Design And Simulation Of A Secured Wireless Network

Project and Seminar Material for Computer Science and Computer Engineering

Abstract

This project topic “Secured Wireless Network” was carried out with a view to deploying effective security for wireless networks. The project developed a system that lets typical users easily build a highly secured wireless network. My aim is to show how user interface can be applied to provide a complete solution for securing wireless networks. Securing a wireless network is an important issue since they are wireless broadcasting a signal out over an area, any computer within this area with the correct equipment can be considered to be connected to the network, so an effective security measures has been deployed that allows users to intuitively manage the network security of their mobile devices, even those with limited user interface.

Chapter One

Introduction

1.1 Historical Background

Over the past decade, there has been unprecedented growth in wireless standards and services. The advancements in the field of wireless communications have led to more innovative consumer applications. These wireless applications have evolved to cater to the needs of the commercial industry, defense, private home users and educational institutions.

The birth of wireless network is generally accepted to have occurred in 1897, when Marconi received credit with the patent for the radiotelegraph, from which the word radio was coined. Since that time, wireless network has been used. The evolution of wireless systems can be viewed to have occurred in different stages. The main force driving the evolution is an increasing public demand for wireless services. To meet this ever increasing demand, better technologies are required to increase network capacity, to improve quality of service and to introduce new service features.

In Nigeria and all over the globe, a wireless connection forms an essential part of a growing technological country and is the basis of an effective and efficient communication industry. Secured wireless network is sometimes an arbitrary prospect for the different people, who make use of it.

Secured wireless network seeks to determine the valuation of a job relative to other jobs within the organization. The importance of the security is to enhance proper management of users and avoid illegal and illicit user in the network. Secured wireless networks are normally done in isolation; it requires a thorough specification of the range at which the network can cover, that is in terms of the bandwidth and the amount of packet data it can send along the network.

A secured wireless networks are primarily determined by the strength of devices around it, in terms of its transmitting rate and how it can conveniently communicate with other receiving connection. It is recognized that in practice that there are several important factors used in determining a secured wireless network and they are:

The rate at which it can deny intruders access into the network.
The total amount of place it can cover at a time i.e. its bandwidth.
The rate at which it communicates.

This research is therefore intended to unearth the instability inherent in secure wireless networks which do not function properly due to different reason best known to them and to enable the easy running of secured wireless connection for effective performance.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

It is very typical in every industry that as its client base continuous to grow, the industry faces increased number of problems. In network monitoring aspect the problem may include:

Poor network strength
Network hacking
No signal when the network is down etc.

1.3 Aim of the Study

The aim of this study is to design and implement a secure wireless network.

1.4 Objective of the Study

The age of wireless computing has brought unprecedented freedom and mobility for computer user in a variety of circumstances. Even in the school setting, a wireless network enables staffs to access the internet and be productive without the constraints of one office set aside for the computer or competition for access.

However, going totally wireless brings with it some possible outcome problems as any new technology would do, not the least of those concerned is security. Going wireless means by definition that access to your computing resources and the internet is occurring without wires.

The main purpose for building a secured wireless network is for increased mobility so you can move around from one office to another without being together to a network jerk. Another reason is that they can network systems together without having to snake wires through walls by making use of access point.

1.5 Significance of the Study

Wireless networks are now ubiquitous and a large number of institutions incorporate a wireless network into their infrastructure. Because an unprotected network is an unblocked virtual door, anybody within range can tap on the network undetected.

A secured wireless network will benefit the institutions in that:

Through the use of wireless networks, information could be sent behind enemy’s lines easily, efficiently and more reliably.
Institutions use wireless networks to send and share data quickly whether it be in a small office building or across the world.

1.6 Scope of the Study

Owing to eat proliferation of mobile and laptops, it becomes necessary for appropriate usage of mobile with unified applications and internet. Public wireless network render the potent means for those people who intend to communicate by means of internet. With great advancement in technology, there is need to safe and secure connections as well. Lots of people are out there who are interested in misusing or abusing your personal information or network by hacking.

Therefore it becomes necessary to have a secured connection. Many options are available in the market today for making your network secure.

For this reason, this work is limited to the area of information security or the confidentiality of information of the case study.

1.7 Organization of Study

See Appendix I

1.8 Limitation of Study

The various limitations encountered here can be broadly classified or categorized under the following headings:

Hiding the content or the nature of a communication code, encryption and identity base.
Hiding the parties to a communication (prevention of identification or anonymity).
Interference from other devices.
Lack of high quality media streaming.
Limited bandwidth.
Anonymous devices not been registered is another problem, examples are cell phones and internet cafes.
Hard to trace routing method through an unauthorized third party system or relays.
Hiding the fact that a communication takes place.
Finally, random traffic that is creating random data flow in order that the presence of genuine communication is harder to detect and traffic analysis less reliable.

Chapter Five

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation

5.1 Summary

Secured wireless Network refers to any type of computer network that is wireless and is commonly associated with a telecommunication network whose interconnections between nodes is implemented without the use of wires.

Wireless telecommunication networks are generally implemented with some type of remote information transmission system that uses electromagnetic waves such as radio waves for the carrier and this implementation usually takes place at the physical level or layer of the network.

Hackers have found wireless networks relatively easy to break into and even use wireless technology to crack into wired networks. As a result, it’s very important that institutions define effective wireless security policies that guard against unauthorized access to important resources.

A secured wireless network is one of the tools used in our recent technology advancement in everyday life. It is normally used in solving several problems, ranging from each connection to a device without using wires, devices been able to pair with each other wirelessly probably using Bluetooth and other devices and above all fast and easy communication among devices with interruption.

Users with no authorization into a particular network can never have access to it, meaning that in wireless technology, security is at the maximum and is the first criteria before device can speak one language with each other.

Information gathered so far during the course of the project implies that the software can work for any networked or networking area, putting security at the very beginning, personnel and other organizations aware of the field of study will help to improve the secured wireless network connection.

5.2 Conclusion

During this research, it was discovered that the risks to users of wireless technology have increased as the service has become more popular. Institutions amass a great deal of confidentiality about their information, since most of this information is being collected, processed, stored on electronic computers and transmitted across networks to other computers.

For several decades, so many organizations have been to harness the power of computers through secured wireless network. The need for a new software development for large organization with a very large work force cannot be really overlooked and the benefit that is been derived from such a system. It checks security network connections, provides adequate security to data and information produced, which is highly reliable and accurate.

The new system will help to introduce effective wireless security policies that guard against unauthorized access to important resources thereby securing the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information of the institution.

5.3 Recommendation

Since security of wireless network is a branch of study that is necessary, especially in this contemporary world where cracking methods have become much more sophisticated and innovative with wireless, I therefore recommend that:

All sectors, organizations (public and private), institutions and associations should embrace this program in order to secure their data.
Institutions should encourage and finance the development of the software that could solve the problem of insecurity.
Institutions should be organizing courses, seminar, workshops and training for their staffs on security risks and personal preventive measures.
Institutions should apply specialized wall paint and window film (RF shielding) to a building to significantly attenuate wireless signals which keeps signals from propagating outside a network facility.
Institutions should apply security through/or by obscurity, by making use of internal identity secret code combined with a user entered pin to provide security of data.

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