After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

 Describe wireless technologies.

 Configure wireless settings in Windows 10.
 Discuss the considerations for implementing wireless networks within organizations.

Wireless Network Technologies

 Wireless networking uses radio waves to connect wireless devices to other network devices.
 Wireless networks generally consist of:
o wireless network devices,
o access points (APs), and
o wireless bridges that conform to 802.11x wireless standards.

Wireless Network Topologies

 There are two types of wireless network topologies:
o Infrastructure.
 Infrastructure wireless networks consist of wireless local area networks (LANs) and
cellular networks, and require the use of a device, such as an AP, to allow
communication between client wireless devices.
 You can manage infrastructure wireless networks centrally.
o Ad hoc.
 Ad hoc networks can connect wireless devices dynamically in a peer-to-peer
configuration without the use of any infrastructure devices.

802.11x wireless standards

 The 802.11 standard has been evolving since 1997.
 There have been many improvements in transmission speed and security of the 802.11 technology
since then.
 A letter of the alphabet designates each new standard, as the following table shows.

Specification Description
802.11a This is the first extension to the original 802.11 specification. It provides up to 54
megabits per second (mbps) and operates in the 5 gigahertz (GHz) range. It is not
compatible with 802.11b.
802.11b This specification provides 11 mbps and operates in the 2.4 GHz range. Specification
Description 802.11e This specification defines Quality of Service and multimedia
support.
802.11g This specification is for transmission over short distances at speeds up to 54 mbps. It is
backward compatible with 802.11b, and operates in the 2.4 GHz range.
802.11n This specification adds multiple-input and multiple-output, thereby providing
increased data throughput at speeds up to 100 mbps. It vastly improves speed over
previous specifications, and it supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz ranges.
802.11ac This specification builds on 802.11n to attain data rates of 433 mbps. 802.11ac
operates only in the 5 GHz frequency range.
Wireless security
 Because wireless traffic travels across open airwaves, it is susceptible to interception by attackers.
 Therefore, organizations utilize several security technologies to address these concerns.
 Most Wi-Fi devices support multiple security standards.
 The following table describes the current security methods available for wireless networks.

Security Description
method
Wired WEP is the oldest form of wireless security. Some devices support different versions:
Equivalent WEP 64-bit key, WEP 128-bit key, WEP 256-bit key. The security issues surrounding WEP
Privacy are well documented, and you should avoid using WEP unless it is the only alternative.
(WEP)
Wi-Fi Developed to replace WEP, WPA has two variations: WPA-Personal. WPA-Personal is
Protected for home and small business networks, and is easier to implement than WPA
Access Enterprise. It involves providing a security password, and uses a technology called
(WPA) Temporal Key Integrity Protocol. The password and the network SSID generate
constantly changing encryption keys for each wireless client. WPA-Enterprise. WPA-
Enterprise is for corporate networks. It involves the use of a Remote Authentication
Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server for authentication.
WPA2 This is an improved version of WPA that has become the Wi-Fi security standard. WPA2
employs Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which employs larger encryption key
sizes.

The security methods that a given wireless device supports depend on the vendor and the device’s age.
All modern wireless devices should support WPA2.

Wireless Driver Model

 Windows 10 introduces a new Wireless Driver Interface (WDI) driver model.

 This feature allows for a universal WLAN driver package that supports native functionality in
both desktop and mobile versions of Windows 10.
 Such a driver is called a Universal Windows driver.
 This driver works on OneCore Universal App Platform (UAP) based editions of Windows, such as
Windows 10 for desktop editions (Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education), Windows 10 Mobile,
and Windows 10 IoT Core (IoT Core).
 A Universal Windows driver calls a subset of the interfaces that are available to a Windows
driver.
 For example, the cellular and Wi-Fi connections can be managed using the same networking
stack.
 That allows for easy configuration of metered connections, where you want to avoid large data
transfers when possible, and monitoring data usage on a per-connection basis.
 It also offers greater reliability, with the capability to recover quickly when a device hangs for
firmware-related reasons.
 The new driver model also supports MAC address randomization to increase security and
privacy.
 Why would you want to randomize your MAC address?
  When you are not connected to Wi-Fi, your PC sends a signal to look for Wi-Fi networks in the
area to help you get connected.
 signal contains the unique physical hardware (MAC) address for your device.
 Some places, for example shopping malls, stores, or other public areas, might use this unique
address to track your movement in that area.
 If your Wi-Fi hardware supports it, you can turn on random hardware addresses to make it
harder for people to track you when your PC scans for networks and connects.

