Will WiMAX Replace DSL?

Introduction 

There has been a lot of hype about WiMAX as the next generation technology that will wipe out wired internet connectivity. The contention is that, it is far easier and more cost effective to set up transmission towers than continuously extend the cables for last mile connectivity. However there are a good number of people who are more conservative in their evaluation. The skeptics question the commercial viability of the new technology and cite earlier instances of wireless internet technologies failing to make it at the market.

The Facts about WiMAX 

WiMAX is the acronym for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access.It is a set ofstandards that enables high speed wireless internet access possible over relatively large areas (up to 50 km radius from the source). WiMAX can provide up to 1Mbps downstream capacity.

Attempts have been going on since 1999 to develop technologies that offer broadband services through wireless transmission. Most of these technologies failed to capture the mass market because of the high costs of equipment. This is where WiMAX can make a difference.

In the first place, technical advances have made non-line-of-sight propagation possible, thus increasing the range of transmission. The IEEE 802.16-2004 standards ensure low interference transmission over a relatively large area. This means that a single transmission tower can service up to 60 businesses at the speed of a T1 line, or hundreds of homes at DSL speeds.

Secondly, the WiMAX Forum has been formed to work out interoperability of IEEE802.16 implementations. The Forum will create implementation profiles and certification programs. This ensures that the technology is launched in an organized manner.

Last but not the least WiMAX has the full backing of Intel. Intel and Proxim are developing components that are WiMAX compatible.

What This Means 

All of these have implications for the commercial viability of WiMAX. Currently providing last mile connectivity is the most expensive element to the service provider in terms of material, manpower and time. Setting up transmission powers can prove to be a more inexpensive, one-time investment. Providing connection to an entire high-rise or community can now be achieved in a matter of one or two business days. The service provider is subsequently able to reduce the bill to the end user.

The backing of Intel is another significant factor. Mass manufacture of WiMAX compatible chips will bring down the cost of receptor equipment, another advantage for the consumer.

Stumbling Blocks 

So far is technology. WiMAX looks like an excellent option in countries and regions where wired broadband is not yet commonly available, or difficult to establish due to geographical challenges. However the IEEE 802.16 (fixed point-to-point) may not penetrate markets where wired connectivity is ubiquitous. It is the IEEE 802.16e (for mobile wireless access) that these regions are likely to embrace.

There has been a lot of excitement about the possibility of bringing diverse services as telephony, video and data under one umbrella with WiMAX. The possibility also has commercial challenges that need to be tackled. It calls for better streamlining of back office operations of the players involved. Service providers will have to work together to develop single-point billing solutions to the consumer as well as efficient mutual settlement systems.

The Overall Picture 

Economies of scale is what will make all the difference. Cheap availability of WiMAX enabled equipment and low operating costs to the incumbent operators paint a very attractive picture. However the old commercial systems are not equipped to handle the billing and settlement challenges that WiMAX poses. This has to change. That achieved, WiMAX can grow as a powerful supplementary system to the existing DSL structure and eventually replace it.

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What is RFID?

What is RFID? It's a type of wireless technology that lets you identify objects that have been fitted with special RF identification tags.

This can help you manage materials or assets easily, improve productivity, eliminate errors and stock-outs, and significantly reduce labor costs.

RFID is Radio FrequencyIDentification. The Radio Frequency refers to the electromagnetic energy that we transmit for the sole purpose of electronically carrying the IDinformation from an RFID tag to its reader.

Here we'll explain what you can use it for, expand the definition and explain how RFID technology works. We'll also provide links to other pages that will tell you about its benefits, disadvantages and limits, and discuss the things that impose those limits.

What is RFID good for?

For asset management RFID is currently the best practical way to track items in transit.

With RFID tracking, the benefits increase when you want to move items from country to country and they need to be off-loaded and re-loaded often.

RFID and logistics providers are excellent partners, especially when the location of the items can be continuously monitored by wireless telemetry.

RFID medical applications such as providing patients with an RFID wristband that contains the patient’s identity and other information relating to the patient’s medical condition. RFID hospital applications include tracking and recording of drugs and samples.

RFID in libraries. When books are fitted with RFID tags, piles or rows of books on a shelf can be quickly scanned without having to move or re-arrange them.

RFID access control at places where security is important, such as banks and airports. Putting RFID chips in passports is becoming common.

Animal identification. RFID for cattle using RFID ear tags or an RFID implant, a legal requirement, in some countries, to register a dog.

Fast payment of road tolls and other services that require fast throughput. RFID smart cards allow very fast identification and exchange of other information.

Timing competitors in large sports events. Events such as marathons require accurate identification and timing information for each competitor… especially if three cross the finishing line 1/10th of a second apart.

RFID seals are becoming a popular way to indicate if a container of manufactured items was opened.

Inventory control in supply chain management and retailing.

There are many, many applications for RFID and the list of applications above will help to answer the question what is RFID.

However, RFID isn’t necessarily always the right, or only choice. While RFID technology may bring huge financial benefits to a large operation, for a smaller one, the setup costs might swamp any benefits and a cheaper technology such as bar coding may be more appropriate.

When considering the question what is RFID, you should also consider the pros and cons. The advantages of RFID often outweigh the disadvantages.

A large RFID system may comprise a network of readers spread over a wide area. 

