Chapter Outline
|
8.1 Wireless Technologies
8.2 Wireless Computer Networks and Internet Access
8.3 Mobile
Computing and Mobile Commerce
8.4 Pervasive Computing
8.5 Wireless
Security
Learning Objectives
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1.
Describe the four main types of wireless transmission
media, and identify at least one advantage and one disadvantage of each type.
2.
Discuss the basic purposes of short-range,
medium-range, and long-range networks, and explain how businesses can use at
least one technology employed by each type of network.
3.
Discuss the five major m-commerce applications, and
provide a specific example of how each application can benefit a business.
4.
Define pervasive computing, describe two technologies
that underlie this technology, and provide at least one example of how a
business can utilize each one.
5.
Identify the four major threats to wireless networks,
and explain, with examples, how each one can damage a business.
Review Questions
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Section 8.1 …
Before you go on…
1. Describe the most common types of wireless
devices.
·
Pagers – one way wireless devices
·
PDA – personal digital assistant, a small
handheld wireless device.
·
GPS – global position system, a satellite-based
tracking system that enables people to determine the location of a GPS device’s
location.
· Smartphone – Internet-enabled cell phones that can
support mobile applications.
2. Describe the various types of transmission
media.
Microwave, satellite, and infrared are line-of-sight methods, whereas radio
signals travel through the air and can pass through walls.
Section 8.2 …
Before you go on…
1. What is Bluetooth? What is a WLAN?
·
Bluetooth is a device used to create
small wireless radio-based personal networks for up to 8 devices within 10
meters using low-power, radio-based communication.
·
Wireless local area networks are local
area networks without the cables used to transmit and receive data via radio
waves.
2. Describe Wi-Fi, cellular service, and WiMAX.
Wireless Fidelity - known as Wi-Fi.
·
802.11a transmits up to 54 Mbps within 10-30
meters
·
802.11b transmits up to 11 Mbps within 30-50
·
802.11g transmits up to 54 Mbps and is
compatible with 802.11b
Major
benefits are low cost and the ability to provide simple Internet access.
Cellular services - communicate with
radio antenna placed within adjacent areas called cells. This technology uses digital signals and can transmit voice
and data up to 384 Kbps when device is used while walking, 128 Kbps while in a
car, and up to 2Mbps when device is in a fixed location.
WiMax - Stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access.
WiMax has a range of up to 31 miles compared to 300 feet for Wi-Fi and 30 feet
for Bluetooth. It has a transfer rate of
up to 75 Mbps.
Section 8.3 …
Before you go on…
1. What are the major drivers of mobile
computing?
·
Widespread availability of mobile devices
·
No need for a PC
·
The “cell phone culture”
·
Declining prices
·
Improved bandwidth
2. Describe mobile portals and voice portals.
Mobile portals - A customer
interaction channel that aggregates content and services for mobile users. Services include news, sports, e-mail,
entertainment, travel information, restaurant and event information, games, TV
and movie listings, community services, and stock trading.
Voice Portals – A Web site
with an audio interface. Voice portals
are not Web sites in the normal sense because they can also be accessed through
a standard or a cell phone. A certain phone number connects you to a Web site,
where you can request information verbally. The system finds the information,
translates it into a computer-generated voice reply, and tells you what you
want to know. An example is 511, the
travel information line developed by Tellme.com.
3. Describe wireless financial services.
The services provide a
convenient way for customers to transact business regardless of the time or
their location. These services include banking, wireless payments and
micropayments, wireless wallets, bill-payment services, brokerage services, and
money..
4. List some of the major intrabusiness wireless
applications.
·
There are applications that help owners of
rental vehicles, commercial transport, and heavy equipment fleets. These apps can be used to determine the location
of the vehicles and control messages that are sent to and from the vehicles.
·
Insurance companies use wireless digital cameras
to take pictures at accident scenes and transmit them to processing centers.
·
Mystery customers who file reports after
evaluating locations of a national restaurant franchise use hand-held devices
to file reports.
Section 8.4 …
Before you go on…
1. Define pervasive computing, RFID, and wireless
sensor networks.
Pervasive computing is
invisible “everywhere computing” that is embedded in the objects around us,
including the floor, lights, cars, the washing machine, cell phones, our
clothes, etc.
RFID is the technology that
enables manufacturers to attach tags with antennae and computer chips on goods
and then track their movement through radio signals. This technology was developed to replace
barcodes.
Wireless sensor networks are networks of interconnected,
battery-powered, wireless sensors called motes that are placed into the physical environment. The motes collect data from many points over
an extended space. Each mote contains
processing, storage, and radio frequency sensors and antennae. This technology enables more accurate
information to be gathered.
