Wireless technologies allow you to connect and control computers, handheld devices, printers, scanners and other peripherals without the hassle of cords and cables. The technology is growing at a rapid pace, and cable-free, wireless computing is quickly becoming the standard for connecting remote equipment into office networks and the Internet.
Wireless can make almost any place you go into your home office. Imagine being at a hospital, and being able to effortlessly login to your secure office network to retrieve patient records. Or being able to view x-rays and lab tests remotely, look up information on the Internet, order treatments, and consult with specialists—all online from just about anywhere. The most well known wireless technologies are Infrared, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Most PCs, printers and other computer equipment on the market today already come standard with some type of built-in wireless capability, or can be easily and inexpensively adapted to support wireless connections. Here are the basics of how these popular wireless technologies work, and examples of how they are used every day in medical centers, hospitals and practices.
Infrared—short-range point and shoot
Infrared (IR) technology has been around for ages, and is something that we've all come to take for granted in television, VCR and DVD remote control devices.
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What it does: Simple. The remote control unit and the equipment share a special radio frequency, or code, which allows the remote unit to transmit a one-way signal. Just point the remote device at whatever you want to control, and press a button. IR technology only works over short distances (less than 25 feet), and there can't be anything solid, like walls, standing in the way.
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How it works: Infrared technology operates over short distances and requires a clear line of sight between devices.
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How it's used: Most of today's computers and printers have built-in infrared technology that allows you to print without bulky cables. However, most people don't bother printing over their existing IR connections because it operates much slower than standard parallel or USB cables. Infrared technology on handheld devices such as the HP iPAQ Pocket PC allows people to sit at a table and beam addresses, notes and other data to one another's devices. You can also use IR to update information between your PC and your handheld.
Bluetooth—two-way short-range connections
Bluetooth is similar to infrared, but taken a step further. Instead of one-way transmissions, Bluetooth allows multiple devices from multiple manufacturers to speak the same wireless language without the quirky conflicts that are sometimes found in standard infrared. The Bluetooth standard was jointly developed by a group of key players in the technology industry to ensure compatibility between various wireless devices.
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What it does: Bluetooth operates over short distances (30 feet or less), and requires a clear line of sight between devices. Bluetooth allows you to create your own private wireless area a personal area network (PAN), where you can hook up to eight devices without the hassle of cords and plugs. Popular day-to-day use of Bluetooth can be found in many of today's wireless keyboards, wireless trackballs and mice, cell phone headsets, handheld devices, mobile telephones, and even computers and printers.
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How it works: Bluetooth operates over the unlicensed 2.5 GHz radio spectrum, which allows Bluetooth-enabled equipment to operate anywhere in the world. Bluetooth uses more than 71 different frequencies, which allows a signal to hop around from one frequency to another to avoid conflicts with other devices.
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How it's used: Bluetooth-enabled PDAs, such as the HP iPAQ Pocket PC, can synchronize e-mail, documents and contact information with a Bluetooth-enabled PC, without the need for cradles, cables and plugs. Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones can zap addresses and telephone numbers to the HP iPAQ Pocket PC or a desktop computer, providing a simple way to get your bits of contact information and other data in synch. Bluetooth-enabled HP Printers provide a method of wirelessly printing medical documents such as controlled substance prescriptions which federal regulations still require a printed copy. Bluetooth-enabled wireless headsets can be used with a mobile telephone to provide hands-free usage without the hassle of cords and plugs. Like IR, its limit is that it is short range and requires line of sight connections.
Wi-Fi—fast, long-range wireless networking
Wireless Ethernet, or Wi-Fi is the latest standard for long-range wireless networking. It goes further and faster than IR or Bluetooth and doesn't require a clear line of sight. Wireless local area networks (WLANs) are a lot less expensive and much easier to set up than traditional wired networks, and these days Wi-Fi actually works as advertised. Because they're easy and inexpensive, wireless networks have become very popular for home and small business networks, and have found a niche in hospitals and clinics where it's important to securely connect people to shared file servers, printers, Internet connections and other resources.
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What it does: Simple. The remote control unit and the equipment share a special radio frequency, or code, which allows the remote unit to transmit a one-way signal. Just point the remote device at whatever you want to control, and press a button. IR technology only works over short distances (less than 25 feet), and there can't be anything solid, like walls, standing in the way.
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80211b: At speeds of up to 11Mbps (megabits per second), 802.11b is the most popular wireless networking standard. Many of today's Laptops, Tablet PCs, handheld devices, printers, and other peripherals already have built-in 802.11b networking capability, or have optional adapters that can be easily installed.
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80211g: At speeds of 22Mbps to 54Mbps, 802.11g is a newly emerging standard that provides backward compatibility: It is compatible with earlier versions such as the popular 802.11b devices. 802.11g runs twice as fast as the more popular 802.11b, but is less expensive than the newer, faster 802.11a.
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802.11a: At 54Mbps, 802.11a is the fastest wireless standard available today. Lack of backward compatibility with the more popular 802.11b devices has slowed the adoption of 802.11a devices. Most people will opt for the less expensive 802.11g standard when they require higher speeds.
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How it works: Wi-Fi technology operates using unlicensed radio frequencies in the 2.4GHz to 5GHz range: 2.4GHz for both 802.11b and 802.11g, and 5GHz for 802.11a. The primary difference between Wi-Fi signals and infrared/Bluetooth is that Wi-Fi does not require the devices to have a direct line of sight. Wi-Fi transmits data over radio signals that are sent/received via little antennas that are connected to the devices. Learn more about Wi-Fi technology and the various 802.11 standards.
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How it's used: Wi-Fi technology is used to create a fast, no-cord, low-cost network. Notebook PCs, Tablet PCs, desktops, handheld devices, printers, multi-function devices, scanners and file servers can all talk to each other without the expense of installing cabling and cable-related equipment like hubs and switches. Wi-Fi networks (also known as WLANs) are springing up in airports, hotels, convention centers, hospitals and health care centers. Soon, airplanes will have wi-fi access.
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