WANS, LANS, WLANS and now WPANS (Wireless Personal Area Networks)

I know you know what a LAN (Local Area network) is and a WLAN (Wireless Local Area network) but do you know what a WPAN is…..?

A WPAN is a personal area network which uses Bluetooth technology to connect everything from cell phones and ear pieces to key boards and desktops.

When most people think of wireless they will think about Wifi hot spots or wireless routers. Bluetooth acts like wireless wire connecting components over ashort distant.

One of the biggest booms of Bluetooth technology is Bluetooth enabled phones that give you the ability to connect to your computer wirelessly or to your Bluetooth ear piece in you car. Other quick examples of Bluetooth networking is wireless keyboards and mice.

Bluetooth travels at 1mbps and has a max distance of about 5-10 meters. 1mbps does not seem very fast but it is three times faster that a serial port.

WPAN’s (Wireless Personal area networks) are all around you and they will become more and more common. Desktop computers with Bluetooth enabled keyboards and mice combined with a cell phone that syncs your data.

A new use of PAN’s is in the hospital industry where Bluetooth technology is helping doctors monitor patients. Bluetooth gives the hospital staff more freedom to treat a patient when not having to trip on or untangle wires.

Because blue tooth enabled devices can communicate with each other life saving equipment will be able to more effectively monitor changes in a patients condition.

The military is also experimenting with Bluetooth devices and PAN networking in creating smart suits for the battle field. A soldier armed with a blue tooth enabled SAT Phone, Bluetooth head set and Bluetooth laptop, can communicate with anyone in the world. The most important thing is that the soldier won’t have a million wires to connect and get in his way during battle.

As Bluetooth technology gains popularity the issue of security will have to be addressed. Virus writers have already made cell phone proof of concept viruses and have actually infected a few phones.

Bluetooth does have many built in features which help protect a user from being hacked. First is distance, unlike WI-FI Bluetooth travel only at most 10 meters. Next, Bluetooth uses frequency hopping and 128 encryption can be enabled. Other features of Bluetooth are built in PIN numbers to verify who they are communicating with and block other devices from connecting. More and more devices will become Bluetooth enabled such and your car radios and home appliances. Bluetooth enabled cars and appliances will be able to connect to your home network or cell phone and notify you when they need repairs or to give you status updates.

Check out the lowest price usb wireless networking devices on the internet http://www.wirelessninja.com/USB_Networking.htm Simple and secure wireless networking news in the name of the game at http://www.wirelessninja.com

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Top 6 Tips on Using Bluetooth Enabled Printers

Wireless connectivity just got a whole new meaning with the advent of Bluetooth technology. It enables you to achieve hassle-free mobility and so doesn’t restrict you geographically. Best of all, you don’t need to worry about printing issues – no matter where you are.
Tips on printing using Bluetooth

Using a Bluetooth adapter can convert any printer into a Bluetooth enabled one. However while using any Bluetooth enabled printers, it is important to know a few basics. In this section we elaborate on these.

1. Limited range: With Bluetooth enabled printers, you’ll find that range is an issue. The range of distance within which printing is possible is from about 30 to 330 feet. This of course would depend on the hardware configuration. The higher the range the more the power needed, which could drain out your battery in the long run.

2. Printing from the mobile: There are times when you just have to print that gorgeous picture or that document from your hand-held PDA to a Bluetooth enabled printer. In such cases, what you need to do is: search for your Bluetooth enabled printer on your mobile phone. You might find it in the option called BT (Bluetooth) Discovery. On clicking this, it will show all the available Bluetooth devices. Then you can select the printer and hit on “Print”. However be careful, as the Discovery stage makes your phone or handheld device accessible to anyone and everyone within your vicinity. Therefore it can be susceptible to hacking. Be sure to switch off the Bluetooth mode once you’re done printing.

3. USB ports: Some printers have what is called the Pictbridge USB port which is compatible with any Bluetooth adapter. This makes printing from any Bluetooth device easier. Pictbridge is a hardware interface technology that enables your printer to access and print images and files from your mobile or PDA. To perform Pictbridge printing you need to:

a. Connect the USB device

b. Wait till both the devices recognize each other

c. Select from the menu that appears, the set of images or files you want printed

d. The menu also offers options to change the size, layout and resolution of the images

e. Select ‘Print’

4. Hacking: Make sure you avoid setting your Bluetooth enabled device to a ‘discoverable mode’. This makes it possible for your IP address to be known by any person with malicious intent. Often such attacks are directed at mobile phones, PDAs and computers. Hackers usually connect to your PDA or mobile by using fictitious names that are familiar to you. Therefore if you connect even once to their device, chances are, the hackers can keep connecting to your device and use it for malicious purposes – like sending a virus, crashing your operating system or even deleting important files.

5. Enable encryption: For security reasons, it’s best to always enable encryption for any Bluetooth transfer that you may make. In order to enable encryption in any Bluetooth enabled device, you need to use the Bluetooth connection Wizard (usually present on Windows XP operating systems).

