Wireless, Mobile Computing & Mobile Commerce

Wireless, Mobile Computing and Mobile Commerce

• Wireless is a term describing telecommunications signals carried by electromagnetic waves, rather than wires/cables, between devices like computers, smartphones, and tablets.
• Mobile refers to the ability to change location; a wireless network can be fixed or mobile (MiFi).
• Wireless technologies facilitates mobile computing, mobile commerce, and pervasive computing.

Mobile Computing

• Real-time wireless connection connects a mobile device to other computing environments, such as the internet

Mobile Commerce (m-commerce)

• Refers to e-commerce transactions conducted using mobile devices.

Pervasive Computing

• Also called ubiquitous computing, it means virtually every object has processing power and wireless or wired connections to a global network.

Wireless Technologies

• Wireless technologies include wireless devices (smartphones/tablets) and wireless transmission media (microwave, satellite, radio).
• Individuals and organizations are using wireless devices as a way to increase productivity and convenience
• Wireless is enabling individuals the ability to schedule working time around personal and professional obligations.

Wireless Devices

• Wireless devices are small, easy to carry/wear, have sufficient computing power, and can communicate wirelessly with the internet

Mobile Banking in Australia

• Australian bank customers are rapidly adopting mobile phones and tablets for banking.
• Banks report mobile banking adoption is faster than initial internet banking uptake, despite security/privacy concerns.
• Mobile banking apps enable customers to access account information, transfer funds, and pay bills.
• The Commonwealth Bank's Kaching app enables payments using mobile numbers, email addresses, and Facebook contacts, even allowing fund transfers by physically tapping iPhones together.
• In the 11 months leading up to September 2012, 800,000 customers used Kaching to transfer or pay over $1 billion.
• A Credit Suisse Australia report found consumers want easy-to-use apps and banks are overinvesting in mobile technology; banks' benefits are still largely intangible.
• While mobile banking activity accounts for 40% of digital banking log-ins, it only accounts for 9.6% of total digital transactions.
• ANZ Bank is developing a new mobile platform to 'leapfrog, not copy' competitors.

Smartphones in Australian Courts

• The NSW government proposed banning smartphones and tablets in courtrooms because of difficulty enforcing rules against recording instruments.
• Live tweeting and blogging from court proceedings has become a soaring trend.
• The amendment to the state's Court Security Act intends to prohibit unauthorized use of devices to transmit sounds, images, or information from court proceedings.
• The ban is not blanket; lawyers can reference legislation and digital files, and send emails.
• The NSW Law Society and Bar association are consulted on regulations, potentially exempting lawyers/journalists for media reports.

Wireless Transmission Media

• Wireless media transmits signals without wires.
• The major types are microwave, satellite, radio and infrared.

Microwave Transmission Systems

• Transmit data via electromagnetic waves for high-volume, long-distance, line-of-sight communication.
• Earth's curvature limits microwave towers to about 48 kilometers apart.
• The transmissions are susceptible to environmental interference during severe weather.

Satellite Transmission Systems

• These make use of communication satellites.
• The three types of satellites circling Earth: geostationary (GEO), medium-earth-orbit (MEO) and low-earth-orbit (LEO).
  • GEO satellites orbit 35,888 kilometers above the equator, maintaining a fixed position
    • These are best for sending television programs to cable operators
    • A limitation of GEO satellites is that their transmissions incur a quarter of a second delay and they are large, expensive, and require substantial launch power.
  • MEO satellites are located about 9,656 kilometers above Earth, requiring more satellites to cover Earth.
    • They are less expensive in which they do not have an appreciable propagation delay. Receivers must track these satellites
  • LEO satellites are located 400 - 1126.5 kilometers above Earth, having little propagation delay.
    • These move quickly relative to Earth.
    • They can pick up signals from weak transmitters, enabling satellite phones to operate with less power and smaller batteries
    • The satellites are requiring many to cover the planet. Such LEO satellites are known as LEO constellations

Global Positioning System (GPS)

• Wireless system uses 24 MEO satellites, enabling users to determine their position anywhere on Earth.
• Satellites broadcast their position and a time signal, and GPS software converts the user's latitude and longitude to an electronic map.
• Mobile phones in the United States now must have a GPS, enabling emergency services to detect the location of a person making an emergency call.

