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The wireless network is defined as any type of network where devices and computers are interconnected without the use of wires. Therefore, the air becomes the main medium of communication, and all data are transferred through radio signals (Butt & Abbas, 2011). In recent years, wireless networks have gained a great deal of popularity due to their cost-effectiveness for companies and flexibility and convenience for individuals. Indeed, as pointed out by Butt and Abbas (2011), wireless networks are easy to set up and configure. The main three types of wireless networks that exist today are WAN (wide area networks), WLAN (wireless local area networks), and WMAN (wireless metropolitan area networks) (But & Abbas, 2011). Wireless networks are used in a variety of public places, at times covering large areas, and help with emergency situations as the wireless Internet and phone technologies penetrate even the most remote areas. Given the importance of reliable wireless networks, it is critical to have tools, methods, and applications at ones disposal to test its connectivity.
Over time, the security and reliability of wireless networks have become the focus of research. Butt and Abbas (2011) describe several tools for enhancing these two properties for wireless networks. So far, the most common way to secure a network is to use encryption. which is an option for the majority of wireless routers and APs (But & Abbas, 2011). Butt and Abbas (2011) argue that while both WPA (wireless protected access) and WEP (wired equivalent privacy) are widely used, WPA has more features and shows better performance than WEP. Routers can use encryptions too, though it is not their default setting. For this reason, enhancing the performance of a wireless network by leaving out any unauthorized users may require changing the setting.
Among other methods of improving the performance of a wireless network, Butt and Abbas (2011) named changing the identifier and the password. It is said that manufacturers give wireless routers default administrator IDs and passwords, but this information can be hacked. To prevent this from happening, one should change both the ID and the password before use (Butt & Abbas, 2011). MAC filtering is probably the most advanced security method, though Butt and Abbas (2011) warn about its challenges compared to WPA and WEP. Its use hinges on the premise that every device and gadget has its own unique hardware address. MAC filtering can help with banning specific gadgets and devices based on that property.
When it comes to connectivity, the testing tools and applications depend on the type of connectivity that the user wants to assess. For instance, verifying the connectivity between ones computer and a remote host is easily accomplished from the command line both on Mac and Windows. However, the ping test may not be truly informative as it does not provide an insight into the nature of the problem. Moreover, it is not uncommon to encounter situations when a remote host is running but ignoring ping requests from a computer.
For this reason, the traceroute program may be a more sophisticated and insightful way to test the connectivity of a wireless network. Essentially, the program takes note of every step that a packet has to take from ones computer to the remote server. Because the traceroute program provides a log of its activity, it is easier to pinpoint ISP connection issues or network bottlenecks. In addition, it is worth saying that there are programs that combine the functionality of ping tests and traceroute programs and take their connectivity testing ability to the next level.
Reference
Butt, W.R. & Abbas, S. (2011). Study of Wireless Network and How to Enhance its Performance. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Wireless Networks (ICWN) (p. 1). The Steering Committee of The World Congress in Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Applied Computing (WorldComp).
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