2. Provide two specific business uses of RFID technology.
·
Retail companies use RFID to track inventory and
shipments.
·
Tolls roads use RFID to collect fees without the
need for toll booth personnel.
Section 8.5 …
Before you go on…
1. Describe the four major threats to the
security of wireless networks.
The four threats are rogue access
points, war driving, eaves dropping and RF jamming.
2. Which of these threats is the most dangerous
for a business? Which is the most
dangerous for an individual? Support
your answers.
The most dangerous threats for a
business are war driving and RF jamming. For individuals, rogue access points
are the most serious threat, particularly at public hotspots. Eavesdropping is threatening
for both business and individual networks.
IT’s About
Business Questions
|
IT’s About Business 8.1
Tacos,
Trucks, and Tweets?
1. Provide specific examples of the
advantages that mobile communications provided to Mark.
Mark was able to let his customers know
via Twitter and via his Web site where his truck was or will be.
He was able to tack his other
vehicles and reroute them if he felt necessary.
2. Which
technology, Twitter or mobile communications, enables the other? Support your
answer.
Mobile communications enable mobile
technologies such as Twitter. This is
because most users use their smart (mobile) phones to send the messages via
Twitter.
IT’s About
Business 8.2
WiMAX
Helps the People of Northern Thailand
1. Provide specific examples of other advantages that
WiMAX can deliver to the villagers.
· Educational programs that were not
available to the villagers previously.
· Electronic textbooks
· The ability of the villagers to
collaborate with one another has helped create a sense of unity in the region.
· Access to information that was not
easily available to them previously
· The network was easy to set up and
relatively inexpensive.
2. Provide specific examples of the advantages of WiMAX
compared to wireline communications.
Compared to wireline, WiMAX
provides wider coverage at a lower cost. WiMAX coverage can reach a 31-mile
radius. In order to cover the same area, physical wireline must be must be laid
out to each establishment.
IT’s
About Business 8.3
Location-Based
Services at Shopping Malls
1. Are the advantages of the mall apps
discussed in this case enough to entice you to go to a mall? Why or why not?
Support your answer.
The responses you will receive
will differ based on your students shopping habits. Regardless of whether they
respond yes or no, however, students should provide concrete reasons why they
think the mall apps described in the case are enough (or not enough) to
persuade them to shop at the mall.
2. Identify two specific benefits that you
would add to mall apps to make them functional enough to attract shoppers to
the mall.
The responses you will receive
will differ based on your students’ shopping habits. Some ideas are to provide apps-only
discount coupons to use in stores or the food center, and to enhance the
scavenger hunt-style game with daily special rewards to the first ten customers
who spot certain things in the mall during their shopping trip.
IT’s About Business 8.4
Your
Car Becomes a Smartphone
1.
Explain why
OnStar, Sync, and Blue Link are telemetry applications.
Telemetry is the wireless transmission and receipt of data gathered
from remote sensors. Telemetry has numerous mobile computing applications. Car
manufacturers use telemetry applications for remote vehicle diagnosis and
preventive maintenance.
2. Provide specific examples of the
disadvantages of OnStar, Sync, and Blue Link.
Students will have
different opinions, but some will involve tracking, the vehicles transmitting
erroneous information, etc.
IT’s About Business 8.5
Protecting
an Open Wireless Network at Brigham Young University –
Hawaii
1. What are the advantages of the Avenda system
to the users?
Avenda automatically provides
authorization privileges after a user is authenticated. That is, once a user is
identified, the system provides access only to those systems necessary for that
user to do his or her job, a process called least privilege.
2. Are there privacy issues associated with the
Avenda system for users? If so, provide specific examples.
IT team now controls and
differentiates access to the wireless network, so they can determine what users
are doing on the network. The team is also able to collect user information and
details about network usage. However, students are required to sign the
university honor code of conduct, and their activities on the network can be
monitored to ensure they don’t violate the rules, causing harm to the users and
the university.
Discussion
Questions
|
1.
Discuss how
m-commerce can expand the reach of e-business.
In
the traditional computing environment, users must have physical access to a
computer in order to utilize its applications.
The need to be linked by wires to computing resources limited the usefulness
of this technology to people who must be mobile while on the job. M-commerce is a natural extension of
e-business, but it is conducted in a wireless environment. M-commerce serves the needs of an
increasingly mobile work force and consumer population..
2.
Discuss how
mobile computing can solve some of the problems of the digital divide.
