Secure Roaming in 802.11 Networks

Introduction

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States and similar bodies in other

countries. The strength of the RF signal could be kept small as it was always expected that

independent entities would deploy 802.11 networks in relative physical proximity. In the envi-

ronment of a coffee shop or an office, an effective signal range of 80 m is far less likely to

conflict with a neighboring installation’s deployment than a signal range of 1 km would.

A coffee shop typically provides service to dozens of simultaneous users, not to thousands.

Billing and accounting were not primary concerns in the early vision of 802.11 deployments.