| Semester 2, 2023 Toowoomba On-campus | |
| Units : | 1 |
| School or Department : | School of Mathematics, Physics & Computing |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
| Course fee schedule : | /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules |
Staffing
Course Coordinator: David Fatseas
Requisites
Pre-requisite: CSC8540
Overview
Wireless LANs have become a ubiquitous part of home, corporate and public spaces. Network administrators and engineers will almost certainly be involved with the provision and support of wireless networks at some level in their career. As a broadcast medium, wireless presents its own challenges distinct from wired networks. Security is also an integral part of wireless networks, as the passing of unencrypted communications across public airwaves is inherently risky. When planning, implementing, and supporting wireless networks, the network administrator needs to be well equipped to carefully assess the requirements of the business to provide a robust solution.
This course comprehensively looks at the fundamentals of wireless networking. From the standards and regulations involved to the different modes of deploying wireless devices, the course undertakes to provide a solid foundation of knowledge in the wireless networking space. Issues surrounding deployment, capacity planning, and security are discussed and the students will receive practical skills in configuring wireless devices and the services required to support a moderately sized wireless deployment. The course focusses on wireless LANs as specified in the 802.11 series of standards, but other mobile technologies are also discussed, and their advantages and disadvantages analysed.
Course learning outcomes
On completion of this course students should be able to:
- Apply wireless communication principles and mobile wireless standards in the context of specific examples;
- Analyse business requirements and choose appropriate wireless technologies to address the requirements;
- Implement a wireless network and its supporting network infrastructure;
- Identify and analyse security threats to wireless networks and suggest methods of mitigation;
- Undertake complex wireless network troubleshooting;
- Apply the ACS Code of Ethics in the context of wireless communication;
- Apply wireless networks to support workflows of the host organization;
- Investigate and critically assess emerging trends in wireless networking.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | History of wireless networking | 5.00 |
| 2. | WiFi and 802.11 Regulations, Standards, Organizations and ethical practice | 15.00 |
| 3. | Spectrum use and management and signal transmission | 15.00 |
| 4. | Wireless LANs | 20.00 |
| 5. | Mesh, infrastructure mode, bridges, and other wireless modes | 5.00 |
| 6. | Wireless security | 15.00 |
| 7. | Wireless LAN design and troubleshooting | 10.00 |
| 8. | Other wireless mobile technologies | 5.00 |
| 9. | Application of wireless technology to support host workflows | 5.00 |
| 10. | Emerging trends and ACS Code of Ethics in wireless networking | 5.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
Student workload expectations
To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.
Assessment details
| Description | Group Assessment |
Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Problem Solving 1 | No | 10 | 1,6,7,8 |
| Tech and/or scntific artefact | No | 10 | 2,4,5 |
| Problem Solving 2 | No | 30 | 2,3,4,5 |
| Report | No | 50 | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 |