6. Keep firmware updated: It is also essential to ensure speed and agility in your mobile phone while printing through your wireless printers. To do this, ensure your mobile phone’s firmware is always kept updated.

This Article is written by James Kara Murat from PrintCountry.com, the contributor of PrintCountry Printer Ink Saving Tips. A longer version of this article is located at Top 6 Tips on Using Buletooth Enabled Printers, and some related resources can be found at PrintCountry Articles such as History of Epson Printers.

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Using a Mobile Phone As a Modem For Accessing the Internet

What features and functionality should you understand in order to fully take advantage of accessing the internet via a mobile phone? Although this can appear complicated and involved ... a little information goes a long way to "keep it simple".
For the sake of discussion .... let's say you have a mobile handset with the following specifications:
Networks...
2G Network-GSM 900/1800/1900
3G Network-UMTS 2100
Data...
GPRS- Clause 10(4+1/3+2 slots),32-48 Kbps
3G-384 Kbps
You have configured the software application given with the phone on your laptop .... and once you connect the phone to the laptop using the USB connection you can access Internet. The settings used in the software application includes "call type=GPRS". The connection speed (downlink) is around 375 Kbps when checked through a freely available tool on the Internet .... and the phone's modem speed is shown as 460.8 Kbps all the time( on the network connection). Since your speed is less than 384 Kbps (3G speed is given as the phone's spec), you're likely using 3G. Since GPRS is also supported, when the 3G coverage is not available, you're probably able switch to GSM/GPRS.
Your service provider says they support EDGE,GPRS,3G and HSDPA/HSUPA.
Here's some questions you may ask .....
* What are the theoretical maximum speeds of EDGE,GPRS, 3G?
* What is actually meant by 3G here?
* What is the underlaying technology used by my phone?
* Which method is better to connect the phone to the laptop; Bluetooth or USB?
* Your phone spec says Bluetooth v1.2 and USB2.0 and you've heard that USB2.0 (480Mbps) is faster than Blootooth v1.2 (1 Mbps). Is this correct? Will it make any difference, since your connection from phone to the Internet is 375 Kbps?
Here's some feedback to help you work through such a scenario .... and the associated questions above:
For sure, the speed with USB 2.0 should be much better than that through Bluetooth (of any class).
3G is a network technology that should offer some extended data services in addition to the regular GSM features. However, I would recommend that you check with your service providers since they should have the exact specifications that you asked for.
Theoretical speeds for EDGE are up to 10 times those of GPRS. But again, since these depend on network configuration you need to check with the service provider.
Since your speed is less than 1 mb/s, frankly, it doesn't matter if you use bluetooth or USB - the speeds cited are correct. I would use what is most convenient for you.
In any case, the edge/hsdpa connection speeds are still slower than either Bluetooth or USB, so they will not bottleneck your speed. So as long as your battery isn't about to run out, you can connect however you choose to.
3G HSUPA is Third Generation High-Speed Uplink Packet Access - a 3G mobile telephony protocol, which offers increased data transfer speeds and capacity of up to 3.6 Mbps on the downlink and up to 1 Mbps on the uplink, under ideal conditions.
3G HSDPA 3.6 is a 3G High-Speed Downlink Packet Access mobile telephony protocol, which offers increased data transfer speeds and capacity of up to 3.6 Mbps on the downlink and up to 348Kbps on the uplink, under ideal conditions.
3G - Third Generation High-Speed Downlink Packet Access - offers increased data transfer speeds and ables customers to access the Internet and email from their cellphones.capacity of up to 1.8 Mbps on the downlink and up to 348Kbps on the uplink
EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) or EGPRS provides data transfer rates significantly faster than GPRS or HSCSD. EDGE increases the speed of each timeslot to 48 kbps and allows the use of up to 8 timeslots, giving a maximum data transfer rate of 384 kbps.
HSCSD (High Speed Circuit Switched Data) enables data to be transferred more rapidly than the standard GSM (Circuit Switched Data) system by using multiple channels. The maximum number of timeslots that can be used is four, giving a maximum data transfer rate of 57.6 kbps (or 38.4 kbps on a GSM 900 network). HSCSD is more expensive to use than GPRS, because all four slots are used simultaneously - it does not transmit data in packets. Because of this, HSCSD is not as popular as GPRS and is being replaced by EDGE.
GPRS - General Packet Radio Service is a mobile data service available to customers with GSM cellphones. With a GPRS connection, the phone is "always on" and can transfer data immediately, and at higher speeds: typically 32 - 48 kbps. An additional benefit is that data can be transferred at the same time as making a voice call.
I would recommend using USB as it is faster then Bluetooth. You will not have a bottleneck created by the bluetooth link.
Regarding the underlying technology ...
When you phone is connected to a 3G network it will be using W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) W-CDMA is the higher speed transmission protocol as used in the UMTS system, it is a third generation follow-on to the 2G GSM networks deployed worldwide.
When you phone is on 2G GSM it is using a form of TDMA (time division multiple access).
Again .... the main message is this: Wherever possible, simplify and make it convenient for you!
Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including DS3-Bandwidth.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.
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Samsung F300 - The Power of Two

Being two-faced might not be a popular trait, but the launch of Samsung F300 seems to change it all. The handset is an interesting new take on the convergence of a mobile phone and portable music player. While one face (side) of Samsung F300 looks and acts just like a standard phone, the other side is modelled on the lines of the iPod Nano. And all this comes in a good attractive package, to make the Samsung F300 a perfect blend of form and functionalities.

