Question

Case

You own a small computer business and you specialize in setting up networks for small businesses. The owner of a local sporting goods store has hired you to set up a local area network for his business. He wants to connect computers located in an office, on the selling floor, in a series of rooms in which he offers personal training classes, in a section of the store with batting cages, and in the section of the store that contains a golf simulation area. The staff needs to be able to access the network for various functions from each of these areas during training and selling. The computer in the office is a desktop computer. The printer is also located in the office. All other computers are laptops and used from various locations. Each computer must have Internet access. You decide that a wireless network is the best choice, so you need to research the hardware requirements and submit a proposal to the owner.

What to do:

1. Create a new word processing document and save it as "YOUR_NAME_WirelessNetworkPlan.docx".

2. If you need to learn more about wireless networking, log onto the Internet, and then use a search engine to search for information on the phrase “basic wireless networking.” Use any of the search results to get you "up-to-speed".

3. Write a list of basic hardware requirements for the network.

4. Explain why you would recommend the wireless network rather than a wired network. Summarize the advantages of wireless networking.

5. Add a brief explanation of some of the disadvantages of wireless networking, identifying any place in the store that might not be able to make effective use of wireless networking.

6. Draw a diagram (of your office) that identifies each of the areas that will be networked and identify the location where you would install an access point. Use the drawing tools available in your word processor or a drawing program. (DO NOT COPY A DIAGRAM FROM THE INTERNET) Explain your reasoning.

7. List two main security issues that you must address with wireless networking and how you plan to deal with these issues. Describe anything else you will do to secure the network.

8. Check for spelling errors, save your changes, and then submit the document and drawing to your instructor.

Answer 1

3. Write a list of basic hardware requirements for the network.

a. Wireless Access Point

b. Wi-Fi Router

c. Wireless NIC

d. Wire based network switch

4. Explain why you would recommend the wireless network rather than a wired network. Summarize the advantages of wireless networking.

· Mobility

We can stay connected to network wherever we move.

· Accessibility

The network access is available throughout the specified area.

· Expandability

We can add new devices and the network can grow in size.

· Cost saving

Wireless network is cheaper to install and maintain.

5. Add a brief explanation of some of the disadvantages of wireless networking, identifying any place in the store that might not be able to make effective use of wireless networking.

· Wireless network has less control over devices when compared to wired.

· Getting coverage in some buildings or places may be difficult.

· Wired network is superior o wireless network in terms of security.

· Wireless network are inferior to wired network in the case of speed.

· There are high chances for collisions and interference.

6. Draw a diagram (of your office) that identifies each of the areas that will be networked and identify the location where you would install an access point. Use the drawing tools available in your word processor or a drawing program. (DO NOT COPY A DIAGRAM FROM THE INTERNET) Explain your reasoning.

7. List two main security issues that you must address with wireless networking and how you plan to deal with these issues. Describe anything else you will do to secure the network.

· Denial of Service attack (DoS) – The attacker tries to flood the network by sending packets continuously.

· Spoofing and session hijacking – The attacker assumes the identity of the legitimate user and gains the control of the network.

· Eavesdropping and spying – Here unauthorized third party intercepts the data.

Following methods can be implemented to secure the wireless network:

· Service Set Identifiers (SSID) – We can set a strong password for our network to avoid unauthorized access.

· Media Access Control (MAC) – This are the addresses attached to the NIC of the device.

· Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) – WEP uses encryption mechanism, so that the device that knows the key can only access the network.

· Firewall – This is a system that protects the network by preventing unauthorized data flow to and from the system.