ABSTRACT
The IEEE 802.lib specification represents one of three wireless LAN standards developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. The original standard, which was the 802.11 specification, defined wireless LANs using infrared, Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum, and Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum communications at data rates of 1 and 2 Mbps. Authentication represents the process of verifying the identity of a wireless station. Under the IEEE 802.11 standard to include the two addenda, authentication can be either open or shared key. Exhibit 11-2 illustrates the pull-down menu of the Wired Equivalent Privacy settings from the SMC Networks’ wireless LAN Configuration Utility program. Because wireless LAN transmissions can easily be reflected off surfaces and moving objects, multiple signals can flow to a receiver. Referred to as multipath transmission, the receiver needs to select the best transmission and ignore the other signals.