Wireless devices are becoming cheaper,
and individuals can take those devices to locations where they can connect to
the Internet, often for free. Consequently, users who do not have access to a
computer at home can use these devices to connect to the Internet and gain the
benefits that otherwise would not be available to them.
3.
List three to
four major advantages of wireless commerce to consumers, and explain what
benefits they provide to consumers.
·
Access to expertise: For example, medical service providers in
remote locations could communicate real-time with specialists in other places
to provide specialized consultations.
Consumers would benefit due to better access to specialized expertise
without the inconvenience or expense of traveling to a different location for
the consultation.
·
Access to information: For example, mobile portals provide consumers
access to a personalized set of content and services regardless of
location. This enables the consumer to
always have specified information available regardless of location.
·
Customized advertising: For example, location-based advertising can
deliver information and coupons to inform consumers about shops, malls, and
restaurants close to their current location.
·
Access to services: For example, wireless banking enables
consumers to carry out various financial transactions from any location, further
eliminating the need to go to a bank or an ATM machine to carry out needed
banking business.
4.
Discuss the
ways in which Wi-Fi is being used to support mobile computing and
m-commerce. Describe the ways in which
Wi-Fi is affecting the use of cellular phones for m-commerce.
Wi-Fi is the technical standard underlying
most of today’s wireless local area networks (WLANs). A mobile computing device can connect to the
Internet easily from public access points called hotspots. Mobile computing and m-commerce applications
can be delivered easily and at adequate communication speeds in this
environment. Wi-Fi is reducing the need
for wide-area wireless networks based on cellular technology.
5.
You can use
location-based tools to help you find your car or the closest gas station. However, some people see location-based tools
as an invasion of privacy. Discuss the
pros and cons of location-based tools.
The benefits of location-based
tools include the ability to request and receive information that is tailored
to your exact location. The concerns
about this capability arise from the fact that other people can obtain
information about your exact location and movements and use that information in
harmful ways..
6.
Discuss the
benefits of telemetry in health care for the elderly.
The alerting devices that people
can wear around their neck are valuable for seniors who need emergency
assistance after a fall or when they are experiencing some other medical
problem.
7.
Discuss how
wireless devices can help people with disabilities.
Sensors that help people with
disabilities communicate with their computer and other household devices significantly
enhance these individuals’ ability to interface with their environment and
perform basic activities.
8.
Some experts
say that Wi-Fi is winning the battle with 3G cellular service. Others
disagree. Discuss both sides of the
argument, and support each one.
Students will discuss this in
terms of speed, distance and cost and why one of these services is preferred
over the other.
9.
Which of the
applications of pervasive computing do you think are likely to gain the
greatest market acceptance over the next few years? Why?
Although the students’ answers
will vary, it is likely that applications that add convenience without
violating privacy will be the ones to gain market acceptance. For example, an application that provides
information about a product for diagnostic and repair purposes would be useful because
the consumer could arrange for the product to be repaired before it fails.
.
Problem-Solving
Activities
|
1. Investigate
commercial applications of voice portals. Visit several vendors (e.g., www.tellme.com,
www.bevocal.com,
and so on). What capabilities and applications do these vendors offer?
Students will research voice portals and report their findings.
2. Using
a search engine, try to determine whether there are any commercial Wi-Fi
hotspots in your area. (Hint: Access http://v4.jiwire.com/search-hotspot-locations.htm.) Also check www.wifinder.com.
Students will discuss use of handhelds, laptops, etc. after locating
WI-Fi spots in their area.
3. Examine
how new data capture devices such as RFID tags help organizations accurately
identify and segment their customers for activities such as targeted
marketing. Browse the Web and develop
five potential new applications for RFID technology, not listed in this
chapter. What issues would arise if a
country’s laws mandated that such devices be embedded in everyone’s body as a
national identification system?
Students should enjoy researching this topic and describe these
wearable devices.
4. Investigate
commercial uses of GPS. Start with http://gpshome.ssc.nasa.gov;
then go to http://www.neigps.com/. Can some of the consumer-oriented products be
used in industry? Prepare a report on
your findings.
Students will investigate and list products that can cross over between
the end consumer and industry markets.
5. Access
www.bluetooth.com. Examine the types of products being enhanced
with Bluetooth technology. Present two
of these products to the class and explain how they are enhanced by Bluetooth
technology.
Various categories of products are listed in the web site. Students will investigate and prepare a
report on two of these products.
Students also examine any drawbacks to having Bluetooth used in the
product.
6. Explore
www.nokia.com.
Prepare a summary of the types of mobile services and applications Nokia
currently supports and plans to support in the future.
Students will investigate and prepare a report.
7. Enter
www.ibm.com.