Configuring Wi-Fi Settings and Profiles

 An increasing number of devices use wireless connections as the primary method for accessing
corporate intranets and the Internet.
 Additionally, many users have come to expect a wireless infrastructure in a corporate
workplace.
 As a result, a good working knowledge of wireless connectivity is a requirement for today’s
networking environment.
 This section discusses the following wireless standards and the configuration and support of
them in Windows 10 wireless clients.
 The standards are Wi-Fi Sense, Miracast, and Near Field Communications.

Wi Fi Sense
 Windows 10 supports a new feature called Wi-Fi Sense.
 Wi Fi Sense automatically connects you to Wi Fi, so you can get online quickly in more places.
 It can connect you to open Wi Fi hotspots it knows about through crowdsourcing, or to Wi Fi
networks your contacts have shared with you by using Wi Fi Sense.
 These are typically open Wi Fi hotspots you see when you're out and about.
 The initial settings for Wi Fi Sense are determined by the options you chose when you first set
up your PC with Windows 10 or your phone with Windows 10 Mobile.
 You can change your Wi Fi Sense settings any time by selecting Settings > Network & Internet >
Wi Fi > Manage Wi Fi settings on your PC, and then changing one or both of these settings under
Wi Fi Sense.

Miracast
 Windows 10 has built-in support for the Wi-Fi Alliance Miracast devices.
 Miracast is a protocol that will transmit audio and video between devices via Wi-Fi.
 It is peer-to-peer and uses Wi-Fi Direct for the connection.
 It is not necessary that both devices are connected to the Internet.
 They only need to share the same local wireless network.
 The shared information is sent by the device via Wi-Fi through a Wi-Fi Direct connection to a
receiver connected to the display device.
 The receiver then decodes the video signal and passes it to the TV display (or other display device).
 Miracast supports WPA2-PSK encryption, so all you share is safe.

Near Field Communication

 Windows 10 has built-in support for Near Field Communication (NFC), which is still an emerging
technology based on short-range wireless radio technologies using radio frequency identification
(RFID).
 NFC-enabled printing enables users to “tap” a device (such as a tablet or phone) onto a printer to
connect to it.
 Where the components cannot be tapped together, NFC should still work if the devices are brought
close together, within a maximum distance of 4 inches (10 centimeters).
 NFC is similar to Bluetooth, but without the option to manually pair—the communication is
triggered due to physical proximity.
 NFC uses short-range radio waves for discovery and for transmitting data,
 NFC requires some form of NFC-enabled hardware, such as a smart tag, sticker, key fob, or wallet
card, which may also be located inside a laptop or tablet.
 Most Windows Phones have NFC built into the devices, which enables NFC sharing of photos
between NFC-connected devices.
 Once an enterprise has made available NFC-enabled devices, administrators can perform the
following management tasks:
o Add a NFC smart tag to their printer, or purchase printers with NFC built in.
o Enable the following connection types to be used:
 Universal Naming Convention (UNC),
 Web Services on Devices (WSD), and
 Wi-Fi Direct.
o Optionally, use the PowerShell cmdlet Write-PrinterNfcTag to provision an NFC tag with
information about a printer.
o Although NFC built-in support is provided by Windows 10, this is available for OEMs and ISVs
to produce NFC-enabled hardware.
o NFC offers mobile devices significant opportunities to access resources by using proximity
alone.
o Other emerging technologies include Windows 10 support for the
 Windows Sensor and Location platform, and support for
 the Windows Biometric Framework (WBF). T
 These frameworks enable developers to utilize support for sensors, which can be attached or
embedded within modern Windows devices (phone, tablets, Internet of Things, PCs), and include
capabilities such as:
o Speed, motion, acceleration, gyrometer
o GPS location, elevation, inclinometer, compass orientation
o Humidity, temperature, light, atmospheric pressure
o Biometric human proximity, human presence

Additional Reading: For more information on NFC Printing select here: https://aka.ms/Oid2f9
Configuring Wi-Fi Settings/Profile

Windows 10 makes it very easy to connect to and configure wireless network settings.

