Wireless Technology
Article Published By Marc Liron - Microsoft MVP
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In just a short period of time, the technologies we have available
to us have changed dramatically. And one of the biggest advancements
has been with wireless technologies.
Suddenly we have freedom like never before. USB has allowed easy
transfer of files, Wi-Fi has allowed us to be connected without
cables, and Bluetooth has allowed us to connect devices without ever
running a cable. Zigbee, NFC, Wibree, and Dect/Cat iq have all
changed the way communication occurs..
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So let us now have a quick look at the different wireless
technologies in use today, and what they have to offer.
Since 1997, Wi-Fi has gone through many changes now
supporting Microsoft Windows operating systems, Apple’s operating
systems, as well as Unix and Linux. Wi-Fi is a radio frequency
technology that lets devices such as laptops, PDA’s, and cellular
phones with internet capability, to connect to the web when they are
within the range of one of the many global WiFi hotspots. Hotspots
are the area in which the Wi-Fi signal is broadcast, and they might
cover just one room or many square miles covered by several
hotspots. Basically, Wi-Fi is wireless Ethernet. It offers a great
deal of convenience, and not only is it being used in the home but
hotels, campgrounds, airports, and various other business locations
are now offering Wi-Fi to their customers.
Bluetooth gives you a freedom like you’ve never had
when it comes to your computer and peripherals. Right now, you
likely have a monitor, printer, keyboard, and mouse attached to your
computer with cables. And you likely have a rat’s nest of cables, a
nightmare for most of us. Bluetooth, which has a transfer rate of
1Mbps, lets you eliminate all of those cables and connect everything
wirelessly. Bluetooth is affordable technology that requires a
receiver and a transmitter, and So for example, your Bluetooth ready
computer would have a receiver and then if you purchased Bluetooth
ready peripherals such as the keyboard or mouse they would have a
transmitter. You’ll be cable free!
Zigbee is a name that draws attention and fills a
niche in the market. Zigbee devices are used to form a mesh network
between the different Zigbee devices. If you need wireless
solutions, Zigbee might just be what you need. You can use Zigbee
nodes to tie together an entire office or home, even an entire
warehouse, and it will be safe and secure. ZigBee’s goal is to
develop a system that has low power consumption and that is
affordable to control entertainment devices, appliances, and even
control security around the home allowing you to connect up to 255
devices in each network, with a 30-meter range, at a transfer rate
of less than 11 Mbps.
www.zigbee.org/en/index.asp
NFC stands for near field communication with a
wireless ranger that is so short it is measured in centimetres. It’s
intuitive, making it easy to use and allowing you to secure
communication among different devices in the home. No, need for your
help, because it will automatically connect and configure different
devices forming a peer-to-peer network. NFC technology can be used
for a variety of things and just recently, a new apartment complex
in Taiwan is using NFC to unlock doors using a special cellular
phone provided to the occupants.
www.nfc-forum.org/home
Wibree is also a short-range communication
technology, which has very low power consumption and integrates with
Bluetooth. Wibree is actually a new generation of RF opening up new
options for wireless data links, which can be used with your PC or
cellular phone. It will also extend the life of batteries in
wireless devices like a keyboard or mouse. Wibree will be used in
many situations where the power consumption of Bluetooth is a
problem. It is also going to be used in devices that are too large
for Bluetooth such as pedometers, heart rate monitors, and any other
wearable gadget with the ability to communicate with your PC.
www.wibree.com
Dect stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless
Telecommunications and dates back to the late 1990s. Dect is
providing cordless coverage but superior sound over analogue.
Dect/cat IQ is the technology designed for the
cordless telephones that work with new internet technologies like
VoIP services. In fact, Dect/cat IQ will become a new wireless
standard as consumers move from traditional phone services and use
VoIP phones over the internet. 2007 will see cost effective cordless
phones come to market with wideband voice, internet data and audio
streaming products, intelligent networking, and a wide range of
wideband voice features. They say the best is yet to come!
...not strictly a wireless technology but I thought I would mention
USB here because it is changing!
USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, and most of
you have probably used USB at some point. It is a method for
transferring data from one device to another, which is quick and
easy. Many of the cameras on the market use USB and you can purchase
USB drives that make it extremely easy to move files from one system
to another. . It is a slow data transfer of about 12 megabit per
second, and it is capable of connecting many different types of
devices such as mice, keyboards, MP3 players, and cameras.
Increasingly we will see USB used less in favour of the wireless
technologies used above.
So that is why there is now a version of Wireless USB available...
It is a short-range, high-bandwidth wireless radio communication
protocol that combines the speed and ease-of-use of USB 2.0 with the
convenience of wireless technology. Wireless USB is capable of
sending 480 Mbit/s at distances up to 3 meters and 110 Mbit/s at up
to 10 meters.
http://www.usb.org/developers/wusb/
There is also an excellent article on the challenges to moving to
Wireless USB here:
http://www.ellisys.com/technology/usb_to_wireless.php
Inconclusion
There is no question that wireless technology will continue to
advance. What the future has to offer remains to be seen.
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