Performance of WiMAX over WiFi with Reliable QoS over Wireless ...

World Applied Programming, Vol (1), No (5), December 2011. 322-329 ISSN: 2222-2510 ©2011 WAP journal. www.waprogramming.com

Performance of WiMAX over WiFi with Reliable QoS over Wireless Communication Network Md. Alimul Haque

Yashi Amola

Dr. N. K. Singh

P. G. Department of Physics V. K. S. University Ara – 802301, India [email protected]

Department of Information & Communication Technology MIT, Manipal, India [email protected]

P. G. Department of Physics V. K. S. University Ara – 802301, India [email protected]

Abstract: Providing strong security is necessary for any wireless access networks. The latest broadband access network implementation are based on WiMAX and LTE, since they well structured QoS mechanisms and security architecture to support all kinds of fixed, mobile and multihop network users. Wireless networks are generally less efficient and irregular compared to wired networks, which make quality of service (QoS) provision a bigger challenge for wireless communications. The wireless medium has limited bandwidth, higher packet error rate, and higher packet overheads that in total to limit the capacity of the network to offer guaranteed QoS. In response to the increasing QoS challenge in wireless networks, researchers have made significant modifications in Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) in the legacy IEEE 802.11 standards to make possible QoS to end users. The design constraints at several layers of the IEEE 802.11 restrict its capacity to deliver guaranteed QoS. Recently, the IEEE 802.16 standard, also known as worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), has emerged as the strongest contender for broadband wireless technology with promises to give guaranteed QoS to wireless application end users over wifi wireless technology. This paper tries to explain the performance issues of WiMax over WiFi wireless communication in the term of wireless network security, design and management which upgrading the upcoming wireless communication technology over a wide region. Key word: WiMAX • WiFi • WLAN • Wireless Networks • QoS • Security I.

INTRODUCTION

Wireless access techniques are continuously expanding their transmission bandwidth, coverage, and Quality of Service (QoS) support in recent years. With the huge market success of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) (IEEE 802.11), the new-generation wireless technique, WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) has now been standardized and deployed. WiMAX stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. WiMAX technology enables ever-present communication ofwireless broadband service for fixed and/or mobile users, and became a truth in 2006 when Korea Telecom started the use of a 2.3 GHz version of mobile WiMAX service called WiBRO in the Seoul metropolitan area to offer high performance communication for data and video over wireless communication. The WiMAX Forum is an industry-led non-profit organization which has more than 570 member companies including service providers, equipment vendors, chip vendors and content providers. Its primary mission is to ensure interoperability among IEEE 802.16 based .The air interface of WiMAX technology is based on the IEEE 802.16 standards. In particular, the current Mobile WiMAX technology is mainly based on the IEEE 802.16e which specifies the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) air interface and provides support for mobility [1]. The network specifications of mobile WiMAX devices are include the end-to-end networking specifications and network interoperability specifications. The Network Working Group (NWG) within the WiMAX Forum is responsible for these network specifications, some of which involve Access Service Network (ASN) control and data plane protocols, Connectivity Services Network (CSN), ASN profiles, mobility support, Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) interworking with other technologies, and various services such as Location-Based Service (LBS), Multicast and Broadcast Service (MCBCS) etc. IEEE 802.11 WLAN, or WiFi, is possibly the most widely accepted broadband wireless networking technology, providing the highest transmission rate among standard wireless networking technologies. Today’s WiFi devices, based on IEEE 802.11a and 802.11g, provide transmission rates up to 54 Mbps and new standard of

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Md. Alimul Haque et al., World Applied Programming (WAP), Vol (1), No (5), December 2011.

IEEE 802.11n which supports up to 600Mbps transmission rates. The transmission range of a typical WiFi device is up to 100m but its exact transmission range varies. It depend upon the transmission power, surrounding environments, and others parameters. The 802.11 devices operate in unlicensed bands at 2.4 and 5 GHz, where the exact available operate bands is varies according to county. II.

WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY

The aim behind Wireless Broadband technology is the support of mobile clients within a certain range as well as the provision of a wireless network infrastructure in places where wired networks are not feasible or possible. The three most important broadband wireless technologies are IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, and Wireless Mesh Network (WMN). Wi-Fi or Wireless Fidelity connects to the internet at high speeds. Wi-Fi enabled devices operate in unlicensed spectrum. They use radio technologies within the range of an access point for data communication as shown in Figure. 1[2]

Figure.1 Wireless Fidelity

WiMAX, an acronym for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications technology that provides fixed and fully mobile internet access. The related sub-categories are: 1. 802.16-2004, also known as 802.16d, refers to the working party that has developed that standard. Since it has no support for mobility it is sometimes referred to as "Fixed WiMAX". 2. 802.16e-2005, also known as 802.16e, is an amendment to 802.16-2004. It introduced support for mobility, among other things, and is therefore also known as "Mobile WiMAX". 3. 802.16j-2009 is the Multihop Relay specification for 802.16 as shown in Figure. 2[3]

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III.

DESCRIPTION OF WIMAX / WIFI TECHNOLOGY MODEL

This section introducing the essential properties WiMAX/WiFi system and then provides a description of network performance and comparison between mobility and transmission speed. A. WiMAX Technology WiMax, a broadband wireless access technology, is used to deliver a high data rate for residential and enterprise use in a line-of-sight as well as in non-lineof- sight [4]. WiMax provides wireless connectivity over a large distance as compared to other wireless technologies with the help different modulation techniques and different sorts of directional antennae. It provides a last mile solution to other receivers and with better coverage.

Figure. 3: Wireless Broadband (WiMAX) 802.16

WiMax provides a cost effective fixed wireless solution alternative to wired DSL and cable. It also provides the lower cost broadband access solution in the areas without having DSL and cable [5]. In figure 2.0, different applications of WiMax are to be shown. The success of WiMax is to provide broadband connectivity up to certain extent with last mile solution and low cost infrastructure. It provides always broadband best connected facility to users and different applications. It is used to connect different hot-spots like schools, buildings, public community halls with the same data rate with high coverage. It is also used to provide a broadband facility to the areas where there is no accessibility via DSL cables, fibre optics to get Internet access. The WiMax Forum is an organization for providing interoperability among WiMax products through standardization and certification.

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The Benefits of using WiMAX 1. WiMAX technology can be quickly deployed to remote locations where the reach of copper networks is limited. It is relatively cheaper also. 2. When compared to GSM and 3G, WiMAX produces DSL like speeds and operates at greater distances at lower cost. 3. WiMAX offers uploading of large files. 4. WiMAX enables operators to offer triple-play services such as voice, data and video. 5. WiMAX provides features that businesses need. These include – - Quality of Service (QoS) which determines if a wireless technology can successfully deliver high value services such as voice and video - Toll-quality which is a voice call having quality comparable to that of an ordinary long distance call, originally placed over circuit-switched public telephone network . - Bandwidth at a low cost - WiMax provides fixed and mobile technology. WiMax promises a low cost, high bandwidth 4G technology. 6. NASA would like to utilize WiMAX relay stations, based on the evolving WiMAX 802.16j standard, to extend coverage and increase data throughput and to determine the feasibility of using IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) as the communication protocol for lunar surface extra-vehicular activity (EVA) communications [6]. 7. WiMax may be used to manage Application Layer Threats

B. WiFi Technology IEEE 802.11 WLAN, or WiFi, is probably the most widely accepted broadband wireless networking technology, providing the highest transmission rate among standard-based wireless networking technologies. Today’s WiFi devices, based on IEEE 802.11a and 802.11g , provide transmission rates up to 54 Mbps and, further, a new standard IEEE 802.11n, which supports up to 600Mbps, is being standardized. The transmission range of a typical WiFi device is up to 100m, where its exact range varies depending on the transmission power, the surrounding environments, and others. The 802.11 devices operate in unlicensed bands at 2.4 and 5 GHz, but the accurate available bands depend on each county. The Benefits of using Wi-Fi 1.

