Wireless Data: Then and Now

1
Wireless Data Then and Now

• Cory Forseth

2
How We Use Wireless Networks

• Cellular
• Internet sharing
• Data sharing
• Device communication
• Other applications yet to be seen?

3
Types of Wireless Networks

• Personal Area Network
• PAN
• Short-range networks mainly for device
  interoperability
• Local Area Network
• LAN
• Small network usually containing 2-50 computers

4
Types of Wireless Networks

• Campus Area Network
• CAN
• Just a group of connected LANs
• Can cover a college campus or a corporate campus
• Wide Area Network
• WAN, also called a Metropolitan Area Network
  (MAN)
• Covers a much larger area

5
Personal Area Network

• Network spanning your own personal space
• Used for communications between devices
• Currently, Bluetooth is the main protocol
• Other protocols in development
• Wibree
• ZigBee

6
Bluetooth

• Short-to-medium range network using very
  low-power transmitters
• Class 1 100m (100 mW)
• Class 2 10m (2.5 mW)
• Class 3 1m (1 mW)
• Networks are simple to set up, usually done
  automatically and without any user input

7
Bluetooth

• Devices use a Master/Slave relationship
• Master searches for devices within its area
• Negotiates with any devices to determine
  interoperability possibilities
• Connects if able and begins to use the slaves
  advertised services
• Data connection is one-way Master to slave only
• At any time, the slave can switch places with the
  master and send data in the opposite direction

8
Bluetooth

• Master/Slave relationship, cont.
• Master can have 7 active slaves
• Communicates with slaves round-robin
• Master can also have 255 other inactive devices
  which it can bring up to activity at any time
• Uses RF so devices are discoverable in different
  rooms and on different floors no line-of-site
  needed

9
Bluetooth

• Several applications common today
• Hands-free headsets
• Wireless Keyboard/Mouse
• Wireless Printer
• PDA synching
• Can be used for Internet Sharing, but not seen
  much

10
Wibree

• New, ultra-low power protocol suite similar to
  Bluetooth
• Nokia announced in 2004
• Made to stand alone, but compliments Bluetooth
  well
• Low power usage limits range to about 10m
• But when used with Bluetooth, hardly a limitation

11
Wibree

• Nothing much on the market right now
• Possible application
• Sports watch worn on the wrist collects data sent
  to it from sensors on the persons body and in his
  clothes
• Data like vital stats (heart and respiration
  rate), speed, acceleration, distance, etc
• Data is then stored until it is sent to a
  computer or PDA to be analyzed

12
ZigBee

• Another ultra-low power protocol
• Different from Wibree
• More geared toward home/business automation and
  security
• End nodes can be motion sensors, smoke detectors,
  switches, thermostats
• Devices like this can be powered for several
  years on a single AA bettery

13
ZigBee

• Networks are Ad-Hoc and self-organizing
• Devices on the network
• Coordinator
• Router
• End Device
• Up to 65000 devices in a single network

14
ZigBee

• Using ZigBee, automation and monitoring is much
  simpler
• No need to run any wires
• end devices are self powered and communicate
  wirelessly
• Cuts down installation time/cost tremendously
• Only coordinators and routers are main-powered
  devices

15
Local Area Network

• Most common type of wireless network
• Can currently span up to 100m from a single base
  station
• Almost all WLANs use various 802.11 standards
• Known as Wi-Fi
• Can be found almost anywhere

16
IEEE 802.11a/b

• Similar standards with different strengths
• Both released in 1999
• 802.11b devices in 1999
• 802.11a devices not until 2001
• 802.11a faster, but limited range
• 802.11b considerably slower, but much larger
  range
• 802.11b used more frequently

17
IEEE 802.11a/b

• 802.11b products released right away
• 802.11a product manufacturers had to wait on the
  more expensive 5 GHz transmitters
• 802.11a had a limited range
• Early implementations were poorly done
• Only exasperated the problem
• Many users found the speed of 802.11a was not
  enough benefit to sacrifice the distance that
  802.11b could provide

18
IEEE 802.11g

• Released in 2003
• Best of both the 802.11a/b worlds
• Nearly the same range as 802.11b
• But with the same 54 Mbps speed as 802.11a
• Caught on like crazy even before standard was
  finalized
• Used almost ubiquitously ever since

19
IEEE 802.11n

• Next evolution in Wi-Fi
• Biggest leap in the evolution of Wi-Fi
• Huge increases in speed, range and reliability
• Due to MIMO technology
• Because the standard is still in draft,
  performance numbers still estimates

