CH-1

Introduction to Wireless
Communication
1
By Meskele Y.
 COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
 The communication system is a system model that describes
a communication exchange between two stations,
transmitter, and receiver.
 Signals or information passes from source to destination
through a channel, which represents a way that signal use it to
move from source toward destination.
 Data transmission process between sender and receiver is refer
to data communication, and deployed physical environment
(hardware / software / protocols / channel ) is network.
 Provide electronic exchange of multimedia data, Voice, data,
video, music, email, web pages, etc.

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COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

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Components of Data Communication:
1.Sender 2.Receiver 3.Message
4.Tramsmission Medium 5. Protocol

 The information to be transmitted is electromagnetic

wave or electrical signal may represent: multimedia data,
Voice, data, video, music, email, web pages, etc.
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 Components of Data Communication
1. Message (Resource) - all sharable / accessible items over network, which
may physical / virtual, knows as resource.
2. Sender - it is a computer / device from which data / files are send to specific
destination.
3. Receiver - It is the device which receives the data messages/files/resources.
4. Transmission Medium -
– physical channel like; network cable, fiber optic, electrical wire, twisted-
pair wire and etc.
– logical or virtual channel like; wireless, radio frequency, Wi-Fi,
Wi-Max, and Bluetooth
5. Protocol - Protocols regulate the following characteristics of a network: access
method, allowed physical topologies, types of cabling, and speed of data transfer.
Protocols may include signaling, authentication, error detection method, and network
policies.

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 Types Of Communication Systems
 Depending on Signal specification or technology, the
communication system is classified as follows:
Analog
 Analog technology communicates data as electronic signals of
varying frequency or amplitude. Broadcast and telephone
transmission are common examples of Analog technology.
Digital
 In digital technology, the data are generated and processed in
two states: High (represented as 1) and Low (represented as
0). Digital technology stores and transmits data in the form of
1s and 0s.

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 Types Of Communication Systems
 Depending on the communication channel, the
communication system is categorized as follows:
Wired (Line communication)
 Parallel wire communication
 Twisted wire communication
 Coaxial cable communication
 Optical fiber communication
Wireless (Space communication)
 Ground wave communication
 Skywave communication
 Space wave communication
 Satellite communication

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 Examples Of Communication Systems
 The following are a few examples of
communication systems:
 Public Switched Telephone network
 Television and radio
 Cellular communication
 Internet

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 Wireless Communications
 Wireless communications is a type of data communication that is
performed and delivered wirelessly. This is a broad term that
incorporates all procedures and forms of connecting and
communicating between two or more devices using a wireless
signal through wireless communication technologies and devices.

 Wireless Communication is a method of transmitting information

from one point to other, without using any connection like wires,
cables or any physical medium.
 Wireless communication generally works through electromagnetic
signals that are broadcast by an enabled device within the air,
physical environment or atmosphere.

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 Why Wireless Communication?
 The primary and important benefit of wireless communication is
mobility. Apart from mobility, wireless communication also offers
flexibility and ease of use, which makes it increasingly popular day –
by – day. Wireless Communication like mobile telephony can be made
anywhere and anytime with a considerably high throughput
performance.
 Another important point is infrastructure. The setup and installation
of infrastructure for wired communication systems is an expensive and
time consuming job. The infrastructure for wireless communication
can be installed easily and low cost.
 In emergency situations and remote locations, where the setup of
wired communication is difficult, wireless communication is a viable
option.
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 Wireless Comes of Age
• Reading Assignment
 Guglielmo Marconi invented the wireless telegraph
in 1896
– Communication by encoding alphanumeric characters in analog
signal
– Sent telegraphic signals across the Atlantic Ocean
 Communications satellites launched in 1960s
 Advances in wireless technology
– Radio, television, mobile telephone, communication satellites
 More recently
– Satellite communications, wireless networking, cellular
technology
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 Wireless and Mobile Communications
 Mobile is the ability to be on the move. A mobile device is
anything that can be used on the move, ranging from laptops to
mobile phones. As long as location is not fixed, it is considered
mobile.
 User mobility: users communicate anytime, anywhere, with
anyone
 Device portability: devices can be connected anytime,
anywhere to the network
 Wireless refers to the transmission of voice and data over
radio waves. It allows workers to communicate with enterprise
data without requiring a physical connection to the network.
The wireless network itself can be accessed from mobile
workers, as well as in fixed locations.
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 Wireless and Mobile Communications
 The following Figure depicts the relationship between mobile
and wireless. As you can see, in most cases, wireless is a subset
of mobile; but in many cases, an application can be mobile
without being wireless.

Fig: Relationship between mobile and wireless.

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 Wireless and Mobile Communications
 For an application to be considered mobile or wireless, it must be
tailored to the characteristics of the device that it runs on. Limited
resources, low network bandwidth, and intermittent(inferquent)
connectivity all factor into the proper design of these applications.
 Wireless applications that are not mobile use fixed wireless
networks. These are wireless networks that provide network access
in a fixed environment. An example is a wireless local area network
(WLAN) that is used to give desktops network access.
 There are mobile applications that are not wireless. Any application
that can be used on the move and that does not have wireless
connectivity fits into this category. This includes many laptop and
personal digital assistant (PDA) applications.