Wi-Fi is a cost-effective and convenient alternative to a wired network.

2.

Wi-Fi provides increased mobility to their users.

3.

Cost associated with wiring cables and connectors is eliminated.

4.

Ability to access Internet information in meeting rooms and other locations in the office gives ready information to the employees and increases the productivity.

5.

Doctors, Lawyers, Airline travellers and other professionals view Wi-Fi as a very effective tool to get information readily. Members of a project can communicate with one other and keep one other informed of their progress in addition to also getting information from the Internet.

6.

Wi-Fi helps in increasing revenues in Businesses like restaurants and other public places by creating hotspots to attract customers. This can be achieved at a low cost by a one time investment in the Wi-Fi infrastructure.

7.

Connection to Wi-Fi by employees and guest visitors does not present any technical difficulty.

8.

Wi-Fi is useful in space exploration, it is quite likely that space explorers may be carting around Wi-Fienabled PCs.

IV.

SECURITY COMPRISION WIMAX – WIFI

Here we present a summary of the security mechanisms for authentication, key derivation and management, confidentiality, and integrity procedures applied in WiFi and WiMAX networks.

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From the security description in sections WiFi and WiMAX, and with the aid of the following Table 1, it is easy to conclude that WiMAX security is much stronger than it is in WiFi. One of the reasons of course is the large areas that WiMAX covers, and therefore, such conditions demand secure operational conditions of the network, which requires strong security mechanisms. On the other hand WiFi undoubtedly covers small areas comparing to WiMAX but many WiFi network deployments in companies, industries, agencies and in many cases domestic users, handle valuable confidential information that cannot be compromised. In this case, WiFi security is demanded to be as strong in performance as it happens with the WiMAX mechanisms. Having said that, it is apparent that WEP and WPA security, with RC4 encryption and shared-key authentication, is not adequate to provide guaranteed confidentiality, integrity and secure user-authentication. On the other hand, the Robust Security Network Association (RSNA) with the 802.11i and the WPA2 does provide a secure wireless network operation, and it is the only security mechanism in WiFi that operates with AES encryption, CCMP integrity mechanisms, key derivation and management with EAPOL, and secured userauthentication with the 802.1X protocol, that resembles with the strong mechanisms that WiMAX uses[7].

TABLE I.

WIFI AND WIMAX SECURITY COMPARISON

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V.

INTEGRATED WIMAX / WIFI NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

When constructing integrated WiMAX/WiFi networks, one of the most challenging issues facing network designers is that of designing efficient links and Medium Access Control (MAC) layer protocols to optimize the QoS between the WiMAX and the WiFi components of the architecture [8]. Several researchers have recently proposed QoS provisioning mechanisms for integrated WiMAX/WiFi systems. QoS framework for 802.16/802.11 internetworking applications designed to map the QoS requirements of an application originating in an IEEE 802.11e network to an IEEE 802.16 network. Similarly, a QoS control protocol was also presented to support an integrated QoS for converged networks comprising WiMAX and WiFi systems[9,10]. To meet QoS, Researcher evaluates proposed efficient and unified connection-oriented architecture for integrating WiMAX and WiFi technologies in broadband wireless networks [11]. In the proposed approach, a new wireless Access Point (AP) device, designated as WiMAX/WiFi AP (W2-AP), is developed to manage the WiMAX/WiFi interface.

Figure.4 Integrated WiMAX/WiFi Network structure.