Despite the addition of two screens on either side, the Samsung F300 comes in a slim frame. The edges are round and smooth, and extends a nice feel when held in hands. Also, due to its compact size, single-handed operation becomes quite easy. The phone side of the Samsung F300 features a small keypad and an even smaller screen. But thankfully the keypad is not to cramped, so fast typing is not affected.

But what poses a problem is the small screen. This screen can only show three lines of texts at a time. So, while this satisfies the users for basic functions like SMS reading etc, other things like web browsing, pictures and videos viewing, suffers. The only resort here is that the users then need to flip to the music side of the phone, featuring a comparatively larger screen.

On the music side of the phone, one can access a lot. This includes camera, photos and videos, FM radio, web browser and voice recorder. The main Menu is made of multiple sub-menu, and the navigation is kept hassle free. There are also touch sensitive keys that are highly responsive.
Pictures, music and videos can be transferred between a PC and the phone, through USB. When working on USB, the phone can actually operate in two modes – media transfer mode and PC studio mode. While in the former, one can use Windows Media Player to sync tracks, including music from subscription services such as Napster; in the latter, one can take advantage of the easy-to-use PC software to edit the phone's calendar, transfer videos, manage SMS folders etc.
The Samsung F300 is a tri-band mobile, offering GPRS and EDGE. The talk time is restricted to 2 hours, but if one chooses to use the handset as a music player instead, it will offer a running time of 11 hours.

A nice innovation by Samsung indeed, seems like the Samsung F300 is all set to create ripples.
Samsung F300 Alice Erin is associated with internet marketing. He has written several articles related to Mobile Phones Latest Mobile Phones.

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Connecting Your Mobile Phone To Your PC

There are many benefits to connecting your phone to your PC. Thanks to the two technologies being merged now, you can enjoy more ease by using your mobile with your PC.
In this article, you will find:
Benefits of Connecting Your Mobile Phone To Your PC
Ways of Connecting Your Mobile Phone To Your PC
What You Need To Be Able To Connect Your Mobile Phone To Your PC
Benefits of Connecting Your Phone To Your PC
By connecting your PC and mobile phone together, you gain access to simplifying life. Your mobile may be too small to allow you to write a long text with ease, but connecting your PC and your cell phone, allow you to write your text with your PC's keyboard! This is not the only benefit, in fact more and more benefits are being found now.
You can transfer play lists between phone and PC. You can backup your pictures and video. You can use your phone as a gateway for internet access, if you find there is no connectivity on the home phone line. You can even control your PC with your phone, and use your mobile phone as a top end web cam! All these obviously depend on what your phone and the software capabilities are.
* Ways of Connecting Your Mobile Phone To Your PC
You have several options of how you can connect your PC to your cell phone. Again all of the connection options depend on your phones capabilities.
Most phones allow you to connect via infrared to your PC. However, connecting with infrared to your computer does have drawbacks. You may need to buy extra equipment to be able to connect your mobile phone to your PC with infrared. Also the transfer speeds a very slow compared with many connecting technologies available on phones today. Infrared connectivity also does have its limitations. For example, you can not use your mobile as a web cam, as the speeds of infrared are too slow.
Bluetooth is a faster technology than infrared. There are many advantages to Bluetooth that make it a good way to connect your cell phone to your computer. The first is that of the speed, next is the ease with which you can connect to your PC and start transferring files. The downside is that not all computers come equipped with Bluetooth connectivity. So, you may need to buy a device for your computer that enables Bluetooth on your PC. They are easy to find and the cost is very low, in most cases.
The de-facto choice of the person who wants connectivity with ease and offer many other benefits is via USB connectivity. All new computers come with USB, and most new phones offer USB connectivity, which is a match made in heaven! You can simply get a phone, which in most cases comes with the software to start using your PC with your mobile phone. You also get a USB cable with your phone, so from the get go, you can start connecting! Some phones may not have this option however. I have found many of the Sony Ericsson range of phones and other brands do give you all you need to start connecting your mobile phone to your PC.
* What You Need To Be Able To Connect Your Mobile Phone To Your PC
In the case of a USB enabled mobile phone, and a fairly new computer with USB available, connecting your PC and phone should be an easy task. The first thing you need is the phone, the USB cable, the software and a PC with USB enabled functionality.
After you install the software, connect the cables and set the phone up, you are ready to start using the benefits of mobile and PC connectivity! Now when your phone needs charging and you can not find the charger, you can charge your phone up, thanks to your PC and USB!
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