Security Algorithm in Wireless Networks
In today’s highly technology-driven world, people increasingly depend on fast, convenient methods to communicate with each other. This growing desire to share data quickly and reliably influenced significantly the development of present day computer networking technology. Initially networks were realized by a physical connection between each computer within the network. Recently, however, the appeal of achieving network communications without the financial and physical burden of the wires themselves has led to many notable innovations in wireless networking technology. As a result, more and more businesses as well as home users are turning to wireless local area networks (WLANs) because of their simplicity, adaptability, and most importantly, mobility.
The general structure of a wireless network, also called the topology, consists of an access point (AP) and several ‘clients’ or ‘mobiles,’ each of which is connected or ‘associated’ with the network. An access point acts as a bridge between a wireless network and a wired one. Wireless networks operate in one of two modes, ad-hoc mode and infrastructure mode. In infrastructure mode, the more common of the two modes, each mobile sends all the information it wishes to send through a central location, the AP . The AP then processes this information and sends it to the proper location; this can either be a wired network which the AP is connected to, or it can be another mobile within the WLAN. Communication with other networks is done solely through the AP; the AP serves essentially as the leader of the WLAN. This mode has applications mainly in corporate settings where employees need to access office equipment such as printers, fax machines, or file servers. In the ad-hoc mode, each mobile is able to communicate directly with any other mobile as long as a data link is set up between the two. Communication links are usually formed spontaneously and only exist for as long as the two clients wish to communicate with each other. Notice that this mode contains no AP.