Wireless Technologies for Mobile Computing

Abstract

Mobility and computing were two concepts that never met a decade or two ago. But with the advent of new wireless technologies using radio propagation, the impossible is now becoming possible. Though there are many challenges to be overcome in terms of improving the bandwidth and security as with a wired network, the developments are quite encouraging. It would definitely dictate the way we do transactions in future. This chapter briefly explores some popular wireless technologies that aid in mobile computing, like 802.11 networks, Bluetooth networks, and HomeRF networks. Under 802.11 networks, we investigate the details of both infrastructure and ad hoc networks and its operations. The reader is thus made aware of these technologies briefly along with their performance, throughput, and security issues, which finally concludes with user preferences of these technologies.