IT and Wireless communication

IT or what is known as information technology is very widely known in all areas of life in today’s world. Information technology refers to the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information system. IT is very broad it covers all aspects of the management of computer-based information system, including the communications within it. There are a lot of ways to communicate based on IT some are by cable connection other can wireless. Wireless connection is the latest innovation in networking in information technology. Wireless communication enables connection to be held wirelessly even though the distance can be short or even long. The term wireless shows that connection is done without what is called as a hard wire, so it is done without any cable just through signals, this was first introduced in the 80’s with electromagnetic waves in a signaling system. Today wireless communication has developed so much till it is being used by everyone everywhere.
There are a lot of types of wireless communication from short distance wireless communication to long distance wireless communication. The short distance wireless communications consist of communications done within a range to a few hundred meters. The most common type of short range wireless communications is the infrared or what is known as the IrDA. IrDA or what is known as the infrared Data Association transfers data through light emitting diodes (LEDs) (What is IrDA?).Infrared is used by pointing the device straight to its receiver as infrared rays are unable to communicate through walls or any other thing disturbing the infrared ray it is sending and receiving. The infrared is suitable for HPCs, digital cameras, hand held data collection devices, etc. The infrared has a maximum bandwidth of 16Mega bytes and a maximum range of 1 meter. Unfortunately the infrared has got no security measures so data might not be transmitted safely. Another type of short range wireless communication that is widely used and has a greater range is Bluetooth. Bluetooth is an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs) (Bluetooth). Bluetooth is more flexible as it has a greater range and can pass through walls and does not have to be point to point with the receiver. Bluetooth transfers signal through radio frequency, this device is widely used in phones, laptops, Personal computers, digital cameras and video game consoles. Bluetooth itself is being innovated overtime as first the Bluetooth introduced was Bluetooth Version 1.2 which was able to have a transfer rate of 1 mega byte per second and Bluetooth Version 2.0 which enabled a lot faster data transfer which was to 3 mega byte per second. Bluetooth varies in range according to its type from less than a meter to 100 meters in range. Bluetooth is more secured compared to infrared as it has a security measure which is the device needs to be paired before using with a personal identification number so if anyone tries to hack this network it has a security measure to go through first, another type of security measure is authentication so before transferring data it requires authentication from the receiver. The most common and used short range wireless communication with best range and best data transfer is Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology brand owned by Wi-Fi alliance. Wi-Fi is usually being able to connect with the help of a device named router, this device enables the routing process of the data in which the intended computer is connected. Wi-Fi are of great speed where the speed is different according to the types where in 802.11 the speed can be up to 2 mega bytes per second while in 802.11a it can be up to 54 mega bytes per second. Connection to a Wi-Fi connection or what is usually known as hot stop is more secured as the network in which it is connecting has a firewall of its own which prevents harmful data to be transmitted also before connecting to the network it usually requires an address to be stored to the network of the devices which are allowed to access the network so it is much more secured also password authentication are used. Common applications for Wi-Fi include Internet and VoIP phone access, gaming, and network connectivity for consumer electronics such as televisions, DVD players, and digital cameras.
As there is a demand to communicate wirelessly from different places rather than being in range, long distance communications are present to enable anyone to connect from anywhere. There are a lot of types of wireless Communication that has a large range one of them is a Cellular network, this is very well known as a lot of people are using this service. Cellular network is a radio network made up of a number of radio cells (or just cells) each served by a fixed transmitter, known as a cell site or base station. These cells are used to cover different areas in order to provide radio coverage over a wider area than the area of one cell (Cellular Network) most common example of a cellular network is a mobile phone (cell phone) network. A mobile phone is a portable telephone which receives or makes calls through a cell site (base station), or transmitting tower. Radio waves are used to transfer signals to and from the cell phone. There are a number of different digital cellular technologies, including: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) and 3GSM, Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT).The security in this type of communication is high as they need 2 keep the privacy of each user and all the call he makes all the text messages he sends so all the data is encrypted and a high security system is used. Another type of long distance wireless communication is the communications satellite it is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications. The communication satellites provide a technology complementary to that of fiber optic submarine communication cables. They are also used for mobile applications such as communications to ships, vehicles, planes and hand-held terminals, and for TV and radio broadcasting, for which application of other technologies, such as cable, is impractical or impossible. Few important applications of the communication satellites are telephony service where Satellite phones connect directly to a constellation of geostationary or low earth orbit satellites. Calls are then forwarded to a teleport connected to the PSTN network or another satellite phone, it is a good thing as phone service will not be limited to network range like mobile phone as you can reach the satellite from anywhere. Another latest feature of the satellites are broadband as people tend to need faster Internet with satellite connection anyone from anywhere will be able to have a super quick Internet connection as it is direct connection but this is usually done by the internet service protocols as there is a fee required to use this service. Security in satellite communication is safe as all data sent is encrypted using a very high bit encryption.
Wireless communication is becoming better and better so is Information technology in a whole as people always try to improve from what they were to what they are just like information technology. Wireless communication as we just saw has developed so much in short distance as well as long distance. This enables the communication within a computer-based information system to be done perfectly as communication within it is an important part especially wireless as it offers greater speed and flexibility which people would prefer.

Reference list

Bluetooth. (n.d.). Retrieved from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth
Cellular Network. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikiipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_system
What is IrDA? (n.d.). Retrieved from The Tech Faq: (http://www.tech-faq.com/irda-infrared.shtml)

Bibliography
Heathcote, P. A level Computing. kevin Bond.
Turban, R. a. (2007). Introduction to information technology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.