Data Over Wireless Networks: Bluetooth, WAP and Wireless LANs (Standards & Protocols S.) - Softcover

Held, Gilbert

9780072126211: Data Over Wireless Networks: Bluetooth, WAP and Wireless LANs (Standards & Protocols S.)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0072126213 ISBN 13: 9780072126211

Publisher: Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 2000

This work offers a look at the exciting area of data over wireless networks that is the emerging telecommunications revolution. It discusses the next generation of wireless networking technology and vendor-specific applications such as Cisco and Motorola, and how these and the latest protocols will be implemented. There is also a discussion of how cell-phone users and PDA users are able to transmit and receive e-mail, access their LANs and surf the Web.

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Review:

The world is going wireless at the moment. So Data Over Wireless Networks can be seen as a timely issue from an experienced author of many other titles in computing and communications.

The subtitle of the book lists three specific technologies and these are each described in one chapter of the book, the other chapters covering AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service) and D-AMPS (Digital AMPS)--both of which are used in the US; GSM; CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access); LMDS (Local Multipoint Distribution Service) and MMDS (Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service). There are also two introductory chapters with some background information.

Overall, the book is reasonable easy to read, with quite a light style. The main chapters are stand-alone and can be read individually. However, reading the book gives no real feeling for how these technologies might be used together (or not, as the case may be). Although every chapter does contain an introduction with some example uses, the book simply gives information about the function and mechanisms specific to the technology with no real discussion or analysis. In addition, the book contains some minor technical errors and seems to have been poorly proof read, as it has a number of typing errors.

The book also seems to have a somewhat confused level of detail. For example, there is a nine-page table in the main text giving the frequency allocations for AMPS but there is no description of the network architecture used for GSM. Also, there are only three pages giving some very simple information about the third generation technologies such as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System). There is no mention at all of GPRS (General Packet Radio System) which, at the time of writing seemed likely to be offered in parts of Europe in the near future.

Overall, the main chapters provide a reasonable introductory tutorial for the various technologies. However, the statement on the book's back cover, "Develop state-of-the-art wireless applications using this detailed guide", is a somewhat ambitious claim. --Saleem Bhatti

From the Publisher:

Discusses the Next Generation of Wireless networking technology and vendor specific applications such as Cisco and Motorola
Discusses how the latest protocols and vendor-based applications will be implemented including WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) and Bluetooth.
Discusses the reemergence of Wireless LANs and the important role they play in transmitting data over wireless networks.
Detailed discussion of applications of data over wireless networks including how cell phone users, and PDA users are now able to transmit and receive email, access their LANs and surf the Web and Mobile banking, security transactions and e-commerce.

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