WiFoo..The.Secrets.of.Wireless.Hacking [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Goals and Methods

WLANs have evolved at a very fast pace over the past decade, and changes have led to many new ways to resolve some of the most common issues surrounding where and how to install WLAN devices. The most important and somewhat obvious goal of this book is to help you understand the methods of 802.11 WLAN site surveys and installations and the tools needed for completing these tasks. A secondary goal of this book is to help you understand the decisions needed to select the proper components and architectures that compose an 802.11 WLAN.

Who Should Read This Book?

This book is not designed to be a general-purpose 802.11 WLAN design book. Instead, it is intended to assist in understanding the available systems, architectures, components, and tools and how to use all of these in completing a design for an 802.11 WLAN. In most cases, separate individuals set down the WLAN design, perform the survey, install the products, and configure the devices. This book assists engineers who are not only surveying or installing WLANs, but also those defining and designing them. After all, to prepare an efficient and reliable design, some level of knowledge about site surveys and installation is required.

How This Book is Organized

This book has been arranged to match the chronological order of the final design, survey, and installation procedures of an 802.11 WLAN project. It is designed to be read in order, because one chapter builds upon the others.

The book is divided into four parts, as follows:

Part I, "Understanding the Prerequisites of a Site Survey," describes the pre-site survey considerations:

Chapter 1, "Defining a Wireless Network's Protocols and Components," defines WLAN standards and devices.

Chapter 2, "Understanding RF Fundamentals," provides a basic-level understanding of RF characteristics required for surveying and installing WLANs.

Chapter 3, "Regulating the Use of 802.11 WLANs," describes various regulations that you must adhere to when installing WLANs.

Chapter 4, "WLAN Applications and Services," outlines WLAN common applications, required services needed for supporting these applications, and how they affect the design, site survey, and installation.

Chapter 5, "Selecting the WLAN Architecture and Hardware," discusses WLAN architecture and component selections so that the survey can be correctly planned and performed.

Part II, "The Site Survey," describes the procedures and requirements involved in performing a site survey:

Chapter 6, "Preparing for a Site Survey," covers presurvey information, including what is necessary before any on-site work is performed.

Chapter 7, "Site Surveying Equipment," compares the various site-specific tools and details the benefits of each for different situations.

Chapter 8, "Discovering Site-Specific Requirements," describes building construction and contents and the effect they have on a WLAN.

Chapter 9, "Discovering Wired Network Requirements," covers characteristics of existing wired networks and their impact on WLANs.

Chapter 10, "Using Site Surveying Tools," describes how to use the site survey utilities.

Chapter 11, "Performing a WLAN Site Survey," provides guidelines for a successful WLAN site survey.

Part III, "Installing WLAN Components," covers the final stages of the site survey and installation process:

Chapter 12, "Installing WLAN Products," focuses on the issues that can arise during the installation process.

Chapter 13, "Preparing the Proper Documentation," emphasizes the importance of thorough documentation.

Chapter 14, "Outdoor Bridge Deployments," covers building-to-building WLANs.

Part IV, "Appendixes," includes the following supplemental information:

Appendix A, "WLAN Product References," describes popular WLAN manufacturers and their products.

Appendix B, "Antenna Radiation Patterns," shows radiation patterns for some popular WLAN antennas.

Appendix C, "Alternative Antennas," identifies antennas that you can use (provided that they meet local regulatory standards) when standard antennas do not meet the needs of a certain environment.

Appendix D, "Sample Forms," provides examples of pre-site survey documentation and a final site survey form.

At the end of the book, you can find an extensive glossary that defines many common WLAN concepts.