If going wireless appeals to you and you've been looking for a comprehensive text that explores the differences between the various wireless technologies that are available, you should check out Axel Sikora's "Wireless Personal and Local Area Networks." This book, translated from the original German-language version, provides introductory information about wireless systems and networks.
The book's 10 chapters are divided into three sections. Chapters 1 and 2 comprise section one, "Introduction and basics," which discusses the fundamentals and structure of wireless LANs (WLANs) and lists the advantages and disadvantages of wireless technology. The most immediate benefit to WLANs that Sikora recognizes is getting rid of distracting, potentially defective cables. "The tangle of cables under your desk can be reduced or done away with completely," he says. Sikora presents broader benefits of WLANs when he describes scenarios in which wireless computing benefits businesses or organizations. For example, he discusses the advantages of WLANs with mobile workstations, with mobile training rooms (which are well suited to seminars, trade shows, and other events), and for mobile data-entry systems (ideal for data entry at a specific location--for example, in a hospital's operating room). Sikora also points out downsides of wireless computing, for example
-cost of bandwidth--Sikora reports that "although the cost of wireless systems is going down, the bandwidth for wireless systems is still significantly more expensive than for comparable wired systems."
-range--"The range of wireless systems is quite restricted in many cases," Sikora says, "so that the functionality expected by users either cannot be achieved, or can only be achieved to a limited extent."
The book's second section, "Introduction to important standards," comprises six chapters about currently available WLAN standards. In addition to the section's opening chapter, "Applications, devices, and standards," Sikora devotes a chapter to each of the following standards: IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), Home Radio Frequency (HomeRF), and HiperLAN/2. Each chapter explains the standard's system and protocol architecture, channel access, security, and bit transfer, as well as extensions to the standard, where relevant.
The third section, "WLANs in practice," consists of two chapters that discuss the operational, administrative, and analytical concerns of installing and running an IEEE 802.11b-compliant WLAN. Chapter 9, "Operating an IEEE802.11b-compliant WLAN," discusses three examples of WLANs in use. These examples include a small technical college with a LAN-to-LAN connection; a mobile computer room with 10 desktop mini-PCs that need access to a wired network only for training purposes; and a hotel that provides its guests a connection to an IEEE 802.11b WLAN network. Although I thought these examples were informative, they are short and would be more effective if they included more information. The second chapter of this section (Chapter 10, "Various aspects of WLAN technology") discusses security risks and sources of interference.
"Wireless Personal and Local Area Networks" also contains a short appendix that explains how the electromagnetic signals that wireless systems use are transferred through the air. The appendix also gives an overview of the physical basis of the Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) approach to signal transmission.
If you need an introduction to wireless personal area networks and WLANs, you should check out this book. But heed Sikora's warning about the changes wireless technology continues to experience. He says that the "development of very many technologies, products and market participants has not yet been consolidated, and progress and technological innovation in these areas is non-stop. In addition, networking systems companies are involved in intense marketing activities, which makes it even more difficult to understand the situation globally." Sikora's advice? Take what you learn with a grain of salt because the wireless industry is growing so rapidly. I recommend reading "Wireless Personal and Local Area Networks" to gain foundational knowledge about wireless systems and networks that you can build on as the industry matures.
Wireless Personal and Local Area Networks
Author: Axel Sikora
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Published: April 2003
ISBN: 0470851104
Hardcover, 210 pages
Price: $80.00