Use the following procedures to manage your wireless network connections

Connect to a wireless network
1. Tap the wireless network icon on the notification area to see a list of available wireless
networks.
2. Tap the network of your choice.
3. Tap Connect.
4. When prompted, enter the security information required by the wireless hub to which you are
connecting your device, and then tap Next. You are connected.

Configure wireless networks

To configure your wireless networks:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Network & Internet.
3. Select Wi-Fi.
4. On the Wi-Fi page, choose the following options:
a. Connect to suggested open hotspots
b. Let me use Online Sign-Up to get connected
c. Get online when you’re on the go by buying Wi-Fi
1. At the top of the page, select Manage known networks.
2. On the Manage known networks page, tap the network you wish to manage.
3. Tap to view Properties or Forget the network.
4. Configure advanced wireless properties
 From Network and Sharing Center, you also can configure advanced wireless properties: -
 In Network and Sharing Center, tap the name of your wireless network adapter on the right. –
 In the Wi-Fi Status dialog box, you can view the properties of your wireless connection. –
 Tap Wireless Properties to view additional information, including the security settings of the
connection.
 Note: You can use Windows Server Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to configure wireless profiles.
 This saves your users from having to configure their wireless connections manually.

Setup Wireless Display with Miracast

 Miracast is a wireless technology your PC can use to project your screen to TVs, projectors, and
streaming media players that also support Miracast.
 You can use this to share what you are doing on your PC, present a slide show, or even play your
favorite game on a larger screen.

Get your devices ready

 In order to use Miracast, both the source and target device’s hardware and OS must support
Miracast.
 Windows 8.1/10 support Miracast.
 Also, if the display you'll project to doesn’t support Miracast, you’ll need to set up the display by
adding an extra piece of hardware to it before you can start projecting.
 Add the display to complete the connection
 With your PC and display ready to project, you need to add the wireless display to your PC.
 Both devices need to be within range, which usually means that they're in the same room.
To add a wireless display to your PC:
1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Devices. (If you're using a mouse, point
to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then select Devices.)
2. Tap or select Project, and then tap or select Add a wireless display.
3. Choose the wireless display in the list of devices found, and follow the instructions on the
screen.

Project your screen to a wireless display

 After you add the wireless display to your PC, you can project your screen to it and change what you
see on each screen.
 To project your screen:
o Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Devices. (If you're using a mouse,
point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then select
Devices.)
o Tap or select Project, and then tap or select the wireless display you want.
o To choose what you see on each screen:
1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Devices. (If you're using a
mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up,
and then select Devices.)
2. Tap or select Project, and then choose one of these options:
o PC screen only. You’ll see everything on your PC. (When you're connected to a wireless
projector, this option changes to Disconnect.)
o Duplicate. You’ll see the same things on both screens.
o Extend. You'll see everything spread over both screens, and you can drag and move items
between the two.
o Second screen only. You’ll see everything on the connected screen. Your other screen will be
blank.

Disconnect from a wireless display

 If you move your PC beyond the range of the wireless display (such as to another room), or if you
make your PC sleep or hibernate, the two devices will disconnect.
 You can also disconnect the wireless display manually.
1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Devices. (If you're using a mouse, point
to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then select Devices.)
2. Tap or select Project, and then tap or select Disconnect.

Fix problems
 You can solve many problems by installing the latest drivers for your PC and the latest firmware for
your wireless display or Miracast adapter.
 To update firmware on your wireless display or adapter, go to the Support section of the
manufacturer's website, search on your specific device, and follow their instructions to download
and install that firmware.
 You can also check the Windows Store to see if there’s an app from the manufacturer of your
wireless display or Miracast adapter that updates firmware.