Why Not Wireless

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Why Not Wireless?

• Connected Classroom ConferenceLong Beach, CA
• Doug Proutydprouty_at_cccoe.k12.ca.us
• Contra Costa County Office of Education
• Pleasant Hill, California

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Wireless networking has been targeted by analysts
as one of the fastest growth sectors in the
computing industry.
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Where did it come from?

• Hedy LaMarr and George Antheil
• Hedy conceived of an idea to guide torpedoes by
  sending the information across the multiple radio
  frequencies in a random pattern. The pattern
  would be received and re-formatted into an
  intelligible message.

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Wireless What?

• Computers and Laptops
• LAN/Hubs
• WANs
• MANs
• Phones
• Watches
• PDAs

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Wireless Technology

• Infrared
• Radio Frequency Spread Spectrum
• Microwave
• Satellite

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Wireless Networks

• Personal Area Networks
• Infrared printers, palms, pointers
• RF keyboards, mice,
• Local Area Networks
• Computers to the network/Internet
• Metropolitan Area Networks
• Cell Phones, GPS
• Wide Area Network

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Why Wireless in Schools

• Some schools may find it impractical to use a
  wired network due to factors such as
• Asbestos blocking the running of wires
• Cost of running wires makes a wired network too
  expensive
• Teachers moving from classroom to classroom

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Why Wireless in Schools

• Students need to move and be connected throughout
  campus
• Bandwidth is improving
• Makes the network customizable
• Cost effective to add more access
• Palms are a cost effective substitute for full
  computers in schools

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Three Types of WLAN Devices

• Access points These devices connect the wireless
  network to the wired network. They have a
  standard 10/100-base-T connector and IP routing
  capabilities.
• Station Adapters These devices connect desktop
  computers to the access points via wireless
  communication.
• PCMCIA Adapter These devices connect laptops and
  any other PCMCIA Type 2 compatible devices to the
  access point.

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Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN)

• Access Hubs
• 150 foot range indoors
• 12 or more users
• 2 to 11 Mbps

• Technical Stuff
• IEEE 802.11b
• 2.4GHz
• 2 - 11Mbps
• Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)
• Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)

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IEEE 802.11a

• 5 GHz
• Interference freefrequency
• Up to 54Mbs
• 512 users (vs 192 users)
• Up to 8 access points (vs 3)

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Wireless Laptop LabUniversity of Arizona
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Range of WLAN

• Access point and station adapters have a range of
  3280 ft in open space and 200 ft-650 ft indoors.
• PCMCIA adapters have an open space range of 2200
  ft and an indoor range of 300 ft.
• Affected by interferences such as microwaves and
  other radio interferences, structures, walls and
  doors.

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Security

• Roots in military applications, security is a
  design criterion for wireless devices.
• Security provisions built into wireless LANs,
  making them more secure than most wired LANs.
• It is extremely difficult for unintended
  receivers (eavesdroppers) to listen in on
  wireless LAN traffic.
• Individual nodes must be security-enabled before
  they are allowed to participate in network
  traffic.

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Throughput

• The amount of data transferable
• Wireless is not as good as a standard wired LAN,
  but will be greater than using a modem.
• The access point, PCMCIA adapter, and station
  adapter have a data rate of 11mb

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What does it look like?
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What does it look like?
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Access Points (IEEE 802.11b)
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Antennas
Can extend range to 5 miles
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Adapters
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Building to Building Bridge (point-to-point)
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Building to Building Bridge (point-to-multipoint)
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Map of Wireless Network
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Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)
Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)

• Try to locate the hub away from RFI/EMI
• 2.4GHz wireless phones (use 900 MHz)
• Wireless cameras/speakers
• Microwaves
• Electric motors and moving metal parts
• People (2.4GHz is the resonance freq. of water)

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Connecting LANs

• Wireless Routers
• Connecting Campuses
• Line of Site

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Where are we heading?

• What tools will teachers be using in the next 10
  years?
• What type of tools would make your profession
  easier?

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PDAs

• How are they used by students, teachers and
  administrators
• Wireless capabilities and functions
• Peripherals

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Wireless Phones and Pagers

• Largest growth area
• Came on the scene just 10 years ago
• Imagine daily life without them
• What is in the future?

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PDA/Phone UMTS(Universal Mobile
Telecommunications Systems)

• WAP Wireless Application Protocol
• Cell phone
• Wireless Web
• Wireless Email
• Palm Pilot w/calendar, address book, organizer,
  etc.

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Palm, etc.

• PDA
• Dial direct from your address book
• Check calendar, etc while chatting
• Check email
• Surf the Web
• instant messaging
• e-commerce

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International Cell Phones

• Finland
• Pay for parking meters
• Download MP3s
• Pay for sodas
• In Japan
• Do karaoke on any handheld device
• Beam photos to their screens from sidewalk
  picture booths

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Cordless Computer Components

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Printer
• Scanner/etc

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Logitech Cordless
Mouse
Keyboard

• Radio frequency
• Internet search Controls
• Multimedia controls

• Radio frequency
• 30 ft Away
• Trackball multi-button mouse

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Wrist Watches Can they do it all?

• Small and Portable
• Voice Activated
• Cell Phone
• Speedpass
• GPS
• Camera
• Email/Internet

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Timex Internet Messenger

• Pager with scrolling messages
• Auto sets time, daylight savings time-zone
• Web email, headline news, sports, weather

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Samsungs Wrist Phone

• The functions of a cell phone
• Voice activate your numbers
• Vibrate alert
• rolodex

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Casio Watches
Wrist Camera
Global Positioning System
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Schools Acceptance?

• How long before students can use it in the
  classroom?
• Will it be common tools for learning like a
  calculator?
• When will it be provided to teachers like chalk?

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Thank You!

• Doug Prouty
• Contra Costa County Office of Education
• Pleasant Hill, California
• dprouty_at_cccoe.k12.ca.us