802.11 wireless networks : the definitive guide

Using a wireless network is a liberating experience. But underneath the experience lies a complex protocol, and even more complex issues arise when your data isn't limited to traveling on physical wires. How do you structure your network so mobile users can move around effectively? How do you extend wireless coverage so it's available everywhere you need it? What kinds of security issues do wireless networks raise? How do you tune your network for optimal performance? How do you provide enough capacity to support the users you expect initially, and how do you deal with the problems that arise as more users join the network? 802.11 Wireless Networks: The Definitive Guide discusses all these issues, and more. This book is for the serious system or network administrator who is responsible for deploying or maintaining a wireless network. It discusses how the 802.11 protocols work, with a view towards understanding which options are available and troubleshooting problems that arise. It contains an extensive discussion of wireless security issues, including the problems with the WEP standard and a look at the 802.1x security standard. Since network monitoring is essential to any serious network administrator, and commercial packet sniffers for wireless applications are scarce and expensive, this book shows how to create a wireless packet sniffer from a Linux system and open source software.