20
IEEE 802.11n

• Maximum throughput of 600 Mbps
• Maximum range of 250m
• Fully compliant with older standards
• 802.11a/b/g clients can connect to an 802.11n
  network
• Hinders performance compared to a pure 802.11n
  network

21
IEEE 802.11n

• Greater speed means we are nearing a mobile
  Ethernet
• Far surpasses 100 Mbps
• Approaches Gigabit Ethernet
• More readily enables streaming over wireless,
  most notably video streaming
• To transfer a 30 minute HD video file over
  wireless
• 802.11b 42 minutes
• 802.11g 10 minutes
• 802.11n 44 seconds

22
IEEE 802.11n

• MIMO technology increased speed and reliability
• Uses multiple antennas to send out multiple
  spatial streams of data
• Draft specifies up to 4 antennas on both sending
  and receiving end
• If one end has fewer antennas than the other,
  extra antennas only increase reliability and
  speed (through redundancy)

23
IEEE 802.11n

• Even though the 802.11n draft only supports up to
  4 antennas, higher speeds are possible with more
  antennas
• Doubling number of antennas doubles throughput
  under ideal conditions
• Can be done at the extra expense of power
  consumption, and to a lesser extend,
  manufacturing costs
• Possible that engineers will find more efficient
  ways to add antennas, increasing speed greatly

24
Wide Area Networks

• To expand Wi-Fi networks, more base stations need
  to be added
• As covered area increases, cost to broaden
  coverage increases exponentially
• Eventually it becomes impractical to expand
  anymore
• Currently the only network that covers more than
  a cluster of 802.11g routers is a cellular network

25
3G Cellular Networks

• Third Generation (3G) cellular networks are
  starting to be deployed in the US
• Already heavily used in Europe and Japan
• Provide faster speeds to cell phones than have
  been seen
• 14.4 Mbps max downlink, .5 Mbps uplink
• Typical downlink 1 Mbps
• One tower can cover 18 miles

26
WAN

• No analog for a cellular network exists
• No wide area wireless network comparable to both
  3G cellular AND Wi-Fi networks
• 3G cellular networks not fast enough to replace
  Wi-Fi, so we need another solution
• Enter IEEE 802.16e WiMAX
• Covers a whole city with one base station
• Faster than 802.11g

27
WiMAX

• Could very easily replace many telecommunications
  standards
• Internet TV instead of standard cable
• VoIP instead of standard land lines
• No need for a DSL or Cable internet connection
• Single base station
• 6 mile radius
• 72 Mbps to thousands of customers
• Makes the idea of a nationwide wireless network
  very possible

28
WiMAX

• Works best with line-of-sight like Wi-Fi
• But doesnt degrade as fast as Wi-Fi when
  obstructions are present
• Signal can go through a building with only a
  slight degradation in speed
• Very well suited for a downtown urban environment

29
WiMAX

• Virtually eliminate any need for Wi-Fi hotspots
• Whole city can be a hotspot!
• Also has applications in rural areas
• Can supply DSL to new areas without the cost of
  running new wires
• Bring current dial-up customers up to DSL

30
WiMAX

• With a city-wide, continuous wireless network,
  ability to innovate is endless
• New applications can be very exciting
• Imagine a smart car driving through a city
  where WiMAX is implemented
• Navigation system can provide directions with
  up-to-the-second considerations for construction,
  traffic backups and accidents

31
WiMAX

• No need to use a DVD system to entertain
  passengers
• Just stream their favorite TV shows or movies
• Can provide an alternative to satellite radio
• Stream music from free online radio stations like
  Shoutcast

32
WiMAX

• Constant connectivity can provide an ADT-like
  security and monitoring system for your car
• Report any assault on your vehicle to the
  authorities (glass break, attempted hotwire, etc)
• Accidents can be automatically reported so help
  is on its way even before anyone calls

33
WiMAX

• Clearly WiMAX will have a huge impact
• Leaves open ample opportunity for entrepreneurs
  to innovate
• One of us could make our millions thanks to WiMAX
• So many applications that its impossible to
  predict what will come

34
The Beginning

• Wireless data networks have changed how we
  interact with our world
• Where we work, study, play and communicate
• Technologies are still emerging to take advantage
  of current networks
• iPhone from Apple uses the 3G EDGE network, has
  Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in
• Roams seamlessly between networks

35
The Beginning

• As advanced as we have become in how we use
  wireless networks
• Clearly not done, this is only the beginning
• New technologies will open the door for more and
  greater uses for wireless data
• Only time will tell