Terms & Concepts Behind

Wireless Communications
 Basic Wireless Terms
 Electromagnetic waves
 Frequency
 Spectrum
 Bandwidth
 Capacity

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 2

 Electromagnetic (EM) Radiation
 A natural phenomenon that allows information to be
carried from transmitter to a receiver via a medium
such as the air or fiber optic cable
 Wireless devices, such as cell phones, produce
electromagnetic waves of different frequencies that
move through space

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 3

 Frequency
 Frequency is the number of times that a wave's peak
passes a fixed point in a specific period of time

Point A
1 Second

10 Cycles / 1 Second = 10 Hertz

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 4

 Frequency (cont.)
 Frequency is measured in cycles per second, or
Hertz (Hz)
1,000 Hz = 1 KiloHertz (kHz)
1,000,000 Hz = 1 MegaHertz (MHz)
1,000,000,000 Hz = 1 GigaHertz (GHz)
 Cellular phones, for example, produce radio waves
with frequencies around 800 MHz
 “Frequency” and “Spectrum” are used
interchangeably by some people, although they are
not the same

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 5

 Spectrum


The set of all possible frequencies (an infinite
number) is called the "electromagnetic spectrum"

The subset of frequencies from 3 kHz to 300 GHz is
known as the "radio spectrum"

Electromagnetic Spectrum

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 6

 Frequency vs. Bandwidth
 Frequency is a specific location on the
electromagnetic spectrum
 Bandwidth is the range between two
frequencies
 Bandwidth is measured in Hertz
 A cellular operator may transmit signals
between 824-849 MHz, for a total
bandwidth of 25 MHz

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 7

 Bandwidth vs. Capacity
 Capacity is usually measured by Mega
bits per second (Mbps)
 Bandwidth for a particular service is
fixed, but the number of calls and the
rate of data transmission is not
(capacity)

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 8

 An example: IEEE 802.11b
(WiFi)
 Operating center frequency: 2.4 GHz.
 There are 11 channels in 802.11b. Starting
from 2.412 GHz to 2.462 GHz.
 Spectrum: 2.412 GHz ~ 2.462 GHz
 Bandwidth: 40 MHz.
 Capacity: 1, 2, 5.5, and11Mbps. Typical
data rate is about 6.5Mbps.

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 9

 Parameters that determine the
capacity
 Capacity is the fundamental concern in
wireless networks.
 The capacity of a particular bandwidth
is determined by following parameters:
 Signal strength
 Interference
 Path loss
 Lower or higher frequencies
 Etc

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 10

 Signal strength
 The ability of an electromagnetic
wave to persist as it radiates out
from its transmitter
 Signal strength, or power, is
measured in Watts, or more
conveniently expressed in decibels
(dB)

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 11

 Power and Interference
 Power can increase the strength of a
signal, but it can also cause the signal
to “bleed” into other frequencies,
resulting in interference with other
transmissions

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 12

 Path loss (path attenuation)
 Decrease in signal strength over
distance due to:
 Absorption
 Reflection
 Diffusion
 Scattering
 Free-space loss

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 13

 Lower frequencies are
 Better for mobile services
 Low powered signals go farther at lower
frequencies, resulting in
 lower-powered handsets = smaller handsets
 less interference

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 14

 Higher Frequencies
 Path Loss is greater at higher frequencies
 Higher frequency signals have difficulty
penetrating buildings and traveling around objects
 Radio components are more expensive for higher
frequencies
 Frequency stability (staying in your allocated
bandwidth) more difficult at higher frequencies
As you increase the frequency, the coverage area
decreases – but potential data rates increase (why?).

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 15

 Propagation Characteristics
 900MHz
 Multipath: High
 Foliage: Pine (Absorb Radiation)
 2.4GHz
 Multipath: Very High (Concrete, Brick, Steel)
 Foliage: Any Absorbs Radiation (water resonance)
 5GHz
 Multipath: Very High (Concrete, Brick, Steel, Foliage)
 Foliage: Limited Absorption

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 16

 More details will be coved in
 The section named “Antennas and
Propagations”.

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 17

 Digital Technology
 Transfers information in digital format
(binary 0’s and 1’s) versus analog
(continuous values)
 Significant improvement in wireless
systems (why?)
 Reduces many problems associated with
decrease in signal strength
 We will see more of digital technology
in the section named “Encoding, Spread
Spectrum Technology”
COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 18
 Wireless technologies/standards
 802.11a
 802.11b (Wi-Fi)
 802.11g (Wi-Fi)
 802.11i (Security)
 802.16 2004, e & f
(WiMAX)
 Bluetooth (802.15)
 1G: CDPD (Cellular Digital
Packet Data)
COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2
 2G: GSM (Global System
for Mobile
Communications) GPRS
(General Packet Radio
Service)
 3G: CDMA2000, WCDMA
 EvDO (Evolution Data
Only)
19
 IEEE 802.11a/b/g (Wi-Fi)
802.11a 802.11b 802.11g
5 GHz 2.4 GHz 2.4 GHz

54 Mbps 11 Mbps 54 Mbps

Less Best over-all Faster than
interference, coverage range 802.11b and
more bandwidth better range than
802.11a
Not as widely Not as fast as Less range than
implemented, other 802.11b
shorter range technologies

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 20

 IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX)
 802.16d – A.K.A 802.16-2004
 Intended for "last mile" connectivity at high
data rates.
 Point-to-multipoint only implementation
 802.16e – Adds mobility
 approved in December 2005.

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 21

 IEEE 802.20 (MBWA)
 Mobile Broadband Wireless Access
(MBWA) Working Group
 1 Mbps
 Mobile speeds of 100mph
 Could compete with 3G cellular
 Licensed band use only

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 22

 IEEE 802.11i (WPA2)
 Provide improvements to WiFi security
 Address security short comings in WEP
 Add user authentication

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 23

 Evolution Data Only (EvDO)
 Available in Larger Metro Areas
 Offered by Sprint, Verizon, Other
 700Mbps
 Supports Streaming Video

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 24

 Elements of a wireless network
wireless hosts

base station

wireless link

Network infrastructure
network
infrastructure

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 25

 Elements of a wireless network
Ad hoc mode

no base stations

nodes can only
transmit to other
nodes within link
coverage

nodes organize
themselves into a
network: route among
themselves

COM3525, Winter 2002: lecture 2 26