In this thesis, we characterize the proprietary active scanning algorithm of several wireless network interface cards. Our experiments are the first of its kind to observe the complete scanning process as the wireless network interface cards probe all the channels in the 2.4GHz spectrum. We discuss the: 1) correlation of channel popularity during active scanning and access point channel deployment popularity; 2) number of probe request frames statistics on each channel; 3) channel probe order; and 4) dwell time. The knowledge gained from characterizing wireless network interface cards is important for the following reasons: 1) it helps one understand how active scanning is implemented in different hardware and software; 2) it can be useful in identifying a wireless rogue host; 3) it can help implement Active Scanning in network simulators; and 4) it can radically influence research in the familiar fields like link-layer handovers and effective deployment of access points.

The most studies on ad hoc network mainly focus on TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) of transport layer, the routing of network layer, multi-hop of Data-link layer, and the integration of WWAN and WLAN to increase the load balancing, coverage, and power savings. Nevertheless, in this dissertation, the system performances of four schemes proposed are improved with respect to data-link and network layers. One purpose of the data link layer is to perform error correction or detection. The other is responsible for the way in which different users share the transmission medium. The Medium Access Control (MAC) sublayer is responsible for allowing frames to be sent over the shared media without undue interference with other users. This aspect is referred to as multi-access communications. In the first and third schemes, the FDMA (Frequently-division multiple access) is employed to improve system performance, while in the fourth scheme the CDMA (Code-division multiple access) is used to enhance performance. Network layer has several functions, first is to determine the routing information. A second function is to determine the quality of service. A third function is flow control to avoid network to become congested. In the third scheme, the data-link and network layers have been used to increase system performance. Furthermore, the second scheme mainly concentrates on power savings under wireless sensor network. In ad hoc wireless networks, most data delivery is accomplished through multi-hop routing (hop by hop). This approach may leads to long delay and routing overhead regardless of which routing protocol is used. To overcome this inherent characteristic, this work presents a novel idea adopting dual-card-mode and performing self-organization process with specific IP naming and channel assignment to form a hierarchical star-graph ad hoc network (HSG-ad hoc) which can not only expedite the data transmission but also eliminate the route discovery procedure during data transmission. Therefore, the overall network reliability and stability can be significantly improved. Simulation results show that the proposed approach achieves substantial improvements in terms of average end-to-end delay, throughput, and packet delivery ratio. In a large-scale wireless sensor network, a topology is needed to gather state-based data from sensor network and efficiently aggregate the data given the requirements of balanced load, minimal energy consumption and prolonged network lifetime. In this study, we proposed a ring-based hierarchical clustering scheme (RHC) consisting of four phases: pre-deployment, parent-child relationship building, deployment, and member join phases. Two node types are distributed throughout the network: cluster head nodes (type 1 node) and general sensor nodes (type 2 node). The type 1 node has better battery life, software capability and hardware features than the type 2 node does; therefore, the type 1 node is a better cluster head than type 2 node. Most routing protocols focus mainly on obtaining a workable route without considering network traffic conditions for a mobile ad hoc network. Consequently, real time and multimedia applications do not achieve adequate quality of service (QoS). To support QoS, this work proposes a QoS-aware routing protocol, i.e. QUality of service with Admission control RouTing (QUART), that incorporates an admission control scheme into route discovery and route setup procedures. One variant of QUART, called, QUART-DD, adopts a dual-card dual-signal mechanism to increase system performance. Simulation results indicate that QUART-DD can significantly improve packet delivery ratio and throughput, while having a lower average end-to-end delay than routing protocols without QoS support. The performance of ad hoc wireless network suffers from problems in multi-hop transmission. This study adopts code division to modulate the frame header and the frame payload separately. A common spreading code modulates the frame header, and a special spreading code is negotiated and to modulate the frame payload. A field in the frame header indicates the spreading code used to modulate the successive frame payload. The modulated frame is transparent for every node, enabling many frames to be transmitted simultaneously. To allow the special spreading code negotiation, the RTS/CTS command is modified as ERTS/ECTS, and a spreading code table (SCT) is maintained in every node. Due to the space reuse, the proposed scheme has superior performance in latency and bandwidth utilization, as revealed by the simulation results.

Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited. / In spite of the fact that wireless network technology has been available for long period of time, there has been very limited wireless networks deployments around the world before 1997 due to the lack of widely recognized standard for wireless networks. Thanks to the approval of the IEEE 802.11 family of standards in 1997, the world has witnessed tremendous deployment and proliferation of wireless networks in all aspects of life. Although the IEEE 802.11 family of standards has been ratified to design radio transceivers for wireless computer stations capable of interconnecting with other wireless computer stations in close proximity, the technology has been successfully employed to design and implement wireless networks with great number of distant wireless computer stations with reasonable data throughput and flexibility. This thesis explores the wireless network technology and the primary building blocks and components of a wireless network. It also explores the IEEE 802.11 standard and its technical specifications including the Physical layer (PHY), the Media Access Control layer (MAC) and the ongoing task forces. Additionally, the thesis examines the wireless network security including the vulnerabilities, ongoing improvements and recommendations. Next, it investigates the market for available wireless devices compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard that can be used to build a wireless network with high data throughput and high level of security. Subsequently, the thesis formulates a design plan for civilian wireless network with different scenarios in order to provide a speedy solution to the limited broadband service availability in the Sultanate of Oman. Additionally, the thesis formulates a generic design plan for a military wireless network with different scenarios that can be rapidly deployed in the field of operations. / Computer Engineer, Royal Army of Oman