Chapter Overview

The most prevalent wireless technology is that associated with cell phones as described in Chap. 20. However, there are many more wireless systems and applications in common use today. These are primarily short-range systems that have a range of a few inches up to several miles depending upon the application. This chapter describes the more widely used of these popular systems. Each is generally defined by a specific industry standard and is identified with one or at least a few well-known applications.

Chapter Outline

21-1 Wireless LAN
21-2 PANs and Bluetooth
21-3 ZigBee and Mesh Wireless Networks
21-4 WiMAX and Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks
21-5 Infrared Wireless
21-6 Radio-Frequency Identification and Near-Field Communications

Chapter Objectives

• Define personal-area network (PAN).
• Name three popular PAN technologies.
• Identify the features, benefits, applications, and operation of the wireless technologies Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, WiMAX, and ultrawideband (UWB).
• Explain the operation and applications of the wireless technologies RFID, NFC, and IR.