Information about Wireless Networks

While the term wireless network may technically be used to refer to any type of network that is wireless, the term is most commonly used to refer to a telecommunications network whose interconnections between nodes is implemented without the use of wires, such as a computer network (which is a type of communications network). Wireless telecommunications networks are generally implemented with some type of remote information transmission system that uses electromagnetic waves, such as radio waves, for the carrier and this implementation usually takes place at the physical level or "layer" of the network. (For example, see the Physical Layer of the OSI Model).

Types

Wireless LAN: One type of wireless network is a WLAN or Wireless Local Area Network. Similar to other wireless devices, it uses radio instead of wires to transmit data back and forth between computers on the same network.

• Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is a commonly used wireless network in computer systems which enable connection to the internet or other machines that have Wi-Fi functionalities. Wi-Fi networks broadcast radio waves that can be picked up by Wi-Fi receivers that are attached to different computers.
• Fixed Wireless Data: Fixed wireless data is a type of wireless data network that can be used to connect two or more buildings together in order to extend or share the network bandwidth without physically wiring the buildings together.

Wireless MAN: A type of wireless network that connects several Wireless LANs.

• WiMAX: WiMAX is the term used to refer to wireless MANs.

Mobile devices networks

• Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM): The GSM network is divided into three major systems which are the switching system, the base station system, and the operation and support system (Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)). The cell phone connects to the base system station which then connects to the operation and support station; it then connects to the switching station where the call is transferred where it needs to go (Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)). This is used for cellular phones, is the most common standard and is used for a majority of cellular providers.
• Personal Communications Service (PCS): PCS is a radio band that can be used by mobile phones in North America. Sprint happened to be the first service to set up a PCS.
• D-AMPS: D-AMPS, which stands for Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service, is an upgraded version of AMPS but it is being phased out due to advancement in technology. The newer GSM networks are replacing the older system.

Uses

Wireless networks have significantly impacted the world as far back as World War II. Through the use of wireless networks, information could be sent overseas or behind enemy lines easily and quickly and was more reliable. Since then wireless networks have continued to develop and its uses have significantly grown. Cellular phones are part of huge wireless network systems. People use these phones daily to communicate with one another. Sending information over seas is possible through wireless network systems using satellites and other signals to communicate across the world. Emergency services such as the police department utilize wireless networks to communicate important information quickly. People and businesses use wireless networks to send and share data quickly whether it be in a small office building or across the world. Another important use for wireless networks is as an inexpensive and rapid way to be connected to the Internet in countries and regions where the telecom infrastructure is poor or there is a lack of resources, like most Developing Countries.

Wireless networks allow you to eliminate messy cables. Wireless connections offer more mobility, the downside is there can sometimes be interference that might block the radio signals from passing through. One way to avoid this is by putting the source of your wireless connection in a place where the signal will have as little interference as possible. Sometimes nearby networks are using the same frequencies, and this can also cause interference within the network and can reduce its performance.

Compatibility issues also arise when dealing with wireless networks. Different components not made by the same company may not work together, or might require extra work to fix compatibility issues. To avoid this, purchase products made by the same company so that there are fewer compatibility issues.

Wireless networks, in terms of internet connections, are typically slower than those that are directly connected through an Ethernet cable. Though the speed is slower, most things will still move at the same speed except for things like video downloads. Though wireless technology continues to develop, it is now easier to get networks up and running cheaper and faster than ever before.

A wireless network is more vulnerable because anyone can try to break into a network broadcasting a signal. Many networks offer WEP - Wired Equivalent Privacy - security systems which have been found to be vulnerable to intrusion. Though WEP does block some intruders, the security problems have caused some businesses to stick with wired networks until security can be improved. Another type of security for wireless networks is WPA - Wi-Fi Protected Access. WPA provides more security to wireless networks than a WEP security set up. The use of firewalls will help with security breaches which can help to fix security problems in some wireless networks that are more vulnerable.

Companies

.There are different companies that provide different wireless services. Some are listed below.

Commercial Cellular Carriers

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel, Alltel, T-Mobile, Vodafone, MTN, CELTEL, NTT DoCoMo, SoftBank, Airtel, Idea, Tata, Reliance, BSNL, and Telstra Next G Network.