In Figure 4 presents a classical example of the integrated WiMAX/WiFi network architecture. As shown in figure, a single WiMAX Base station BS, operating in a licensed band, serves both multiple WiMAX Subscriber Stations (SSs) and multiple W2-APs within its coverage area. In other words, the WiMAX system provides broadband wireless access to multiple W2-AP devices in a point-to-multipoint (PMP) topology. Each WiFi network is connected to the WiMAX BS through a WiMAX/WiFi (W2)-AP. The connection between the BS and a SS is

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dedicated to a single user. However, the connection between the BS and each W2-AP is shared amongst all the nodes within the Wireless LAN served by the W2-AP. As a result, the WiMAX network guarantee secured communications service for connecting multiple scattered WiFi nodes to the Internet. VI.

PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF WIMAX WITH COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES

WiMAX technology reflects the general trend in the communications industry toward unified packet-based voice and data networks. Fundamental benefits of this transition are reduced operation cost, improved network optimization, and better management of changes. The followings are some of the major benefits of WiMAX are, • • •

•

Wireless: By using a WiMAX system, no longer have to use expensive cables. High bandwidth: WiMAX can provide shared data rates of up to 70Mbps. Long range: WiMAX compared to existing wireless technologies is the range. WiMAX has a communication range of up to 40 km. Flexible architecture: WiMAX supports several systems architectures, including point-to-point, point-tomultipoint, and ubiquitous coverage.

VII. CONCLUSIONS In the light of this study it seems that WiMAX is an excellent component to other wireless technologies that are designed to work in the LAN(WiFi) or that offer wider exposure but with more limited capacity(GSM, CDMA, UMTS, EDO). WiMAX security is much stronger than WiFi. One of the reasons of course is the large areas that WiMAX covers, and therefore such conditions demand secure operational conditions of the network, which requires strong security mechanisms. The strengths of WiMAX lie in its ability to address the requirements of modern telecommunications networks and the commitment that has been shown to its development and wide acceptance by a number of leading equipment vendors and service providers.

REFERENCES [1] [2]

Yan Zhang, Wimax network planning and optimization, CRC press, Taylor & Francis Group, NY,2009. V. Gunasekaran and F.Harmantzis, “Emerging wireless technologies for developing countires”, Technology in Society, vol.29, pp.2342, 2009. [3] V.Abel, “Survey of Current and Future Trends in Security in Wireless Networks”, International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research(ISSN 2229-5518), April 2011. [4] Vikash Solomon Abel and Rodney Rambally, “WiMAX and WiFi in Current World,” International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, ol.2, pp.1-4, September 2011. [5] Sunil Kr. Singh, Ajay Kumar, Siddharth Gupta and Ratnakar Madan, “Architectural Performance of WiMAX over WiFi with Reliable QoS over Wireless Communication,” International Journal of Advanced Networking and Applications, vol.3, pp.1017-1024, 2011. [6] R.Barton,S.Hwu,M.Khayat,A.Schlesinger, “Lunar Surface EVA 802.16 Radio Study”, NASA – Johnson Space Center, October 2008. [7] Panagiotis Trimintios and George Georgiou, “WiFi and WiMAX Secure Deployments”, Journal of Computer Networks and Communications, vol. 2010(2010). [8] Cavalcanti D, et al, “Issues in Integrating Cellular Networks WLANs, and MANETs: a Futuristic Heterogeneous Wireless Network”, IEEE Wireless Commun. Mag., vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 30-41, 2005. [9] Kamal Gakhar, Annie Gravey and Alain Leroy, “IROISE: A New QoS Architecture for IEEE 802.16 and IEEE 802.11e Interworking”, in Proc.of IEEE International Conference on Broadband Networks, pp. 607-612, 2005. [10] Pedro Neves, Susana SargentoRui, L. Aguiar, “Support of Real-Time Services over Integrated 802.16 Metropolitan and Local Area Networks”, in Proc. of IEEE.ISCC, pp.15-22,2006. [11] Hui-Tang Lin, Ying-You Lin et al, “An Integrated WiMAX/WiFi Architecture with QoS Consistency over Broadband Wireless Networks” in Proc. of IEEE 978-1-4244-2309-5, 2009.

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