Restricting wireless network access within the classroom

Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) are fast becoming the networks of choice. With the availability of cheap wireless solutions, WLANs are seeing exponential growth which is expected to continue in the years to come. Over 50% of college classrooms have wireless network availability. Instructors have discovered that along with the benefits of WLANs there are also many students misusing the wireless network during class. This paper provides a solution to the multiple access point problem and proposes a system that can be used to control wireless network access in the classroom. The wireless network control system is based off of CNAC(7) and uses passive wireless sniffers to determine wireless clients location. The wireless sniffer is placed in the classroom and passively monitors all wireless traffic and records Received Signal Strength (RSS). The sniffing of RSS allows the system to know what wireless clients are broadcasting from inside of the room. This information is then passed onto the monitoring system that is placed on the network in a location that is able to see all network traffic. The system then monitors and filters traffic based on the instructors requirements.