Going wireless
Summary Description There's more to wireless
technology than just mobile phones. 5 Minute Guides examines how
you can cut down the sea of cables around your PC.
Author
Publication
Roullas Top10 Simon Vandore
Newswire
No
Editorial InformationArticle Location
http://www.newswire.com.au/0004/wireless.htm
Article Topic 5 Minute Guides
Story Order
Story Group 000409
Post Date 07/04/2000 08:32 AM Status Posted Entered by Simon
Vandore on 04/04/2000 10:04 PM
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Content
Introduction
Body
I'm interested in connecting wireless equipment to my PC.
What's the difference between RF and IR?
Infra-red (IR) is a part of the spectrum of natural light which
is invisible to the human eye. It is used in technology such as
remote controls, garage door openers and for wireless connections
on some notebook PCs. It's cheap and it works. The trouble with
infra-red is that it requires a clear line of sight between the
sender and the receiver. It cannot be used for communication
through walls and is useless between items on the top of a desk
and underneath it.
Radio frequency (RF) data communication is usually a better
solution because it uses radio spectrum to transfer information.
As you would know from using a standard AM/FM radio, this does
not require line-of-sight communication with the transmitter.
It's a better technology for wireless devices for which
line-of-sight communication would be a hassle. The most obvious
use for RF in the technology sector lies in wireless networking.
Are wireless networking products readily available?
Manufacturers such as Diamond and Proxim have sold mass market RF
networking products for a couple of years now. Diamond's range is
known as 'HomeFree' and Proxim's is called 'Symphony'. These
products can add a layer of security and avoid signal
interference by regularly switching frequencies as they operate.
There are also more expensive options, designed for more
specialised use, which have greater range, and there are also
microwave networking products.
What about the wireless keyboards and mice that are in
the shops?
Logitech has brought wireless input devices to the masses with
heavy promotion of RF keyboards and mice in Myer and Grace Bros.
These items come with a compact receiver device that plugs into
your mouse and keyboard slots. The battery operated mouse and
keyboard transmit input signals via RF to the receiver box, at a
range of several metres. People who like to feed their computer
display into a television and sit back, answering emails on the
couch, love this sort of device. The trouble is, it's hard to
find a suitable surface for a mouse away from a desk.
There are hundreds of other wireless devices, from infra-red and
RF headphones to X10 wireless home security cameras which
integrate with home automation systems and use electrical power
lines for data transfer.
Surely there's a downside?
Yes, there is. No matter how convenient wireless devices are,
they will never communicate as fast or reliably as physically
connected devices. Radio frequency communication is subject to
interference and most of the wireless networking devices
currently on the market use 1Mbps data transfer rates. This is
very slow compared to standard 10Mbps Ethernet, in an environment
where 100Mbps Fast Ethernet is becoming common. For example, an
MPEG video played across a 1Mbps network is quite jerky. However,
a slow wireless LAN is fine for simple networks that exist to
share an Internet connection, play multiplayer games or transfer
normal-sized business documents. It's also a good way to extend
an existing physically wired network.
Most wireless networking products now aim to meet the IEEE 802.11
standard for wireless Ethernet, which should result in higher
speeds and better interoperability.
What's this Bluetooth thing I keep hearing mentioned?
Bluetooth is a standard developed by a group of companies
involved in the computer and telecommunications industries. It is
aimed at allowing speedy, short-range data communication between
devices without the use of cables. It uses the 2.45GHz band, and
hops frequencies to reduce interference. Unfortunately, as this
part of the radio spectrum is already used in some European
nations, there is still some work to do before Bluetooth can
become ubiquitous. In fact, it's still really under development,
despite generating so much interest. Ultimately, Bluetooth will
allow two devices placed next to each other to exchange
information. For instance, it could be used to allow your mobile
phone to conduct a wireless EFTPOS transaction with the cash
register in a supermarket when you leave with your groceries.
What about all those other cables behind my PC?
RF is not the only advancing standard for communication between
devices connected to your PC. Chunky parallel, serial, and video
cables add up to something that looks like a business network hub
at the back of your PC. Since the mid-1990s, every new PC
manufactured has had USB ports, and the transfer speeds available
are superior to those of any other current mass market wireless
technologies. There's also FireWire, otherwise known as the IEEE
1392 standard, which is a kind of tiny parallel port connection
between electronic devices (not just computer devices) that
delivers 300Mbps data transfer. PC industry trendsetters such as
Intel have decided to go with the developing USB 2.0 standard,
which may be even faster. It will still require cables, but they
will be less bulky.
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