Information Technology Security. Advice from Experts

802.11b is an extension to 802.11 that applies to wireless LANs and provides 11 megabits per second transmission in the 2.4 gigahertz band . 802.11b standard allows wireless functionality comparable to Ethernet. 802.11 is a family of specifications developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for wireless LAN technology.

• Access point is a hardware device or a computer s software that acts as a communication hub for users of a wireless device to connect to a wired LAN. Access points are important for providing heightened wireless security and for extending the physical range of service for a wireless user . This is sometimes called a wireless hot spot .

• SSID (Service Set Identifier) is the unique identifier assigned to all the access points in a WLAN. The 32-character name acts as a password when a mobile device tries to connect to the access point. The different names prevent unauthorized users from accessing a network.

• WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is a security protocol for wireless local area networks defined in the 802.1 lb standard. WEP is used at the two lowest layers of the OSI model ” the data link and physical layers ; it therefore does not offer end-to-end security. WEP aims to provide security by encrypting data over radio waves so that it is protected as it is transmitted from one end point to another.

• Wi-Fi is short for wireless fidelity and is another name for IEEE 802.11b. It is a trade term promulgated by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance. Wi-Fi is used in place of 802.11b in the same way that Ethernet is used in place of IEEE 802.3.

• WLAN (wireless local area network) is a type of local-area network that uses high-frequency radio waves rather than wires to communicate between nodes. You will find WLAN networks configured for private use within business and home settings or as public WLANs or Wi-Fi networks.

• WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) is a specification of standards-based, interoperable security enhancements that strongly increase the level of data protection and access control for existing and future wireless LAN systems. WPA was constructed to provide an improved data encryption and to provide user authentication (Wi-Fi, 2003).