Prototype system for detecting and processing of IEEE 802.11a signals

Abstract

As the need to send larger amounts of information increases, the military is looking into viable solutions to push this information throughout the battle space. IEEE 802.11a wireless LAN network presents an attractive high-speed solution by providing data rates up to 54 Mbps. At the same time, wireless LAN introduces increased security risk due to its vulnerability to exploitation of the wireless LAN physical layer. This research will develop a prototype system using low cost hardware and software solution to detect and process wireless IEEE 802.11a signals. Using the prototype, performance data will be collected to determine whether IEEE 802.11a is a feasible option as a high-speed information network for military use. Additionally, the performance data collected will provide a good basis for predicting the expected performance in an operational scenario and provide valuable information for proper deployment planning.