Information Technology Foundations-BIT 112
CHAPTER 7
Wireless, Mobile Computing
and Mobile Commerce
Information Technology Foundations-BIT 112
Chapter Outline
• 7.1 Wireless Technologies
• 7.2 Wireless Computer Networks and Internet
Access
• 7.3 Mobile Computing and Mobile commerce
• 7.4 Pervasive Computing
• 7.5 Wireless Security
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Learning Objectives
• Discuss the various types of wireless devices and
wireless transmission media.
• Describe wireless networks according to their
effective distance.
• Define mobile computing and mobile commerce.
• Discuss the major M-commerce applications.
• Define pervasive computing and describe two
technologies that underlie this technology.
• Discuss the four major threats to wireless networks.
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Chapter Opening Case
P. 200
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Chapter Opening Case (continued)
Disconnect?
Manufacturers
Retailers
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7.1 Wireless Technologies
• Wireless devices
– Devices small enough to easily carry or wear, have
sufficient computing power to perform productive tasks and
can communicate wirelessly with the Internet.
• Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
– The standard that enables wireless devices to access Webbased information and services.
• Microbrowser
– Internet browser with a small file size that can work within
the confines of the small screen sizes found on wireless
devices and the relatively low bandwidths of wireless
networks.
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Browser vs. Early Microbrowser
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Deepfish Microbrowser
• As wireless devices become more powerful, they have
browsers with more functionality, such as Deepfish from
Microsoft Labs.
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Apple iPhone with Safari browser
• The Apple iPhone is a wireless device (smart phone)
that is powerful enough to run the full-function Apple
Safari browser.
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Capabilities of Wireless Devices
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cellular telephony
E-mail access
Bluetooth
Short message service
Wi-Fi
Instant messaging
Digital camera
Text messaging
Global positioning system
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Organizer
MP2 music player
Scheduler
Video player
Address book
Internet access
Calculator
QWERTY keyboard
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Examples of today’s wireless devices
Blackberry Curve
Treo 750
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Examples of today’s wireless devices
(continued)
Motorola Q
Helio Ocean
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Examples of today’s wireless devices
(continued)
Nokia N95
HTC Touch Dual
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Examples of today’s wireless devices
(continued)
Samsung i620
Nokia E90
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Wireless Transmission Media
– Table 7.1 P 204
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Satellite Footprint Comparison
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Satellite Footprint Comparison
– Table 7.2 Page 205
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Global Star LEO Coverage
• Global Star is the leading provider of satellite phone
service with its low-earth orbit (LEO) constellation of
satellites. The image shows the company’s coverage
of the earth.
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How the Global Positioning System
Works
• GPS is supported by 24 MEO satellites that are shared
worldwide.
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Wireless Transmission Media - Radio
• Radio transmission uses radio-wave frequencies to
send data directly between transmitters and receivers.
• Satellite Radio (digital radio)
– offers uninterrupted, near CD-quality music that is beamed
to your radio from space. XM satellite radio and Sirius
have agreed to merge as of mid-2007.
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Wireless Transmission Media - Infrared
• Infrared light is red light that is not commonly visible
to human eyes; common uses are in remote control
units for TVs, VCRs, DVDs, CD players.
• You can use the
digital camera on
your cell phone to
see if your TV
remote control is
working.
A test to see if your TV remote
control is working.
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7.2 Wireless Computer Networks and
Internet Access
• Short-range wireless networks
– Generally have a range of 100 feet or less.
• Medium-range wireless networks
– Are the familiar wireless local area networks (WLANs).
– The most common type of medium-range wireless network
is Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi).
• Wide-area wireless networks
– Connect users to each other and to the Internet over
geographically dispersed distances.
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Wireless Computer Networks and
Internet Access
NETWORK TYPE
SUB-TYPE
MAXIMUM
TRANSMISSION SPEED
MAXIMUM
RANGE
Short Range Networks
Bluetooth
2.1 Mbps (megabits per
second)
10 Meter
Ultra-wideband (UWB)
100 Mbps
60 Centimeters
Near-Field Communication
424 Kbps
~20 Centimeters
Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)
300 Mbps
600 Feet
Wireless Mesh Networks
Node dependent
Node dependent
Cellular Radio
384 Kbps – 2Mbps (3G)
25 miles
Wireless Broadband/ WiMax
75 Mbps
31 miles
Medium Range Networks
Wide-Area Wireless
Networks
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*Short Range Wireless Networks
• Bluetooth
– Can link up to eight devices within a
30-foot area and transmit up to 2.1
megabits per second.
• Ultra-wideband
– High-bandwidth wireless technology
with transmission speeds in excess of
100 megabits per second.
• Near-field Communications
– shortest range of any wireless
network; designed to be embedded in
mobile devices such as cell phones
and credit cards.
