Wireless communications Prof. Sheldon Lou College of Business Administration CSU San Marcos

What will be covered? Fundamentals  How is information (voice, data) sent and received without wires?  What are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WiMax, GPS, and RFID? How do they work? How to set up a Wi-Fi network? What is GPS? How is it used? What is a Radio Frequency ID?  How do cell phones work? What is CDMA? What is GSM? What is 3G? What is 4G? Business opportunities

Wired and Wireless Communications The main difference: the medium used—wire vs. air This difference gives rise to the most attractive feature of wireless communications: the mobility. But it often results in colossal implementation issues and inferior performance for wireless communications.  Bandwidth: number of uses  Security  reliability

Comparison of wired and wireless communications WiredWireless BandwidthDepending on the media used, can be large Narrow in general, regulated by FCC Signal receptionReliable due to dedicated link Unreliable, signal can be blocked, reflected SecurityHigh, difficult to tap inEveryone within the range can intercept the message InterferenceVery littleSignificant because all share the same medium: air MobilityNoYes Cost?? ExpansionAdd wires?

Basics for Wireless Communications How are signals transmitted wirelessly? How can many users make calls simultaneously (the limited bandwidth problem, TDMA, CDMA, etc.)? How can interference be reduced (the spread spectrum technology)? How can security be enhanced? Voice and data transmissions

What is Wi-Fi? Wi-Fi (or WiFi—Wireless Fidelity) is actually , which is a set of standards established by IEEE on wireless local area networks. The Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance started the Wi-Fi certification program to ensure that equipment claiming compliance was genuinely interoperable.

Municipal WiFi Networks Cover outdoor street level or inside buildings Large un-served market for Wi-Fi  Public access and municipal government applications  Fast emergency response networks

How will cities use WiFi? Emergency response network  The Wi-Fi cloud can be dedicated to the fire department or other emergency response teams  When not used for emergencies, the system can provide high speed internet access to the public Homeland security or police applications  Remote security cameras  Database access from the field Intelligent traffic control  Use the high bandwidth network to monitor and control traffic Internet access for underprivileged areas  Wi-Fi could be a cost-effective way to deliver broadband internet access  City owns and controls the infrastructure that “beams” Wi-Fi

Other WiFi Applications Hospitality  Complete large hotel coverage  Practical coverage of sports arenas and convention centers Education  Wi-Fi ready, but many un-served venues on campuses  Coverage for large venues and areas between buildings. Transportation/Logistics  Fleets, manufacturing, railways, large warehouses, shipping yards, train stations and railways  Critical applications already in place

What are business opportunities? Hardware: Access Point (AP), wireless media center, etc. Providing Wi-Fi service—hot spots Installing and managing WLANs

What is WiMax? It is actually the so-called standard set by IEEE. Acronym for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access It was designed as a wireless alternative to cable and DSL for last mile (last km) broadband access. Use a tall antenna to cover a relatively large area to provide two-directional wideband (high speed) connections wirelessly. Multiple users can be served by one base station. The new e amendment can also serve mobile users.

What is Bluetooth? It is actually the so-called IEEE standard Wire replacement to connect a PC or laptop to its keyboard, mouse, microphone, printer, and notepad. It handles both voice and data. Ad hoc networking of several users at short range, e.g., in a conference room

Cellular Systems The main features of a cell phone system: multiple cells to address the limited bandwidth problem FDMA, TDMA and CDMA GSM 3G and 4G

Some symbols k (kilo) = 1,000  kbps = one thousand bits per second M (mega) = 1 million  Mbps = one million bits per second  MHz = one million Hertz G (giga) = 1 billion (1,000 million)  Gbps = 1 billion bits per second  GHz = 1 billion Hertz

More terms Cellular systems: WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) WiMax: WMAN (Wireless Metro Area Network) WiFi: WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) Bluetooth: WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network)

Compare Wireless Technologies

The future of cell phones  1G to 3G and 4G  From voice only to data transmission, video, the Internet, etc.  GPS  TV broadcast  Games  Satellite radio