Wireless LANs
Advantages
very flexible within the reception area
Ad-hoc networks without previous planning possible
(almost) no wiring difficulties (e.g. historic buildings, firewalls)
more robust against disasters like, e.g., earthquakes, fire - or users pulling a plug...
Disadvantages
typically very low bandwidth compared to wired networks (1-10 Mbit/s) due to shared medium
many proprietary solutions, especially for higher bit-rates, standards take their time (e.g. IEEE 802.11)
products have to follow many national restrictions if working wireless, it takes a vary long time to establish global solutions like, e.g., IMT-2000
Design goals for wireless LANs
global, seamless operation
low power for battery use
no special permissions or licenses needed to use the LAN
robust transmission technology
simplified spontaneous cooperation at meetings
easy to use for everyone, simple management
protection of investment in wired networks
security (no one should be able to read my data), privacy (no one should be able to collect user profiles), safety (low radiation)
transparency concerning applications and higher layer protocols, but also location awareness if necessary
Comparison: infrared vs. radio transmission
Infrared
uses IR diodes, diffuse light, multiple reflections (walls, furniture etc.)
Advantages
simple, cheap, available in many mobile devices
no licenses needed
simple shielding possible
Disadvantages
interference by sunlight, heat sources etc.
many things shield or absorb IR light
low bandwidth
Example
IrDA (Infrared Data Association) interface available everywhere
Radio
typically using the license free ISM band at 2.4 GHz
Advantages
experience from wireless WAN and mobile phones can be used
coverage of larger areas possible (radio can penetrate walls, furniture etc.)
Disadvantages
very limited license free frequency bands
shielding more difficult, interference with other electrical devices
Example
Many different products
802.11 - Physical layer (classical)
3 versions: 2 radio (typ. 2.4 GHz), 1 IR
data rates 1 or 2 Mbit/s
FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum)
spreading, despreading, signal strength, typ. 1 Mbit/s
min. 2.5 frequency hops/s (USA), two-level GFSK modulation
DSSS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum)
DBPSK modulation for 1 Mbit/s (Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying), DQPSK for 2 Mbit/s (Differential Quadrature PSK)
preamble and header of a frame is always transmitted with 1 Mbit/s, rest of transmission 1 or 2 Mbit/s
chipping sequence: +1, -1, +1, +1, -1, +1, +1, +1, -1, -1, -1 (Barker code)
max. radiated power 1 W (USA), 100 mW (EU), min. 1mW
Infrared
850-950 nm, diffuse light, typ. 10 m range
carrier detection, energy detection, synchronization
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