Wireless Protocols

For computers, handhelds, printers, and other wireless devices to communicate with a wireless network, they have to speak the same language (technically called a protocol). Each type of wireless network has its own protocols and standards:

Bluetooth™ and Infrared for PANs

Bluetooth™ (also known as the IEEE 802.15 standard for wireless PAN communication) is ideally suited for connecting up to eight devices within a single room. Bluetooth™ operates in the 2.4 GHz radio band (part of the "Unlicensed Spectrum" that does not require the user to obtain a license to operate the equipment). To minimize potential interference from other devices that might transmit in the same band, Bluetooth™ uses a technique called FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) to ensure that each device transmits only briefly on a given radio channel and then moves (hops) to another channel.

IR (Infrared) communication is a Bluetooth™ alternative that allows you to connect two devices that have built-in IR ports and are located in the same room. Simply line up the devices' IR ports and beam (or send) data.

Wi-Fi for LANs

The IEEE 802.11 family of standards was introduced to establish a common, secure set of standards for device-to-device data communication over wireless in much the same way that Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) connects computers on a wired LAN. On a wired network, computers are connected to the network by cables plugged into Ethernet hubs and switches. In a wireless LAN, computers connect to the network by sending radio signals to an access point. Each access point is connected to a wired network and it relays traffic between wireless devices and the wired network. Today, most wireless LAN products support 802.11b (also called Wi-Fi), a standard that operates in the 2.4 GHz band at speeds up to 11 Mbps. However, a growing number of products are beginning to support two newer standards: 802.11a (operating in the 5 GHz band at speeds up to 54 Mbps) and 802.11g (sharing the same 2.4 GHz band at speeds up to 54 Mbps). As with Bluetooth™, these frequencies were chosen to allow unlicensed operation.