By most accounts, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) first began
in 1971 when a wireless computer network was implemented (dubbed
the AlohaNet) at the University of Hawaii. In 1990 AT&T, developed
WaveLAN, a Direct Sequence Spread-Spectrum (DSSS) that exhibited
superior interference immunity. After many versions of designs using
discrete components, in 1996, Harris (now Intersil) introduced their
PRISM WLAN chipset. Needing a standard to guarantee interoperability,
in 1997, the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers
published the first specification for IEEE 802.11 - 2.4 GHz, 2 Mbps,
using Frequency Hopping (FH) and DSSS. In 1998, the ETSI HomeRF
standard was developed for 2.4 GHz, 1.6 Mbps, Wideband Frequency
Hopping. 1999 saw the publication of the IEEE 802.11b standard -
2.4 GHz, 11 Mbps, DSSS.
With the unlicensed 2.4 GHz ISM band being crowded with existing
WLAN, Bluetooth, ZigBee and microwave ovens, and with a need for
higher datarates, in 1999 the IEEE released its 802.11a standard,
which moved up into the 5 GHz ISM band, and provided 54 Mbps, OFDM
data. In 2000, the ETSI HiperLAN2 emerged - 5 GHz, 54 Mbps, OFDM,
connection-oriented QoS. Alas, the difficulty with mass-producing
high yielding, inexpensive systems at 5 GHz forced, combined with
revolutionary modulation methods, drove the IEEE in 2003 to provide
a new high datarate spec for operation back in the 2.4 GHz
band, but offering the same datarate as the spec 802.11g -
2.4 GHz, 54 Mbps, OFDM, compatible with 802.11b. Now, 802.11n is
in the works for 2.4 GHz operation yielding greater than 100 MHz
datarates.
WLAN Spectral Masks (802.11a/b/g)
Wireless LAN (WLAN) Manufacturers &
Services
802.1x News Sites | 802.11a | 80211anews.com
802.11b | 80211bnews.com 802.11g | 80211gnews.com
802.16 | 80216news.com OFDM | OFDMnews.com
AbsoluteValue Systems | linux-wlan.org | 321-259-0737
| Melbourne, FL Information about an ongoing AVS project to contribute
802.11 wireless LAN (WLAN) support for the GNU/Linux operating system
and other Open Source platforms.
Converge! Network Digest | convergedigest.com/WiFi/wlans.asp?category=[Wireless
LANs] Wireless LAN News.
IEEE 802.11TM
Wireless Local Area Networks | grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/11
The Working Group for WLAN Standards.
Multimedia Networks Laboratory | dvd1.ecs.umass.edu/wireless
| 413-545-4847 | Amherst, MA Advancing the science of computer
networks especially as they pertain to the future wireless networks
and their need to transport a maze of multimedia, voice and data
applications across the globe, from the University of Massachusetts.
Network World, Inc | nwfusion.com/topics/wirelesslans.html
Breaking wireless LAN news.
Palo Wireless | palowireless.com Wireless
Technology Resources.
Radio theory and link planning for Wireless LAN (WLAN)
| swisswireless.org/wlan_calc_en.html By Mathias Coinchon.
Spread Spectrum Scene | sss-mag.com/wlan.html
| 865-717-1019 Links & information on basic theory of WLANs,
to the design of WLANs, through the selection of vendor hardware
and system architecture, to discussions of WLAN security issues.
The Unofficial 802.11 Security Web Page | drizzle.com/~aboba/IEEE
Wireless LAN security information & standards.
Wi-Fi Alliance | wi-fi.org A global, non-profit
industry association of more than 200 member companies devoted to
promoting the growth of wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs).
Wireless LAN Association | wlana.org The
Wireless Networking Industries information source - Find out how
about wireless LAN fundamentals, proper wireless LAN design, and
advanced wireless network security.
Wireless LAN Resources for Linux | hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux
Linux Wireless LAN Howtos, wireless LAN drivers web pages, wireless
Linux software on the Internet, security software for your wireless
LAN, public wireless Linux networks, wireless LAN hardware (surveys
and reviews).
Wireless LANs: Business Models, Technologies, Deployment,
and Challenges | comsoc.org/tutorials/Yu/index.html
This tutorial presents the Wireless LAN (WLAN) technology a s specified
in the IEEE 802.11 standard and its extensions. It also presents
how to design and deploy WLAN networks for different market segments.
Issues and challenges of security, Quality of Services (QoS), and
IP mobility are addressed, along with potential solutions to these
problems. By James T. Yu.
Wireless LAN Security: 802.11 Wardriving & Warchalking
| wardrive.net Contains links to 802.11 Security related websites,
whitepapers, articles, presentations, howto's, and more.
WK Multimedia Network Training | wkmn.com/newsite/wireless.html
| 415-586-1713 | Daly City, CA Wireless Networking Mini-Tutorial.
WLAN Forum | wireless--lan.com Wireless LAN
(WLAN) information, news, events and happenings, conferences, announcements &
more. Other Wireless Technologies such as Bluetooth, UWB, fixed
wireless & similar topics may also be featured.
WLAN Lab Opnet Tutorial | comnets.uni-bremen.de/~mms/wlan_lab_script_1_2.pdf
By Mohammad M. Siddique and Andreas Könsgen.
Wlan.org.uk | wlan.org.uk/page2.html Not-for-profit
Amateur and Community Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) using
Open Spectrum Technology.
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