By Joshua Smith

EDTECH 541-4172

How to Integratea WiFi Network for

Mobile Devices

Why set up a WiFi network for your school?

• Gives access to more children, subjects, areas of the school and for a wider range of purposes.

• Teachers and students work more efficiently• Teachers can support their pupils’ learning through their own

use of the wireless network• Teachers can use the wireless network to extract greater

value from their teaching • Students and teachers can work wherever and whenever

suits them best

Advantages for a WiFi Network:

With a wireless connection each student can have their own laptop which in turn they can use throughout the entire school. Additionally, since wireless means without wires, there is no cost for cables or the installation. Lastly, computers are not the only devices that can make use of a wireless network, there are currently printers, scanners, smart phones, and tablets that can access the internet through a wireless connection.

A WiFi Network

Mobility

Saves Money

More Devices

Wireless Devices are on the Rise

Desktops

Although on the decline, desktops still

account for 20% of all Internet traffic.

Laptops

With the honor of initiating the modern wireless movement, laptops

account for 60% of all traffic.

Mobile Devices

Continually on the rise because of affordability,

mobile devices now account for 15% of web

traffic.

Tablets

Certainly the future of devices, the tablet

currently accounts for 5% of Internet traffic.

20% 60% 15% 5%

A Video Case Study

Wireless Network Delivers Campus-Wide Wi-Fi for Melbourne Girls School

The wireless network has become a real enabler in Melbourne Girls School classrooms. It has given the teachers and students confidence, particularly the teachers in planning their lessons.

Synopsis

What is WiFi?

A Computer’s Wireless Adapter A Wireless Router

A computer's wireless adapter translates data into a radio signal and transmits it using an antenna.

A wireless router receives the signal and decodes it. The router sends the information to the Internet using a physical, wired Ethernet connection.

A wireless network uses radio waves, just like cell phones, televisions and radios do. In fact, communication across a wireless network is a lot like two-way radio communication. Here are the two key components:

Basics of WiFi

Trait #1

WiFi standards focus on specific applications of wireless networks, like

local area networks and wide area networks that lets you move from one

wireless network to another seamlessly.

Trait #2

WiFi transmits at frequencies of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. This higher frequency allows the signal to

carry more data.

Trait #3

WiFi uses 802.11 networking standards, which come in

several flavors. They can move 11 megabits up to 140

megabits of data per second.

Connected to LANs or WANs

2.4 GHz or 5 GHz

802.11 networking standards

IEEE 802.11 Standards

IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for implementing wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. They are created and maintained by the The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Currently, the fastest is 802.11n, which is 6 times faster than 802.11a.

.

The Standard802.11n

802.11-2012

802.11ad 802.11g802.11-2007

802.11ac

802.11

802.11b

802.11a

Required Equipment for a WLAN

Equipment #1

No wireless hardware other than adapters is required to build a small local network.

Equipment #2

Routers allow wireless devices to

join an existing wired network.

Equipment #3

Access points and routers often utilize an antenna

that significantly increase the range of the wireless

radio signal.

Equipment #4

Repeaters serve as a two-way relay

station for wireless radio signals.

Network Adapters

Routers, Access Points

RepeatersAntennas

How Mobile Devices Will Connect

10

You can use a wireless network (WLAN) to share Internet access, files, printers, and other devices among all the computers in your network. After you’ve completed the initial wireless router setup and added your computers and devices to the network, you can use your network to learn, surf the web, or play online on any device connected to your network.

A Standard Configuration

Network CapacityWhen developing a wireless network, a school needs to consider how many access points are needed. In short, the number of access points determines how broad the wireless signal is and how many users can access the network at the same time. Thus, the following questions should be answered when determining network capacity:

1.How many users will need access to the network at the same?

2.Where are the central locations the access points will be used the most?

Distance of Access PointsTypically, wireless access points can cover generally cover 100-300 feet indoors and up to 600-1000 feet in open space. However, when accessed points are placed at maximum range, they tend to suffer from poor connections and intermittent service. Finally, the number of users that can access a network is typically left to the manufacturer of the access point. Nevertheless, most wireless access points can accommodate 10-100 users depending on the model.

Network Security: SolutionsNetwork security refers to any activities designed to protect your network. Specifically, these activities protect the usability, reliability, integrity, and safety of your network and data. Effective network security targets a variety of threats and stops them from entering or spreading on your network. Network security components often include:

1.Anti-virus and anti-spyware2.Firewall, to block unauthorized access to your network3.Intrusion prevention systems (IPS), to identify fast-spreading threats, such as zero-day or zero-hour attacks4.Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), to provide secure remote access

Network Security: Common Threats

Trojans

Worms

Viruses

Threats

A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another.

What is a virus?

A computer worm is a standalone malware computer program that replicates itself in order to spread to other computers.

What is a worm?

A trojan is a type of malware that masquerades as a legitimate file or helpful program possibly with the purpose of granting a hacker unauthorized access to a computer.

What is a trojan?

Network Security: Other

Download NetGear’s 10 Easy Steps to Wirless Security:

Download Here

ResourcesHolt, A., & Huang, C.-Y. (2010). 802.11 wireless networks: Security and analysis. London: Springer.

Meru Networks. (2012, April, 25). Wireless network delivers campus-wide wi-fi for melbourne girls school [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVEq5OBYUk8

Netgear. (2010). Ten easy steps for wireless LAN security. Retrieved from http://www.l-com.com/multimedia/whitepapers/wp_10StepsWirelessSecurity.pdf

Nicopolitidis, P. (2003). Wireless networks. Chichester, England: J. Wiley.