Prepare a Word document of 3-5 body pages that addresses the following: Describe
ID: 3661904 • Letter: P
Question
Prepare a Word document of 3-5 body pages that addresses the following: Describe your observations and thoughts about the similarities and differences between Ethernet and wireless technologies. Summarize the steps necessary to set up a wireless network. Discuss challenges one might experience when using wireless. Share any personal experiences when using wireless in your home, at school, or in a coffee shop. Explain concerns associated with using wireless networks. Summarize how the wireless developments over the last 5 years have impacted networking.
Explanation / Answer
The purpose of ethernet and wireless technology is both to provide internet access to the users.They both are essential depending on the number of users to access the internet and the speeds they want.Ethernet technology involves wired cables of telephone lines connected to the modem to provide access to a desktop computer while the wireless technology has the wired cable going into the router and the cable from router to a computer.This creates a network which helps a number of users to connect to a network and access internet.Both are similar in the purpose in providing access to the internet or various applications of internet.
The differences between ethernet and wireless are:
1)Ethernet is a wired and involves the wires from telephone lines connecting to a desktop computer to provide lan connectivity to the user. While wireless is cordless/non-cable technology.It just has a router with ethernet cable inserted to one end of router and the other end to a desktop computer to provide a wireless network.
2Mostly notebooks,mobile phones ,tabs can use the wireless technologies while stationary desktop computers use the ethernet.
3)Ethernet provides a faster access and has faster data transmission.Gigabit Ethernet, can handle 1,000 Mbps, a much bigger number.The speed of wireless is slow depending on the strength of the signal .
4)Latency:With Wi-Fi, there’s a bit more of a delay when signals travel back and forth between a Wi-Fi device and your wireless router. With a wired Ethernet connection, there’s less latency.
Steps necessary to set up a wireless network:
1)Setting up the modem and Internet connection
First setup the modem which is usually done by the internet service provider.If we are using Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) first connect your modem to the phone jack. If you are using cable, connect your modem to a cable jack.
2)Positioning of the wireless router:
a)It should be kept in a central location so that the signal is good to the devices around.
b)Keep it away from the walls to avoid network disruptions.
3)Keep your wireless network secure:
a)We can protect the router by changing the default username and password that came along with it. The default can be known to anyone and can access the network.It is always better to change it.
b)Setting up a security key for the network:
->Firstly open Network and Sharing Center by clicking the Start button .Follow this by clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then click Network and Sharing Center.
->Click onSet up a new connection or network.
-> Click Set up a new network, and then click Next.
->Write down the security key and then keep it safe.dont tell it to anyone as its a private key.
4) Adding computer to the network created:
a) Firsly ppen Connect to a Network by clicking the network icon in the notification area.
b) We will see a list of networks.In the list of networks, click the network that you want to connect to, and then click connect.
c) Finally enter the security key generated in the step 3. we can either type in the key or insert a USB flash drive that contains the security key into a USB port on the computer.
The various challenges one might experience using wireless are these:
1)Coverage area: The range of the wireless network is limited and a router only allows access within 300 feet only.As a result going beywond this limit will lead to network disruptions or complete blackout.
2)Wireless network go through intereference of other signals for example radio signals and as a result they can get distorted leading to poor network access.
3)There is a risk of outsiders 'accessing the network unless robust security protocols are enabled (eg WPA, WPA2).Illegal use of data within network.
4)The network can be less stable. Wireless reception may be impaired by a number of factors including large distances or objects between wireless devices, and other wireless networks.The 4th happens with me a lot when i go outside my house.As a result of this I get slow speed to access the internet or a complete no network within my range if i move far from the router. Even the connecting behind walls is less compared to a direct presence of a device near the router.
The concerns associated with wireless are the above challenges like slow in speed, poor coverage,risk of attacks from outside, misuse of the network datas,etc.
The following attacks can also happen on a wireless network:
1)Packet sniffing: this case, an individual is in a position of capturing a packet that one is sending across a network and see the kind of information that one are sending to a particular individual. Packet sniffing is possible due to the fact that most of the information that we send is clear and does not have any encryptions in it.A third person can know about the data travelling between 2 people resulting in unauthorised access to data or even misuse of the data as well.
2)Interference:Wireless interference basically means disruption of one's network. This is a very big challenge especially owing to the fact that wireless signals will always get disrupted. Such interference can be created by a Bluetooth headset, a microwave oven and a cordless phone. This makes transmission and receiving of wireless signals very difficult. radio signals and wireless signals interfere with each other a lot.
Wireless developments in the last 5 years have impacted networking in the following way:
1) Earlier we only used desktop computers to access internet.With the help of wireless technologies we can access the internet from a far place to the router through our mobile phones.
2)Students use their tabs/ipads in lectures and study from there direcly using the wireless access inside the university.
3)A number of people in an organization like a hospital have many work stations connected to a single router.Many users connect with this like nurses,doctors,etc to interacts with one another within seconds by messaging through mobile phones connected to the wireless network or by using the network on their lapto and sending emails within seconds to another person.
4)Tablets have been launched to promote wifi .
5)Voice and multimedia: We can play games on a tab with wifi and talk and see the person sitting in another part of world through apps installed on tab or computers running on wireless technologies.
6)RFID:Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and tag readers make use of proximity and have automated ad hoc setup for transferring small amounts of information. The key features of the RFID tag are a fixed unique identifier and necessary proximity of tags to a tag reader.
7)Passpoint:Passpoint is a relatively new program developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance based on the earlier Hotspot 2.0 initiative. It enables moving devices to seamlessly handover wireless data transfer between wireless network infrastructure, behaviour already defined in the fast roaming standard. Passpoint also allows equpment to move between networks, even those owned by different service providers.