personal area network

Wireless PAN

A wireless personal area network (WPAN) is a personal area network - a network for interconnecting devices centered around an individual person's workspace - in which the connections are wireless. Typically, a wireless personal area network uses some technology that permits communication within about 10 metres (33 ft) such as Bluetooth, which was used as the basis for a new standard, IEEE 802.15.

A WPAN could serve to interconnect all the ordinary computing and communicating devices that many people have on their desk or carry with them today - or it could serve a more specialized purpose such as allowing the surgeon and other team members to communicate during an operation.

A key concept in WPAN technology is known as "plugging in". In the ideal scenario, when any two WPAN-equipped devices come into close proximity (within several meters of each other) or within a few kilometers of a central server, they can communicate as if connected by a cable. Another important feature is the ability of each device to lock out other devices selectively, preventing needless interference or unauthorized access to information.

The technology for WPANs is in its infancy and is undergoing rapid development. Proposed operating frequencies are around 2.4 GHz in digital modes. The objective is to facilitate seamless operation among home or business devices and systems. Every device in a WPAN will be able to plug in to any other device in the same WPAN, provided they are within physical range of one another. In addition, WPANs worldwide will be interconnected. Thus, for example, an archeologist on site in Greece might use a PDA to directly access databases at theUniversity of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and to transmit findings to that database.

[edit]Connecting devices

Connecting devices allow hardware networking devices to communicate with each other. The three kinds of wireless technologies areBluetooth, infrared, and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi).

[edit]Bluetooth

Bluetooth uses short-range radio waves over distances up to approximately 10 metres. For example, Bluetooth devices such as a keyboards, pointing devices, audio head sets, printers may connect to Personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, or computers wirelessly.

[edit]Infrared

Infrared communications (IR) or IrDA (Infrared Data Association) uses infrared light, which has a frequency below the human eye's sensitivity. It is used in cell phones and TV remote controls. Typical devices include printers, keyboards, and other serial data interfaces.^[1]

[edit]WiFi

WiFi (wireless fidelity) uses radio waves for connection over distances up to around 91 metres, usually in a local area network (LAN) environment. Wifi can be used to connect local area networks, to connect cellphones to the Internet to download music and other multimedia, to allow PC multimedia content to be stream to the TV (Wireless Multimedia Adapter), and to connect video game consoles to their networks (Nintendo WiFi Connection).