Albert Einstein explained it best:

1. What is wireless • Albert Einstein explained it best: • "You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there....

2. What is wireless • ...The only difference is that there is no cat."

3. Wireless LAN: 802.11 • What is it • Versions and Standards • How we deploy it • How we manage it • How we secure it • How we improve it

4. What is it • IEEE standard for wireless ethernet • Introduced in 1997 • Replacement for physical cabling to each host • Has seen dramatic increase in popularity over the past few years.

5. Versions and Standards • Original 802.11 offered 1 and 2 Mbps speeds in the 2.4GHz band • 802.11a added a 54Mbps speed in the 5GHz band • 802.11b added 11Mbps speed in the 2.4GHz band • This extension is now synonymous with 802.11 • 802.11g added 22Mbps and 54Mbps speeds in the 2.4GHz band • 802.11i improves the security and encryption • 802.11n will add much higher speeds of potentially several hundred Mbps

6. How do we deploy it • Locating, configuring and installing 'access points' or AP's. • AP's connect the wireless clients to the wired network • Currently we employ about 75 AP's across all campuses. • Originally only provided in conference rooms • Now provided in (almost) all office space

7. Locating and Surveying • Optimal locations determined via in the field testing • Testing is done with Cisco client software as well as custom survey software • Survey software eventually produces web pages showing coverage

8. How do we manage it • All access points are kept in a database • NETS manages DHCP server for wireless network • AP's are given static addresses while clients get dynamic ones • AP's download their configuration at boot time from the DHCP server • This gives them consistent default settings along with individual names.

9. How do we secure it • Wireless is inherently less secure than cables • Easier to both gain access to wireless and to watch what other people are doing • Original 802.11 spec included encryption “Wired Equivalent Privacy” or WEP • WEP was difficult to use and contained several flaws which were later discovered rendering it almost useless • We now rely on a security gateway and VPN

10. Security Gateway • Operated by Rich Johnson and the security group • Allows all VPN traffic. This is the preferred method for staff to secure their wireless traffic • Also allows guest logins. These provide control over who uses the network, but does not provide the users with any privacy • http://guest.wireless.ucar.edu to set up guest accounts • http://wireless.ucar.edu to log in to guest accounts

11. How do we improve it? • Re-deployment starting RSN • Coverage is spotty due to two-stage deployment. • Too much in some areas • Too little in others • New AP's provide 802.11g and higher speeds

12. How do we improve it? • New AP's allow multiple networks at once • Provide new per-campus staff-only networks and maintain legacy network at the same time • New security via 802.11i AKA 'WPA2' may allow staff to 'log in' to wireless securely and skip the VPN

13. Troubleshooting

14. Guest Logins