Search for wireless e-business. Research the resulting stories to determine the
types of wireless capabilities and applications IBM’s software and hardware
supports. Describe some of the ways these applications have helped specific
businesses and industries.
Students are to look into the published case studies in the ibm.com web
site under “SOLUTIONS” and find some
examples of cases that they can share
with the class.
8. Research
the status of 3G and 4G cellular service by visiting www.itu.int,
www.4g.co.uk,
and www.3gnewsroom.com.
Prepare a report on the status of 3G and 4G based on your findings.
Students will investigate and prepare a report.
9. Enter
Pitney-Bowes Business Insight (www.pbinsight.com). Click on MapInfo Professional, then click on
the Resources tab, then on the Demos tab.
Look for the location-based services demos. Try all the demos. Summarize
your findings.
Students will investigate and prepare a report.
PV provides software to deliver mobile media services. PV's software
gives users greater access and control over their media experience. The CORE product provides a universal
structure for mobile multimedia applications.
MediaFusion is a white-label client-server software application that
enables rapid development and launch on-device portals for rich media services.
11. Enter www.onstar.com.
What types of fleet services does OnStar provide? Are these any different from
the services OnStar provides to individual car owners? (Play the movie.)
Students will play the movie and
relate their experience.
12. Access www.itu.int/osg/spu/publications/internetofthings/InternetofThings_summary.pdf. Read about the Internet of Things. What is it?
What types of technologies are necessary to support it? Why is it important?
Internet of Things refers to the
concept of embedding communications technology in common devices like
refrigerators and ovens in order to extend the reach of Internet to many remote
areas that do not have an existing Internet access infrastructure The technologies
required for creating this type of network include, but are not limited to,
RFID, sensor networks, nanotechnology, distributed computing networks, and
telecommunication technology.
Team
Assignments
|
1.
Each team should
examine a major vendor of mobile devices (Nokia, Kyocera, Motorola, Palm,
BlackBerry, Apple, and so on). Each team will research the capabilities and
prices of the devices offered by each company and then make a class
presentation, the objective of which is to convince the rest of the class why
one should buy that company’s products.
Students will research the
capabilities and prepare a report. Focus
on features supported by the models, what bandwidth is needed to support the
features and the quality of network service and cost that is required by each.
2.
Each team should
explore the commercial applications of m-commerce in one of the following
areas: financial services, including banking, stocks, and insurance; marketing
and advertising; manufacturing; travel and transportation; human resources
management; public services; and health care. Each team will present a report
to the class based on their findings. (Start at www.mobiforum.org.)
There are a lot of options, particularly in the financial industry,
that students can choose. Students will research the capabilities and prepare a
report.
3.
Each team should
take one of the following areas—homes, cars, appliances, or other consumer
goods like clothing—and investigate how embedded microprocessors are currently
being used and will be used in the future to support consumer-centric services.
Each team will present a report to the class based on their findings.
Students will research the
capabilities and prepare a report.
Closing Case
|
A Mobile Application for Home Depot
The Business Problem
Home Depot (www.homedepot.com),
the world’s largest retailer of home improvement and construction products and
services, has been lagging in information technology. In fact,
IT was an afterthought at Home Depot for years because the company’s
primary emphasis was opening new stores.
Today, Home Depot has more than 2,000 retail outlets.
Until 2010,
employees stocked shelves as they had for 15 years, using computers powered by
motorboat batteries and rolled around stores on bulky carts. In early 2011, Home Depot still did not offer
customers the option to order online and pick up merchandise in stores, as
Lowe’s (www.lowes.com),
Home Depot’s biggest competitor, already did. Further, when Home Depot
employees processed special orders for customers, they had to rely on outdated
information systems. This arrangement hurt both sales and service.
In 2007, Frank
Blake became Home Depot’s new CEO. Blake shifted the company’s focus to
increasing profits from existing stores.
Inventory turns – a measure of how well a retailer turns goods into
sales – began to increase. However, Home Depot did not have the information
systems to enable this change in corporate strategy. Therefore, the company had
to modernize its information systems to improve in-store technology.
Another component
of Home Depot’s new strategy was to attract younger customers who are
accustomed to shopping online, often with devices they carry in their pockets
or handbags. That is, the company wanted to increase online transactions. (In 2010, online transactions amounted to
roughly 1.5 percent of Home Depot’s total sales.) Unfortunately, the company’s Web site was unattractive,
difficult to navigate, and did not provide for a seamless shopping
experience. Therefore, the company had
to improve its site to capture the attention of the numerous customers who
browse online before they go to the store.
