Wireless or wired connection of the technician’s smartphone to Cable Ties network

Data can be transferred between computer devices by networking the devices together. There are different methods of transferring data between devices, but they fall into 2 different categories: 1. Wired networks – use hard wires to transfer the data. 2. Wireless networks – uses radio waves to transfer data.

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 Cable Ties company network has to connect to the technicians’ smartphones to transfer data about their appointments.  They can connect wirelessly when out installing cable TV systems, or via a wired connection when back at the main office.

Wireless connections have the advantage of no wires, which means the that connections are quick to make and data can be easily transferred. They use radio waves to allow devices to connect together. This means the computer devices can move around and be portable. Your device needs a wireless network card to be able to connect. There are different methods of connecting to a wireless network. 1. Wi-Fi – they have a large bandwidth so large amounts of data can be transferred quickly between devices. 2. Telecommunications network called 3G or 4G. This method has much slower speed than Wi-Fi, but is good for voice calls, video calls and mobile internet access. 3. Bluetooth – this type of wireless connection requires devices to be paired with each other. This means each device has to have the same password key, which helps to keep the data secure from unauthorised users. But it has a limited range and a low bandwidth, which means that only a small amount of data can be transferred. This type of wireless connection could be used for a hands free headset for the technicians. 4. Infra-red – this type of connection requires the 2 devices to be in sight of one another and within 1 meter. This makes the connection very secure and very quick.

 The technician, when in the warehouse, can connect their smartphone to Cable Ties’ network using either a USB port or a FireWire.  USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. It is the standard method of connecting peripherals to a network. It allows fast data transfer of files.  FireWire is a high speed connection similar to USB and mainly used for transferring large amounts of data. At present it is more expensive than USB.

 To connect to Cable Ties’ network when out installing cable TV, the technicians must follow these steps: 1. Check the device is in range of a 3G signal or Wi-Fi hotspot. 2. Display the list of networks in range. 3. Locate and connect to the appropriate network/website. Use the SSID to identify the network. (SSID = Service Set Identifier). 4. Enter the correct logon details (username & password)

 Wireless networks can be less secure than wired networks because a wireless network is easier to connect to. You don’t have to be physically connected.  Security measures are used to prevent unauthorised access.  Most wireless networks use encryption keys to make data unreadable. The key is sometimes called the “network key” or “security key”.  To connect to and transfer data over a wireless network, all devices have to use this encryption key.  The first encryption key protocol was called WEP (wired equivalent privacy), but this has now been replaced by WPA, WPA2 (Wi-Fi protected access) and recently AES (advanced encryption standard).

 The firewall on Cable Ties’ network can be configured to ONLY allow authorised devices and users access from the Internet whilst technicians are out installing cable TV.  Firewalls work by inspecting network traffic as it arrives from the Internet.  If the network traffic is allowed, the firewall will let the user access the network, if the network traffic is not allowed the firewall will stop it entering the network.  This can make the network less secure, so a user ID and password must be set, and always asked for, when remote access is used.

 Wireless Data Transfer 1. Convenient to connect to a wireless network. 2. Data can be kept up to date for the technicians. 3. Slower data transfer than a wired connection. Can take a long time to upload data to the technicians. 4. Less secure than a wired connection. Cable Ties has a legal responsibility to keep customer details secure (DPA)  Wired Data Transfer 1. File transfer is faster. This can save Cable Ties time and mean more appointments. 2. Larger files can be uploaded, as wired networks have a higher bandwidth. 3. More secure than a wireless network as you have to be physically attached. 4. Less convenient, as you have to be at the warehouse. 5. Data is not always up to date, as the technician spends most of their time away from the main office. WbOew dvcOgas

1. File size – a wired network has a larger bandwidth than a wireless network. So large files may be best transferred using a wired network. 2. Transfer speed - file transfer is usually faster over a wired network because they have a larger bandwidth, but wireless networks can be more convenient. 3. Security - wired networks are more secure than wireless networks because it is physically connected, so if data has to be transferred over a wireless network it must be encrypted! 4. Cost – Wired networks cost more than wireless networks as they require a lot more hardware e.g. cables and sockets etc.