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Types of Wireless Communication Systems

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 Wireless Transmission
 Wireless systems operate via transmission through space, other
than through physical connections. Without the use of wires or
electronic conductors, wireless communication allows for
information to be transmitted by using electromagnetic waves.
 The various types of wireless communication include radio
broadcast (RF), infrared (IR), satellite, microwave, and Bluetooth.
Mobile phones, GPS, Wi-Fi, and cordless telephones are devices
that use wireless transmission to exchange data and information.
 Two major issues involved in wireless mode of communication are:
I. Communication channel often varies with time and frequency
II. There is always interference between multiple service users.

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 Wireless Transmission
 The electromagnetic spectrum is the entire range of electromagnetic
radiation according to the wavelength or frequencies. The differing
behaviors of different groups in the electromagnetic spectrum make
them suitable for a range of uses.
 The full electromagnetic spectrum ranges from three Hz
(extremely low frequency) to 300 EHz (gamma rays).

Electromagnetic spectrum for wireless communication

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 Wireless Transmission
 Communicating between two or more devices using a wireless
signal through wireless communication technologies and devices.
 We can divide wireless transmission waves into three broad
groups: radio waves, microwaves, and infrared waves.

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 Radio Waves
 The first wireless communication technology is open radio
communication to seek out widespread use, and it still serves a
purpose nowadays.
 Electromagnetic waves ranging in frequencies between 3 kHz
and 1 GHz are normally called radio waves.

 Radio waves are electromagnetic signals, that are transmitted by

an antenna.
 Radio waves, for the most part, are omnidirectional. When an
antenna transmits radio waves, they are propagated in all
directions. This means that the sending and receiving antennas
do not have to be aligned.

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 Omnidirectional antenna

Radio waves are used for multicast communications, such as

radio and television, and paging systems.
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 Applications
 The omnidirectional characteristics of radio waves make
them useful for multicasting, in which there is one sender
but many receivers.
 Radio waves, particularly those waves that propagate in
the sky mode, can travel long distances. This makes radio
waves a good candidate for long-distance broadcasting
such as AM and FM radio, television, maritime radio,
cordless phones, and paging are examples of
multicasting.
 Radio waves, particularly those of low and medium
frequencies, can penetrate walls.
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 Microwaves
 Microwaves are good for transmitting information from one place to
another because microwave energy can penetrate haze, light rain and
snow, clouds, and smoke.
 Microwave is a form of high frequency radio signal in which the signal
is not broadcast but is transmitted in a straight line through the air.
 Electromagnetic waves having frequencies between 1 and 300 GHz
are called microwaves.
 Microwaves are unidirectional. When an antenna transmits
microwave waves, they can be narrowly focused. This means that the
sending and receiving antennas need to be aligned.
 The unidirectional property has an obvious advantage. A pair of
antennas can be aligned without interfering with another pair of
aligned antennas.

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 Microwaves
 Two types of antennas are used for microwave communications:
the parabolic dish and the horn.
 A parabolic dish antenna is based on the geometry of a parabola:
Every line parallel to the line of symmetry (line of sight) reflects off
the curve at angles such that all the lines intersect in a common point
called the focus. These antennas find their applications as high gain
antennas for point-to-point communication and also as radio
telescopes. Satellite method
 A Horn antennas: A horn antenna or microwave horn is an antenna
that consists of a flaring metal waveguide shaped like a horn to direct
radio waves in a beam. They’re used today for radar guns, door
sensors, and microwave radiometers. Terrestrial method

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 Unidirectional antennas

Microwaves are used for unicast communication such as

cellular telephones, satellite networks, and wireless LANs.
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 Applications
 Microwaves, due to their unidirectional properties,
are very useful when unicast (one-to-one)
communication is needed between the sender and the
receiver.
 They are used in cellular phones, satellite networks,
and wireless LANs, Wi-Fi, GPS.
 Microwaves are used for cooking food and for satellite
communications.

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 Infrared
 Infrared (IR) is relatively low energy and can be
used for short-range communication.
 IR waves, with frequencies from 300 GHz to 400
THz (wavelengths from 1 mm to 770 nm).
 Infrared waves, having high frequencies, cannot
penetrate walls. This advantageous characteristic
prevents interference between one system and
another in one room cannot be affected by another
system in the next room.
 IR only allows a one-to-one type of connection.
 It is generally used for short-range, line-of-sight,
communications.
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 Applications
 The Infrared Data Association (IrDA), an association for
sponsoring the use of infrared waves, has established standards
for using these signals for communication between devices such
as keyboards, mice, PCs, and printers.

 For example, some manufacturers provide a special port called

the IrDA port that allows a wireless keyboard to communicate
with a PC.

