIMOOne of the big advantages of 802.11n is MIMO. MIMO is short for Multiple Input / Multiple Output. MIMO breaks the data transmission down to multiple parts that a......
[more] Wireless security 2007 Unraveling the confusion about wireless standards is no mean feat. Justin Peltier takes a look at the latest crop of products in the field of wireless security management.Wireless networks are not about to go away any time soon. The convenience of losing the copper tether and gaining the ability to roam from one end of a campus to another without re-authenticating is just too practical. In the earlier days of wireless networks, the security controls were riddled with flaw......
[more] High-Performance Wireless LAN Is Key To Business Mobility There has been a lot of talk about improving the performance of the wireless LAN here at this year's Interop. Why do IT departments need high-performance Wi-Fi? Without it, initiatives like business mobility and unified communications will go nowhere fast.All this talk about voice over Wi-Fi and dual-mode access is cool, but if the campus Wi-Fi system is some legacy 802.11b deployment, it just ain't gonna work. And most Wi-Fi systems tod......
[more] Is 802.11n ready for the enterprise? The latest draft of the 802.11n wireless LAN standard looks to be enterprise-ready, but many businesses are wary about buying pre-standard equipment It's faster and has far greater range than current wireless LAN technology. And it's stable. So is the most recent draft of the 802.11n wireless LAN standard ready for enterprise adoption? Such products are widely available for consumers even though final ratification isn't expected for more than a year. However......
[more] T-shirt sniffs out Wi-Fi networks Website retailer ThinkGeek is selling a cotton T-shirt that lights up when it detects a nearby Wi-Fi network. Known as the Wi-Fi Detector Shirt, it features an animated decal that that has glowing bars which lights up when there is an IEEE 802.11b or 802.11g network in range. However, it cannot yet detect networks using 802.11n Draft 2.0. More bars light up as the signal gets stronger. The 100 percent cotton T-shirt is only available in black and cost $29.99. T......
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