Third Type Of Wireless Network example essay topic

There are many reasons why wireless networks are used. One reason is for a temporary backup to an existing broken cable network. Cable networks can leave many users disconnected from the network by one bad or broken cable. When this happens a wireless network may help to get these users connected until they can be reconnected through or repaired cable. This also leads to the usage of wireless networks being used as a backup.

It would be much easier to connect the disconnected users to the network if they were already set up with the proper wireless networking software and hardware prior to the problem. Therefore, being used as a backup is very useful especially in buildings where the architecture makes it difficult to find and repair broken cables. Another reason wireless is needed is because there are some places where cables just can not reach. This may be the case in many businesses where cables can not be run across roads, long distances, or to mobile users. With a wireless network these are not obstacles. Wireless networks provide, which was just mentioned as a problem for cable networks, the option of portability.

Cell phones, pagers and palm pilots are all items that could not be connected to networks, such as the Internet, if not for wireless networks. Another use of wireless is in areas where cables simply can not be ran or can not be ran without many complications. Historical buildings, for example, make cabling difficult or impossible due to the old architecture where cabling was not anticipated. Busy areas are another reason for wireless. Reception areas, for instance, may have many people in the area all the time so cabling may not be practical.

Another need is for people who are on the move. Good examples of this would be doctors or nurses who are going in and out of rooms and taking a lot of information quickly. Palm pilots using infrared technology, which we will discuss later, makes it possible for a doctor to have information about a patient or to find out possible medications all within a few seconds thanks to these devices. Isolated areas provide another need for wireless networks.

In this case, there may not be the availability to link to the network through cables. An office in Alaska would be a good example of this problem. These are just a few examples of the many possible needs of wireless networks. Why Do I Need Wireless? Busy Area Temp. Fix to Cable Backup for Cable People on the Move (nurses or doctors) Isolated Area Hard to Cable Area Portability Needs Extend Beyond Limits of Other Cables Once a business decides it needs wireless networking it must decide what type it will use.

There are three basic types of wireless networks that can be selected. The first we will discuss is the Wireless Local Area Network (LAN). The LAN uses a network adapter card with each PC. This card is a transceiver that sends and receives data. These are usually small wall mounted devices. The LAN can use any one of four ways to transmit the data between transceivers.

The first type is Infrared technology, which uses an infrared light beam to transmit data. The light is susceptible to interference from strong light sources such as from windows. Therefore, the infrared light must be a strong signal to not be corrupted. Infrared are able to include a lot of information because it does have a wide bandwidth. The transfer rate is usually around 10 Mbps.

An Infrared network can be set-up in four different ways. Line-of-Sight Networks is simply a network where there are no obstacles or turns between transceivers. This can be used in many offices where the all the computers being used are in the same room. The second type of network is the Scatter Infrared Network.

This uses technology that can send infrared signals that bounce off of obstacles so the computers do not have to be in the same room. However, this is usually limited to a distance of around 100 feet and the rate of transfer is usually slow due to the bouncing of the signal. The third type of network is the Reflective Network, which uses optical transceivers. These transceivers are located near the computers and transmit to a common transceiver that then redirects the data to the appropriate computer.

The fourth type of infrared network is the Broadband Optical Tele point Network. This provides a broadband that can provide such things as multimedia at a rate that can be close to that of a cable network. It is important to note that all infrared networks are limited to around 100 feet between transmissions which is largely due to the interference from the previously mentioned strong light sources common in most businesses. The next type of signal used to transmit on LANs is the Laser. This is similar to infrared as far as it is usually best to use in straight lines where there are no obstacles, or walls, between the transceivers. Another signal used to transmit on a LAN is the Narrow-Band (Single Frequency) Radio waves.

In this type the transmitter and receiver must be on the same frequency for this to work. This, in contrast to the previously mentioned signals, is easily used despite not having the transmitters and receivers in the same room. However, these signals can not go through heavy walls or through steel making it difficult to use, for example, between floors in a building. The final type of signal used is the Spread-Spectrum, which broadcasts over a range of frequencies which helps avoid some of the single frequency problems. It can usually transmit at only around 250 ks. Types of Wireless Networks 1.

LAN Network 2. Extended LAN Network 3. Mobile Computing Network The second type of wireless network is the Extended LAN. This can connect networks through such things as wireless LAN bridges up to 3 miles apart. These take away the expense of businesses having to lease lines to run the data on a typical cable LAN. The other type of bridge is the Long-Range Wireless Bridge, which can send data up to 25 miles using spread-spectrum radio waves.

This prevents having to buy T 1 lines, which are used when using cable LANs. The third type of wireless network is the Mobile Computing Network. These use telephone and public services to transmit and receive signals. These are fairly slow but provide networks connectivity to people on the move with such things as Personal Digital Assistants or laptops. This would be the same type of service that makes the i Book from Apple possible, which can link very easily. Mobile Networks can be done with three types of services: Packet-radio communication, Cellular networks, and Satellite stations.

Packet-radio breaks transmissions into packets that address them so they can only be received by the device it is sent to. Cellular Networks use the same basic technology as cellular phones. The transmissions are sent between analog voice networks already being used. The Satellite Stations is the third type and use microwave systems. It is mainly used over small distances to connect buildings or to link to a satellite. It does require a straight line for transmission and reception.

These are frequently put up high, like on towers, to prevent obstacles to the point of reception. There are problems with Mobile Computing. Security is one problem because with the proper equipment some of the data could potentially be received by an eavesdropper. Mobile Computing can potentially be jammed.