Explore:

Alt Text
|Front Page |Archives |Mobile Devices |Networking |3G Wireless |Big Deals
|Mobile Media |Wireless Web |Satellite |M-Commerce |Health & Safety |Stock Index
Wireless Networking: Does Infrared Have a Chance?

Send this Article
Print this Article
Talkback
Related Stories
By Tim McDonald
Wireless NewsFactor
August 30, 2001

Scientists think that one key to future networking may reside in the infrared technology used by the lowly television remote control.



Get the server that redefines the industry standard, year after year. The scalable, reliable and manageable Compaq ProLiant series. Take advantage of special pricing and help streamline your business in the process. Click here for details.

The more people and businesses add computers to those they already have, the harder scientists search for efficient ways to connect them. One dark-horse technology candidate could reside in the ordinary television remote control that you use to flick through channels.

Infrared technology, which has been around for quite a while, has so far remained in the shadow of other, newer technologies. But if current research pans out, it could become the wireless networking tool of the future.

Slowed by Echoes

Computers are already using light beams to communicate with each other. Using standards established by the Infrared Data Association (IRDA), handheld computers like Palm Pilots are able to "beam" short notes in small data "packets." Infrared is also used in laptops to send data to printers without the need of cables.

But there are drawbacks that have proven discouraging to researchers and investors. For example, the technology works best when the transmitter is pointed directly at the receiver.

"That's a problem, even if you count bouncing the beams up to the ceiling and down toward the port," Allen Nogee, senior analyst with Cahners In-Stat Group, told Wireless NewsFactor.

"The second problem is that the data rates have never really been all that fast. You think 'light' and you think 'high-speed,' but the fact of the matter is, when the light is bouncing all around the walls and ceiling, you get a lot of echoes. That slows the data rate down considerably. Competing technologies are more feasible right now."

Infrared Hackers

Another drawback is that infrared signals cannot pass through walls or ceilings, meaning that at least one receiver and one transmitter is required in every room.

Also, infrared's reputation suffered a setback recently when Microsoft warned that the part of Windows 2000 software that involves infrared support could allow malicious users to shut down computers by remote control.

According to the Microsoft warning, a hacker could create a special packet that exploits Windows 2000's built-in support for IRDA. The packet could flood a computer with data and create a "buffer overflow" that could cause the computer to restart.

1,000 Times Faster?

But work is going on now aimed at solving these problems.

Researchers at Penn State University are trying to develop a high-speed information network using infrared that they say could be faster, more efficient and possibly even healthier, since health experts aren't sure about the long-term effects of radio waves on humans.

Drs. Mohsen Kavehrad and Svetla Jivkova are experimenting with infrared light that bounces off myriad surfaces in a room, and which they say is capable of transmitting data at two gigabits per second -- roughly 1,000 times faster than cable modems -- and with fewer errors.

As for the echoes, the Penn State researchers claim they may have solved the problem with holographic filters. The filters produce pencil-thin beams that create wide grids as they reflect around a room, eliminating interference.

And, researchers in Germany are working on a receiver that can separate true signals from interference and echoes.

Infrared More Secure

Infrared technology has several advantages over radio waves, especially in areas such as video teleconferencing. The radio spectrum is heavily regulated, and only certain frequencies can be used.

Infrared frequencies, which are just below visible light on the electromagnetic scale, are free and available to anyone who wants to use them.

In addition, one of infrared's disadvantages can be turned into an advantage in terms of security. Since infrared cannot penetrate walls, there is less likelihood of eavesdropping than there would be using ordinary radio waves.

Talkback: Click here to add your comment about this story...

See Related Stories
Bluetooth Sets Bait - Will Consumers Bite?
(18-Jul-01)
Interactive TV Ripe for Wireless Gaming
(13-Jun-01)
U.S. Curbs Use of High-Tech Snooping
(13-Jun-01)
New Wireless Technology Follows 'Thin Is Better' Logic
(31-May-01)


 
Sponsored Links
Need the right tools for your e-business? Click here.
Get your message to thousands of wireless technology pros - click here.

 

Live Tech News Updates
See for yourself. Click here.


Real-Time
Technology News
Updated Every
5 Minutes
24 Hours a Day
NewsFactor.com
E-Commerce Times
TechNewsWorld
CRMDaily.com
Linux Insider
WirelessNewsFactor
osOpinion
TechExtreme
FreeNewsFeed.com

Alt Text


January 08, 2002


DOW 10197.05 -0.00
S&P 1164.89 -0.00
NAS 2037.10 -0.00
Wireless Carriers Want U.S. To Refund $3B
Full Story

Mobile Users Travel Light with Washable Fabric Keyboards
Full Story

Moxi Unveils All-in-One Home Media Center
Full Story

VeriSign To Pay $340M for Mobile Billing Firm
Full Story

New Nokia Phones Take On Multiple Wireless Standards
Full Story

French Satellite Company Debuts TV-to-Handset Messaging
Full Story

Just Say No to Internet Micropayments
Full Story

HP Rolls Out New Laptops, Home Networking
Full Story

Wireless Nets Hit 54 Mbps
Full Story

Snap-On Mini Keyboard Fits More PDAs for Less
Full Story

Wireless Quote of the Day: Making Them Pay
Full Story

Distressed Lucent Trying To Refocus
Full Story

Rumors Swirl Ahead of Macworld 2002: A Move to Intel?
Full Story

Macworld Expo 2002 - The Hype vs. The Hooey
Full Story

Intel Unleashes Celeron Speed King
Full Story

Satellite Radio: Will Drivers Tune In?
Full Story

FCC Ushers In Broadband Wireless
Full Story

Mobile WWF Game Beats Qualcomm to the Punch
Full Story

Sharp Gives Thumbs Up To Built-In PDA Keyboard
Full Story

Report: Wild Wireless Ride Not Over
Full Story

Information Overload? Look Ma, No Hands!
Full Story

Technologies That Changed 2001: Part 2
Full Story

Best Way To Save the Be, Inc. Operating System
Full Story

'Next-Gen' Disposable Cell Phone Takes Calls
Full Story

Standards Wars: The Race for 3G
Full Story


See more news

Get news by e-mail

Visit open forums



Wireless NewsFactor
Mobile Phones | PDAs | Wireless Web | Bluetooth | Networking | 3G Wireless
Satellite | M-Commerce | Big Deals | Mobile Media | Health & Safety | Editorial Corrections
 
Other NewsFactor Network Sites
NewsFactor Portal | E-Commerce Times | TechNewsWorld | Linux Insider | Wireless NewsFactor
osOpinion | allEC | CRM Daily

FreeNewsFeed | Free Newsletters

Business Development | How To Contact Us | About NewsFactor Network
How To Advertise | Article Reprint Information
 

© 1998-2002 Triad Commerce Group, LLC. All rights reserved. See Terms of Use and Privacy notice.