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Short Range Wireless NetworksBluetooth
• Can link up to eight devices
within a 30-foot area and
transmit up to 2.1 megabits per
second.
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Short Range Wireless NetworksUltra-Wideband (UWB)
• High-bandwidth wireless technology with
transmission speeds in excess of 100 megabits per
second.
• Ultra-wideband has many uses as you can see at the
TimeDomain Web site.
• This article discusses the
use of UWB in fire-fighting.
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Short Range Wireless NetworksNear-Field Communications
• Shortest range of any wireless network; designed to be
embedded in mobile devices such as cell phones and
credit cards.
• Near-field communications (NFC) is the enabling
technology behind (a) contactless payments with credit
cards and (b) the substitution of a cell phone for a credit
card (the wave of the future).
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The Nokia 6131 phone
This video shows the
Nokia 6131 phone in
action.
The Nokia 6131 NFC-enabled
phone, which is used in the video
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*Medium Range Wireless Networks
• Medium-range wireless networks are the familiar
wireless local area networks (WLANs).
• The most common type of medium-range wireless
network is Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi).
• Wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi)
– Wireless access point
• a transmitter with an antenna
– Hotspot
• A geographical perimeter with in which a wireless
access point provides wireless access for users
– Wireless network interface card
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Diagram of wireless hotspot
• The irregularity of
the hotspot is a result
of intervening
buildings, trees, etc.
• Note the protrusions
generally follow
streets.
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Diagram of wireless hotspot – 3D View
• Wi-Fi hotspots are threedimensional and thus,
roughly spherical,
depending on buildings,
trees, etc that weaken the
signal.
• This image shows a
schematic of a wireless
hotspot at the Moscone
Convention Center in
San Francisco. It is a
sphere with a radius of
about 100 meters.
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Medium Range Wireless NetworksWireless Mesh Networks
• Wireless mesh networks use multiple Wi-Fi access
points to create a wide-area network that can be very
large.
• A series of
interconnected
local area
networks.
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Example of a mesh network
A mesh network
from Meraki and
one node
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Wide-Area Wireless Networks
• Cellular Radio: use radio waves to provide two-way
communication
– 1st Generation: analog signals and low bandwidth.
– 2nd Generation: digital signals for voice and data
communication up to 10 Kbps.
– 2.5 Generation: digital voice and data communication up to
144 Kbps.
– 3rd Generation: digital voice and data communication up to
384 Kbps when device is moving at walking pace; 128
Kbps when moving in car; and 2Mbps when device is
stationary.
• Wireless Broadband or WiMax: access range up to 31
miles and data-transfer rate up to 75 Mbps.
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Wide-Area Wireless NetworksCellular Radio Network
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University of Phoenix stadium
(IT’s About Business 7.1)
P. 212
• The stadium uses a distributed antenna system, where
relatively low-power antennas are place throughout the
facility, rather than having a few high-powered antennas.
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Wi-Fi and Wi-Max in Rhode Island
(IT’s About Business 7.2)
P. 212
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7.3 Mobile Computing and Mobile
Commerce
• Mobile computing
– Refers to real-time, wireless connection between a mobile
device and other computing environments, such as the
Internet and an intranet.
– Has two major characteristics that differentiate it from other
forms of computing:
• Mobility
– Users carry a mobile device and can initiate a realtime contact with other systems from wherever they
happen to be.
• Broad reach
– Users can be reached instantly when they carry an
open mobile device.
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Mobility And Broad Reach
• Create four value-added attributes that break the
barriers of geography and time:
– Ubiquity: mobile device can provide information and
communications regardless of user’s location.
– Convenience and Instant Connectivity: Internet-enabled
mobile device makes it easy and fast to access the Web,
intranets, and other mobile devices without booting up a PC
or placing a call.
– Personalization: information can be customized and sent to
individual consumers (e.g., as a short message service).
– Localization of products and services: knowing a user’s
location helps companies advertise their products and
services.
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Mobile Commerce
• Electronic commerce transactions that are conducted
in a wireless environment, especially via the Internet.
• The development of Mobile Commerce
(m-commerce) is driven by the following factors:
–
–
–
–
–
Widespread availability of mobile devices
No need for a PC
The “Cell phone culture”
Declining prices
Bandwidth improvement
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Example of Mobile Commerce
• Speedpass is a keychain
RFID device.
• When you buy your gas,
you simply “wave”
your Speedpass near the
reader on the gas pump
and your credit card is
debited.
