Data Over Wireless Networks: Bluetooth, WAP, and Wireless LANs

Many pundits believe that the real "volks-Internet" won't be Internet via TV, but rather the Internet presented on mobile phones and other handheld computing devices. Furthermore, Cisco Systems and other networking powerhouses are beginning to sell products for wireless office networks at prices not too far removed from those of wired products. Data Over Wireless Networks is a newcomer's guide to wireless telecommunications technologies, with an emphasis on wireless local area networks (LANs) not usually found in books that also cover telephony. The information is up-to-date and comprehensive for engineers, managers, and investors wanting an honest understanding of wireless data communications technologies and their capabilities.

Each chapter explains underlying conditions (e.g., protocols, physical phenomena, market conditions, regulatory requirements, or a combination of these) of the technology under discussion. You learn how protocols fit into the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model, and flow charts and packet diagrams illustrate communications activity. The discussion gets readers oriented and enables them to search for deeper, more specialized material (though less technically oriented readers will probably find the packet diagrams intimidating). For further coverage of wireless communications technologies (among others) and their implications for businesses and consumers, read Steven Shepard's top-notch Telecommunications Convergence. --David Wall

Topics covered: Technologies for communicating data over the airwaves, including Analog Mobile Phone System (AMPS), Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Bluetooth, and wireless local area networks (LANs) based on the IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN specification.