The IT Solution
During fiscal
year 2010, which ended on January 30, 2011, Home Depot spent $350 million on
information technology, which amounted to one-third of the company’s total
capital expenditures. One of the new IT
applications involved mobility. The
company spent $60 million to buy 40,000 handheld devices, called “First
Phones,” to replace the old in-store computers. First Phones enable Home Depot
associates to manage inventory and help customers find products. These devices not only act as a phone, but
they replace walkie-talkies. In addition, with its credit card reader, the
device becomes a mobile cash register.
Further, associates can check inventory in their store and in other
stores from any location on the floor.
Home Depot also
launched a blogging site on its Web site where employees answer customer
questions on all home improvement and home construction matters. Further, as part of a broader upgrade of its
checkout systems, the company’s U.S. stores installed contact-less scanners for
reading credit card information on customers’ smart phones.
The Results
It is too soon to
predict the results of these new policies. Interestingly, Home Depot’s IT
initiatives could be complicated by the preference of most older contractors
and do-it-yourself homeowners to buy in person at a store. Home Depot recognizes that the company has to
serve customers the way they want to be served.
However, the company feels that over the long run, customers are going
to become much more comfortable using their smart phones on a real-time basis
outside or inside the store.
Questions
1.
Provide two specific reasons why Home Depot felt it
necessary to deploy wireless handheld devices.
First, the current system was
outdated. The wireless handheld device,
called the “First Phone,” was a logical choice given the current technology.
Second, the device helped improve customer service functions because employees
can use it to help customers find their products.
2.
Identify two potential disadvantages of deploying
wireless handhelds at Home Depot.
First, the wireless handheld
devices might get lost or stolen. Second, many associates will need to be
retrained to become familiar with the new system.
.
Glossary
|
Bluetooth Chip technology that enables short-range connection (data and voice)
between wireless devices.
Cellular Telephones (also called cell phones) Phones that provide two-way radio
communications over a cellular network of base stations with seamless
handoffs.
Global Positioning System (GPS) A wireless
system that uses satellites to enable users to determine their position
anywhere on earth.
Hotspot A small geographical
perimeter within which a wireless access point provides service to a number of
users.
Infrared A type of wireless
transmission that uses red light not commonly visible to human eyes.
Location-Based Commerce (l-commerce) Mobile commerce transactions
targeted to individuals in specific locations, at specific times.
Mesh Network A network composed
of motes in the physical environment that “wake up” at intervals to transmit
data to their nearest neighbor mote.
Microwave Transmission A wireless system that
uses microwaves for high-volume, long-distance, point-to-point communication.
Mobile Commerce (m-commerce) Electronic commerce
transactions that are conducted with a mobile device.
Mobile Computing A real-time connection
between a mobile device and other computing environments, such as the Internet
or an intranet.
Mobile Portal A portal that aggregates
and provides content and services for mobile users.
Mobile Wallet A technology that
allows users to make purchases with a single click from their mobile devices.
Near-field communications
(NFC) The smallest of the short-range
wireless networks that is designed to be embedded in mobile devices such as
cell phones and credit cards.
Personal Area Network A computer network
used for communication among computer devices close to one person.
Pervasive Computing (also called ubiquitous
computing) A
computer environment where virtually every object has processing power with
wireless or wired connections to a global network.
Propagation Delay Any delay in
communications due to signal transmission time through a physical medium.
Radio-frequency identification (RFID)
technology A
wireless technology that allows manufacturers to attach tags with antennas and
computer chips on goods and then track their movement through radio signals.
Radio Transmission Uses radio-wave frequencies
to send data directly between transmitters and receivers.
Satellite Radio (also called digital radio) A wireless system that
offers uninterrupted, near CD-quality music that is beamed to your radio from
satellites.
Satellite Transmission A wireless
transmission system that uses satellites for broadcast communications.
Telemetry The wireless transmission and
receipt of data gathered from remote sensors.
Ubiquitous Computing (see Pervasive Computing)
Ultra-wideband (UWB) A
high-bandwidth wireless technology with transmission speeds in excess of 100
Mbps that can be used for applications such as streaming multimedia from, say,
a personal computer to a television.
Voice Portal A Web site with
an audio interface.
Wireless Telecommunications in which
electromagnetic waves carry the signal between communicating devices.
wireless 911 911 emergency
calls made with wireless devices.
Wireless Access Point An antenna
connecting a mobile device to a wired local area network.
Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) A set of standards for
wireless local area networks based on the IEEE 802.11 standard.
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) A computer network in a
limited geographical area that uses wireless transmission for communication.
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) Networks of
interconnected, battery-powered, wireless sensors placed in the physical
environment.