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Propagation Modes in Wireless Transmission
 Signals are normally broadcast through free space and thus are
available to anyone who has a device capable of receiving them.
 The various methods of propagation depend largely on frequency .
This type of communication is often referred to as wireless
communication.
 Unguided signals can travel from the source to destination in
several ways: Propagation methods

1. Ground Propagation,

2. Sky Propagation, and

3. Line-of-Sight Propagation

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 1. Ground Propagation
 In ground propagation, radio waves travel through the lowest
portion of the atmosphere, hugging the earth.
 These low-frequency signals emanate in all directions from the
transmitting antenna and follow the curvature of the planet.
 Distance depends on the amount of power in the signal: The
greater the power, the greater the distance.

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 2. Sky Propagation
 In sky propagation, higher-frequency radio waves radiate
upward into the ionosphere (the layer of atmosphere where
particles exist as ions) where they are reflected back to earth.
 This type of transmission allows for greater distances with
lower output power.

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 3. Line-or-Sight Propagation
 In line-or-sight propagation, very high-frequency
signals are transmitted in straight lines directly from
antenna to antenna.
 Antennas must be directional, facing each other, and either
tall enough or close enough together not to be affected by the
curvature of the earth.

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Propagation Methods

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 Advantages of Wireless Communication
 Cost: The cost of installing wires, cables and other infrastructure is eliminated in
wireless communication and hence lowering the overall cost of the system compared
to wired communication system. In historical buildings, drilling holes for cables is
not a best idea as it destroys the integrity and importance of the building.
 Mobility: Mobility is the main advantage of wireless communication system. It
offers the freedom to move around while still connected to network.
 Ease of Installation: The setup and installation of wireless communication
network’s equipment and infrastructure is very easy as we need not worry about the
hassle of cables.
 Reliability: Since there are no cables and wires involved in wireless
communication, there is no chance of communication failure due to damage of these
cables, which may be caused by environmental conditions, cable splice and natural
diminution of metallic conductors.
 Disaster Recovery: In case of accidents due to fire, floods or other disasters, the
loss of communication infrastructure in wireless communication system can be
minimal.
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 Disadvantages of Wireless Communication
 The most concerning disadvantages are Interference, Security and
Health.
 Interference: Wireless Communication systems use open space as
the medium for transmitting signals. As a result, there is a huge
chance that radio signals from one wireless communication system or
network might interfere with other signals.
 Security: One of the main concerns of wireless communication is
Security of the data. Since the signals are transmitted in open space,
it is possible that an intruder can intercept the signals and copy
sensitive information.
 Health Concerns: Continuous exposure to any type of radiation can
be hazardous. Even though the levels of RF energy that can cause the
damage are not accurately established, it is advised to avoid RF
radiation to the maximum.
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 Limitations of Wireless Technologies
 Higher loss-rates due to interference
 emissions of, e.g., engines, lightning

 Restrictive regulations of frequencies

 frequencies have to be coordinated, useful frequencies are
almost all occupied

 Low transmission rates/ Limited memory

 local some Mbit/s, regional e.g., 9.6kbit/s with GSM

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 Limitations of Wireless Technologies
 Higher delays, higher jitter
 connection setup time with GSM in the second range,
several hundred milliseconds for other wireless systems

 Lower security, simpler active attacking

 radio interface accessible for everyone, base station can be
simulated, thus attracting calls from mobile phones

 Always shared medium

 secure access mechanisms important

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Applications
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 Applications
 Applications can benefit from wireless networks and mobile
communications, particular application environments seem to
be predestined for their use.
1. Replacement of wired networks
– Due to economic reasons, it is often impossible to wire
remote sensors for weather forecasts, earthquake detection,
or to provide environmental information.
– Exhibitions, Different types of shows and concerts need a
highly dynamic infrastructure, but cabling takes a long time
and frequently proves to be too inflexible.
– Wireless access points in a corner of the room can represent
a solution.
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 Applications
2. Business
– Enable the company to keep track of all activities of their
travelling employees,
– Keep databases consistent
– With wireless access, the laptop can be turned into a true
mobile office,
– Efficient and powerful synchronization mechanisms are
needed to ensure data consistency

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 Applications
3. Vehicles
– transmission of news, entertainment road conditions,
weather
– personal communication using cellular
– position identification via GPS
– inter vehicle communications for accident prevention
– vehicle and road inter communications for traffic control,
signaling, data gathering
– ambulances, police, etc.: early transmission of patient data
to the hospital, situation reporting

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 Applications
4. Mobile workers
– access to customer files and company
documents stored in a central location
– collaborative work environments
– access to email and voice messages

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 Applications
5. Infotainment and more
– Internet everywhere? Not without wireless
networks!
– Intelligent travel guide with up-to-date location
dependent information (knowing via GPS, contact
to a local base station, or triangulation where you
are).
– Pay via electronic cash, and send this information to
a service provider.
– ad-hoc networks for multi user games
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