Wireless Networks

Verizon, Sprint Nextel, WPCS International Incorporated,Michtel Communications/Wireless Oakland

Articles

• Wireless MAN - metropolitan area network
• Wireless LAN - local area networks
• Wireless PAN - personal area networks
• GSM - Global standard for digital mobile communication, common in most countries except South Korea and Japan
• PCS - Personal communication system - not a single standard, this covers both CDMA and GSM networks operating at 1900 MHz in North America
• Mobitex - pager-based network in the USA and Canada, built by Ericsson, now used by PDAs such as the Palm VII and Research in Motion BlackBerry
• GPRS - General Packet Radio Service, upgraded packet-based service within the GSM framework, gives higher data rates and always-on service
• UMTS - Universal Mobile Telephone Service (3rd generation cell phone network), based on the W-CDMA radio access network
• AX.25 - amateur packet radio
• NMT - Nordic Mobile Telephony, analog system originally developed by PTTs in the Nordic countries
• AMPS - Advanced Mobile Phone System introduced in the Americas in about 1984.
• D-AMPS - Digital AMPS, also known as TDMA
• Wi-Fi - Wireless Fidelity, widely used for Wireless LAN, and based on IEEE 802.11 standards.
• Wimax - A solution for BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) and conforms to IEEE 802.16 standard.
• Canopy - A wide-area broadband wireless solution from Motorola.

Research institutes

The following institutions conduct wireless network related research:

• University of California, Santa Barbara
• University of California, Berkeley
• Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
• University of Pennsylvania
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Helsinki University of Technology
• Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden)
• Stanford University
• Iowa State University
• Center for Wireless Information Network Studies, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• University of Southern California
• University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK
• Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• University of South Australia, Australia
• University of Toronto, Canada
• Drexel University
• G S Sanyal school of Telecommunications, IIT Kharagpur, India
• University of Houston–Clear Lake

Communities

• SeattleWireless
• NYCwireless
• RedLibre
• Personal Telco
• Downtown Toronto

Ideas

• Warchalking

Environmental concerns and health hazard

In recent time there are increased concerns and research linking usage of wireless communications with poor concentration, memory loss, nausea, premature senility and even cancer. Individuals and organizations alarm that the frequency band used in Wi Fi is essentially the same one used in microwave ovens.

See also

• Wireless community network
• Wireless LAN
• Exposed terminal problem
• Wireless LAN client comparison
• Wireless Networking in the Developing World
• Public Safety Network

References

Annotated bibliography

• Aravamudhan, Lachu. Getting to Know Wireless Networks and Technology. 4 July 2003. 5 Oct 2006 <http://www.informit.com/articles/printerfriendly.asp?p=98132&rl=1>.

:This source helped with verifying some history on wireless networks. The source is a few years old and so I didn’t use much of the information though it did have information similar to other sources in this project.

• Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). International Engineering Consortium. 10 Oct 2006 <http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/gsm/topic03.html>.

:This source was useful in that it provided information about GSM networks. I used it just to give a short description of how GSM networks work. The source was reliable and talked about the way the different components of GSM networks.

• Goldsmith, Andrea. "Wireless Communications." Overview of Wireless Communications. 16 Oct 2006 <http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521837162&ss=exc>.

:This source was useful because it provided a general overview of wireless communications. The author provided some history behind wireless networks that I used to confirm with other sources in my paper. I thought the content that was provided was valuable and it was useful to the project.

• History of Wireless. Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. 10 Oct 2006 <http://www.jhsph.edu/wireless/history.html>.

:This source was very useful when writing about the history of wireless networks. I used a lot of information from this source and verified it with other sources. The source talked about the start of wireless communication up to about the first WLAN. The source appeared to be reliable as it had the same information other sources had.

• How Wi-Fi Works. 10 Oct 2006 <http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~d_na/How%20WiFi%20Works2.doc>.

:This source was reliable as I used the diagrams provided in the document. It was a picture that showed how different Wi-Fi connections were set up and talked about how long they could reach and possible problems relating to Wi-Fi. The source was reliable and useful to the discussion of how Wi-Fi works.

• Noboa, Paul. World of Wireless Networking. 2005. 10 Oct 2006 <http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Stu/pnoboa/>.

:This source was useful specifically in regards to the ALOHNET information in this project. The information was the as the information provided by the article titled History of Wireless. The source was talked about different aspects of wireless networking, but the part I most focused on was the information regarding ALOHNET which discussed its history.

• The Pros and Cons of Wireless. Vnunet. 10 Oct 2006 <http://www.vnunet.com/personal-computer-world/features/2045861/pros-cons-wireless-part>.

:This source provided different pros and cons to using a wireless network. It talked about the easy mobility of wireless networks and how they provide easy access to information. It also talked about the downsides to it such as security issues and slower speeds at which information is transferred. This source was useful to this project and was reliable.

• Wireless Networking in the Developing World. 20 Feb 2007 <http://wndw.org>.

:This source is a free book released under Creative Commons. It is a comprehensive source of information and practical hints on how to deploy wireless networks in Developing Countries.

External links

• Wireless at the Open Directory Project