These RFID readers might push theiridentified item data to a special computer (a server) for processing into useful information that can be sent to, and used by the company’s enterprise management system.

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Global Positioning System (GPS)

GPS or Global Positioning System is a network of orbiting satellites that send precise details of their position in space back to earth. The signals are obtained by GPS receivers, such as navigation devices and are used to calculate the exact position, speed and time at the vehicles location.

GPS is well-known for its military uses and was first developed by the US to aid in its global intelligence efforts at the height of the Cold War.

Ever since the early 1980s, however, the GPS has been freely available to anyone with a GPS receiver. Airlines, shipping companies, trucking firms, and drivers everywhere use the GPS system to track vehicles, follow the best route to get them from A to B in the shortest possible time.

The very first GPS system was developed in the 1960s to allow ships in the US Navy to navigate the oceans more accurately. The first system had five satellites and allowed ships to check their location once every hour. Today, portable Navigation device devices can give drivers their precise location to within a few meters, which is accurate enough to navigate roadways. Military applications have much higher precision so that a location can be pinpointed within a few centimeters.

The US NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) is the only fully operational Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) currently providing positioning data with global coverage. The European Union is currently developing its own GPS known as the Galileo positioning system, which will be operational by 2013. China has a local system it may expand globally, while Russia is currently restoring its GLONASS system.

How does GPS work?

There are three parts to a GPS system: a constellation of between 24 and 32 solar-powered satellites orbiting the earth in orbits at an altitude of approximately 20000 kilometers, a master control station and four control and monitoring stations (on Hawaii, Ascension Islands, Diego Garcia and Kawajale) and GPS receivers such as the one in a car.

Each of the satellites is in an orbit that allows a receiver to detect at least four of the operational satellites. The satellites send out microwave signals to a receiver where the built-in computer uses these signals to work out your precise distance from each of the four satellites and then triangulates your exact position on the planet to the nearest few meters based on these distances.

In fact, signals from just three satellites are needed to carry out this trilateration process; the calculation of your position on earth based on your distance from three satellites. The signal from the fourth satellite is redundant and is used to confirm the results of the initial calculation. If the position calculated from distances to satellites “A-B-C” do not match the calculation based on “A-B-D” then other combinations are tested until a consistent result is obtained.

The process of measuring the distance from satellite to GPS receiver is based on timed signals. For example, at 16h45m precisely, the satellite may begin broadcasting its signal. The GPS receiver will also begin running the same random sequence at 16h45m local time, but does not broadcast the sequence. When the receiver picks up the signal from the different satellites, there will be a time lag, because the microwaves take a fraction of a second to travel from the satellite to the receiver. The time lag is easily converted into distance to each satellite. The slight difference between signals from each satellite is then used to calculate the receiver's position.

How GPS receivers can help you

Consumer GPS receivers are used mainly for navigation and route planning. By locking on to a constellation of satellites orbiting the earth, the receiver can pinpoint your exact position on the planet, calculate the speed and direction in which you are travelling, whether you are in a vehicle, a boat, or walking, and if you are in an aircraft it will tell you your altitude too.

• Drivers - Most drivers, whether driving for business or pleasure can benefit from the satellite navigation made possible by a GPS receiver. They can find their exact location and follow a route from A to B provided by the navigation device.

• Safety Cameras - GPS based navigation devices have made spotting permanent safety cameras on the roads that much easier so that drivers can make sure they stay within the roads speed limit.

• Traffic Jams - Some GPS receivers and navigation devices are able to access traffic news announcements and alert drivers to problems on the road ahead and help them by re-route their journey to avoid traffic jams and accidents.

• Entertainment - Your Navigation device can even help you plan your day if it has POIs (points of interest) such as restaurants, gas stations, emergency assistance, hotels and more, embedded in the mapping software.

• Outdoors - Hikers, cross-country runners, tourists, and others can use a GPS receiver to pinpoint their location and find their way from landmark to checkpoint and safely back home. A GPS can be used to mark a particular spot on the map so that you can return to that exact location later.

• Gaming - Outdoor gamers can even use a GPS receiver to take part in treasure hunts for the digital age known as geocaching. The organizers hide a cache of "treasure" at a secret location and then provide clues to its whereabouts that rely on your use of a GPS receiver to find the bounty.

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5 Best Phones to Use as Wireless Modems

Over the past few years, cell phone technology has greatly increased, allowing up to five laptops to be connected to one device.

Hybrid Phones and Tablets

The first cell phone we’re going to look at s the Samsung Galaxy Note; this is a hybrid tablet and cell phone, has a huge screen, and uses a touch screen stylus. It’s also LTE capable, which means faster data transfer speeds.

For Modem Use, Check with Cell Phone Carrier

Keep in mind, that tethering your cell phone with your lap top maybe an additional cost with your cell carrier. It’s important to note that cell phone speeds vary dramatically with tethering based on your cell phone carrier and geographic location.

Using the iPhone as a Modem

One of the more popular smartphones on our list is the apple iPhone, which can be tethered wirelessly through WiFi, or via the cable.

Other Phones Used for Modems

If you’re using an HTC device, with the windows phone seven operating system otherwise known as mango, now you can also tether.

Another great phone for tethering is the Samsung Galaxy S2. This phone offers ease of use and comes with 4g technology.

The Motorola Droid Razr is not only a powerful phone running on the android OS, but it’s thin and get excellent battery life.

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