Car key
and the
Speedpass
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Example of Mobile Commerce
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Mobile Commerce Applications
• Financial Services
–
–
–
–
–
Mobile Banking
Wireless Electronic Payment Systems
Micropayments
Mobile (Wireless) Wallets
Wireless Bill Payments
• Accessing Information
– Mobile Portal
– Voice Portal
• Location-Based Applications
– Shopping from Wireless Devices
– Location-based Advertising
– Location-based Services
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Mobile Commerce Applications Financial Services
• Mobile Banking:
– Many banks now offer access to financial & account information, the
ability to transfer funds, and receive alerts on digital cell phones, smart
phones, and PDAs.
• Wireless Electronic Payment Systems:
– These systems transfer mobile phones into secure, self-contained
purchasing tools capable of instantly authorizing payments over the
cellular network.
• Micropayments:
– Electronic payments for small purchase amounts (generally less than
$10).
• Mobile (Wireless) Wallets:
– Technologies that allow cardholders to make purchases with a single
click from their mobile devices.
• Wireless Bill Payments:
– Services provided by banking institutions that allow customers to pay
their bills directly from their cell phones.
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Mobile Commerce Applications Intrabusiness Applications & Accessing
Information
• Mobile Portal:
– Aggregates and provides content and services for mobile
users that include news, sports, email, entertainment, travel
and restaurant information; community services; and stock
trading.
• Voice Portal:
– Is a Web site with an audio interface and can also be
accessed through a standard phone or cell phone.
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Mobile Commerce Applications Location-Based Applications
• Shopping from Wireless Devices
– Online vendors allow customers to shop from wireless
devices.
• Location-based Advertising
– Marketers know the current locations and preferences of
mobile users, they can send user-specific advertising
messages to wireless devices about nearby shops, malls and
restaurants.
• Location-based Services
– Provide information to customers about local services and
conditions via cell phones.
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Using Google Earth in Location-based
Advertising
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Other Mobile Computing - Telemedicine
Telemedicine
predicted in 1924
and today
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Other Mobile Computing - Telemetry
Applications
• Telemetry is the wireless transmission and receipt of
data gathered from remote sensors.
– Technicians can use telemetry to identify maintenance
problems in equipment;
– Doctors can monitor patients and control medical equipment
from a distance;
– Car manufacturers use telemetry for remote vehicle
diagnosis and preventive maintenance.
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Other Mobile Computing - Automotive
Telemetry
The OnStar
system from GM
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The Aware System
(IT’s About Business 7.3)
P. 218
Telemetry in the trucking industry
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7.4 Pervasive Computing
• Pervasive Computing (Ubiquitous computing)
– Is invisible “everywhere computing” that is embedded in
the objects around us – the floors, the lights, our cars,
washing machine, microwave oven, cell phones, clothes,
and so on. (e.g., smart home, smart appliances)
– Two technologies provide the infrastructure for pervasive
computing
• Radio frequency identification (RFID)
• Wireless sensor networks (WSNs)
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Infrastructure For Pervasive Computing
• Radio frequency identification (RFID)
– Allows manufacturers to attach tags with antennas and
computer chips on goods and then track their movement
through radio signals.
• Wireless sensor networks (WSNs)
– Networks of interconnected, battery-powered, wireless
sensors that are placed into the physical environment.
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Product with bar code and RFID tag
RFID tag
Bar code
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Anatomy of a Universal Product Code
(UPC) a.k.a.; Bar Code
• RFID was developed to replace bar codes.
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Various RFID Tags
• One issue with RFID
has been the tag cost.
– today < $0.10 apiece
• Another issue, size
– today typical small
size is 0.4mm x
0.4mm
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RFID Dust by Hitachi
• This image shows RFID tags produced by Hitachi that
measure .05 by .05 millimeter. They are so small, that
they are called RFID dust.
Human
hair
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RFID and Your Privacy
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Small RFID Reader and Tag
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Small RFID Reader and Tag
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Large RFID Reader
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RuBee an RFID Alternative
• RuBee is a wireless networking protocol that relies on
magnetic rather than electrical energy.
A RuBee tag
RuBee signals will go through metal and
liquids, where RFID signals will not.
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RFID at Selexyz
(IT’s About Business 7.4)
P. 221
RFID tag on book
RFID reader at Selexyz
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Infrastructure For Pervasive Computing Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)
• Networks of interconnected,
battery-powered, wireless
sensors called motes that are
placed into the physical
environment.
• The motes send information to a
base computer, which connects to
the satellite above.
Mote
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Inrix traffic system
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7.5 Wireless Security
• Four major threats
– Rogue Access Point
• is an unauthorized access point to a wireless network.
– War Driving
• The act of locating WLANs while driving around a city
or elsewhere.
– Eavesdropping
• Refers to efforts by unauthorized users to try to access
data traveling over wireless networks.
– RF (Radio frequency) Jamming
• Is when a person or a device intentionally or
unintentionally interferes with your wireless network
transmissions.
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Chapter Closing Case
P. 228
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