Radio Transmission

• This transmission uses radio-wave frequencies to send data directly between transmitters and receivers.
• Radio waves travel through office walls, inexpensive, easy to install and can transmit data at high speeds
• Radio creates electrical interference problems and is susceptible to snooping. Radio signals can travel 48 to 64 kilometers, but satellite radio overcomes this.

Infrared Transmission

• Infrared transmission is red light not visible to human eyes.
• It is used in remote control units for TVs, VCRs, and DVD/CD players.
• Infrared transceivers are used for short-distance connections between computers, peripherals, and LANs.

Short-Range Wireless Networks

• Short-range networks connect devices, eliminate wires, and enable user mobility.
• General short-range networks can have a range of 30.5 meters or less.

Bluetooth

• An industry specification for small personal area networks (PANs)

Ultra-Wideband (UWB)

• A high-bandwidth, high speed wireless technology is used for streaming multimedia

Near-Field Communications (NFC)

• Is designed for mobile devices like phones and credit cards (swipe device within centimetres of POS terminals).

Medium-Range Wireless Networks

• Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) represent the most common networks.

Wireless Fidelity (wi-fi)

• A medium-range WLAN (wired LAN without cables) can be used for the connection of satellite dishes

Wide-Area Wireless Networks

• Connect users to the internet over a geographically dispersed territory using government-regulated spectrums. Bluetooth and WI-fi use unlicensed spectrums.
• Include cellular radio and wireless broadband.

Cellular Radio

• Mobile telephones provide two-way radio communications over base stations
  • A mobile phone uses radio antennas, or towers, within adjacent areas called cells. A telephone message is passed from cell to cell until it reaches the cell of its destination.

Wireless broadband/ WiMAX

• WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a secure system with voice and video features. WiMAX antennas transmit broadband internet connections to homes / businesses. A solution for long-distance broadband to currently unserved rural areas.

Improving the use of technology

• Mobile, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Satellite to explain acronyms.
• Apple fined more than $2 mil over iPad claim.
• Many mobile phones today connect to Apple, or Galaxy5.

Mobile and Bluetooth

• Researchers may find Bluetooth devices appropriate for business.
• Run a speed test on your home, office and mobile devices using ZDNet.com
• A significant difference in how Bluetooth works compared to infrared transmission.
• Want to create a WLAN with some type of wireless technology

Mobile Computing

• Facilitates users to come to use IT at their respective organization
• People can use the same mobile for entertainment, and work.

Mobile commerce

• The spreading of computer can affect daily organization, especially individuals to engage.
• Wi-Fi is wireless technology

Location-based applications and services

• M-commerce B2C applications include location-based services and location-based applications. Location-based mobile commerce is called location-based commerce (or L-commerce). Provides information that is specific to a given location. For example, a mobile user can (1) request the nearest business or service, such as an ATM or a restaurant; (2) receive alerts, such as a warning of a traffic jam or an accident; and (3) find a friend.

Intrabusiness applications

• Companies use nonvoice mobile services to assist dispatch functions; That is, to assign jobs to mobile employees, along with detailed information about the job. Target areas for mobile delivery and dispatch services include transportation and health care.

Mobile Portals

Voice portals aggregate and deliver content in a format that will work within the limited space available on mobile devices and provide information anywhere and anytime.

Wireless sensor networks

WSNs are networks of interconnected, battery-powered, wireless sensors called motes that are placed into the physical environment that provide information that enables a central computer to integrate reports of the same activity from different angles within the network, it's very useful Smart Meters Very useful in smart electrical meters, used by electrical utilities.

Pervasive Computing

Pervasive (ubiquitous) computing is invisible, anywhere computing that is integrated with objects all around us

Wireless Networks

Wireless networks have security challenges. It is a broadcast medium, is easily intercepted.

• 4 major threats are
  • Rogue access points
  • War Driving
  • eavesdropping
  • Radio-frequency (RP) jamming