Wireless Definition and 248 Threads

Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points that do not use an electrical conductor as a medium by which to perform the transfer. The most common wireless technologies use radio waves. With radio waves, intended distances can be short, such as a few meters for Bluetooth or as far as millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications. It encompasses various types of fixed, mobile, and portable applications, including two-way radios, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and wireless networking. Other examples of applications of radio wireless technology include GPS units, garage door openers, wireless computer mouse, keyboards and headsets, headphones, radio receivers, satellite television, broadcast television and cordless telephones. Somewhat less common methods of achieving wireless communications include the use of other electromagnetic wireless technologies, such as light, magnetic, or electric fields or the use of sound.
The term wireless has been used twice in communications history, with slightly different meaning. It was initially used from about 1890 for the first radio transmitting and receiving technology, as in wireless telegraphy, until the new word radio replaced it around 1920. Radios in the UK that were not portable continued to be referred to as wireless sets into the 1960s. The term was revived in the 1980s and 1990s mainly to distinguish digital devices that communicate without wires, such as the examples listed in the previous paragraph, from those that require wires or cables. This became its primary usage in the 2000s, due to the advent of technologies such as mobile broadband, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Wireless operations permit services, such as mobile and interplanetary communications, that are impossible or impractical to implement with the use of wires. The term is commonly used in the telecommunications industry to refer to telecommunications systems (e.g. radio transmitters and receivers, remote controls, etc.) which use some form of energy (e.g. radio waves, acoustic energy,) to transfer information without the use of wires. Information is transferred in this manner over both short and long distances.

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  1. N

    How to connect a wireless moderm(internet) to cabled network

    please how can i connect a wireless moderm that i use for my internet to a cabled network of three pcs
  2. C

    Troubleshooting Wireless Network Issues: Tips and Tricks

    1) Is there a way to view a log of who has been using my wireless network? I went to my router's configuration page, and there was a Log section under Administration tab, but I couldn't find a log. 2) I can't find the installation CD for my router, is it possible to set up a password for my...
  3. O

    What are some ways to improve wireless energy transfer using coil antennas?

    I've found this video on the web: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIhPayFBE9c&feature=related and id like to be able to build one myself. But i don't really know how to start with this nor how it works. -The 8 shaped coil is really 8 shaped or just 2 coils bound together? -how do you make...
  4. W

    How to Block a Wireless Router Signal: Help Needed

    i am new , so i am not sure if this is the rite place. my Question i want to show my students how to block the signal coming from a wireless router. Pl help!? i have tried wrapping the antenna with aluminium foil and putting the whole modem in an aluminium container, none of...
  5. M

    Wireless Transmission of Power

    Dear Physics Forums Users, I have a Bachelor of Science degree on Physics and Applied Mathematics, currently on the way out of a masters in EE. As a graduation project, I chose wireless power transmission as the project topic. I found two wireless transmission schemes that got some...
  6. I

    Industrial Wireless: Exploring Networking & Sensors

    hello ppl... I have been give the topic "industrial wireless" to research on and i am really confused about how wireless communication is established in an industry. :confused: This is with respect to communicating between different sensors to convey information about the working of...
  7. G

    Short Distance Wireless Power System

    Hello, I am working on building a wireless power system, I have looked into it a bit and the best if not only way seems to be a resonant air core transformer. My primary coil/circuitry can really be infinite in dimension, but my secondary coil needs to be no more than 2 inches in...
  8. K

    Extreme high speed wireless range

    high speed wireless with extreme range I'm trying to find a way to transmit hd video and data over long distances. Thats not the hard part. Hard part is that all connection points are mobile at varying speeds and MUCH longer range than any network I've ever seen. I have enough power to use any...
  9. E

    Wireless advantage and disadvantage

    hello can anyone helpe me about the wierless advantage and disadvantage and give me any book title
  10. RonL

    What Could Be Causing Inconsistent Wireless Signal Strength?

    Installed a D-Link DIR-655 Router for my wireless network. The network consist of 3 desktop computers, 3 laptops, and 1 Blu-ray (netflix setup). The only problem is that one laptop has a signal strength that varies from (the high) that I have seen, 38Mbps down to 1Mbps. The trend seems to...
  11. K

    Best way to get wireless networking on microcontroller?

    Hi. I am planning to build a controller for a machine I have built. I can handle all the normal operation with any standard microcontroller and a few other components. However, I want my board to be able to communicate over a wireless network as well as wired network. Can anyone point me to...
  12. M

    Wireless power (using resonance induction a.k.a. evanescent waves coupling)

    Hello, I have read a lot of literature in this area and am really confused. I need help. There is a drive today towards increasing the distance over which energy transfer is feasible. Currently, mutual induction is used commercially for a whole bunch of applications, but each of them...
  13. R

    Troubleshooting Wireless Power Transfer Circuit: What Am I Doing Wrong?

    Hi all i'm trying to build a circuit which can transfer power from one inductor to another inductor unfortunately its not working as i expected. basically what i did was to make 2 inductors of 1000 turns (copper) on a plastic core.i connected one of the inductor to an ac power source...
  14. B

    Wireless information sending and baud rate

    I understand how a baud rate can be set by a clock and the data can be shifted through a line. Both sides need a clock to keep in sync. How would this be achieved if you are using wireless. Would both sides need to communicate back and forth because I can't see how a clock could be set on...
  15. D

    Wireless Electricity: Exploring Possibilities

    I came across an interesting story today and thought I would share it here. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/132/brilliant.html" Neat stuff. Although I do wonder, even if they get it working and feasible for large-scale adoption, would there be any adverse health affects? (I...
  16. DaveC426913

    Looking for radio control components - wireless stepper motors

    I'm ready to begin proof of concept experiments on the Mk IV Tesseract, following on the limited success of https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=205845" What I need is a motor that - is reasonably compact (we're talking <2 centimeters) though weight is not a factor - can be...
  17. A

    Looking for a wireless system for collecting 12+ temp. measurements

    I was wondering if anyone has suggestions in terms of wireless transmitters/receivers for a system that will have over a dozen temperature measurements (either thermocouples or RTD's). I have no idea where to even begin looking. Thanks,
  18. N

    How does my microwave oven affect a wireless router?

    My daughter claims that when she runs our microwave oven, it disables her laptop computer connection to our wireless router. What might cause that? Will we be sterlizied?? (just joking...I think!) One possibility is that when the microwave oven draws power sparking from a loose 120 wall plug...
  19. S

    Exploring the Wonders of Wireless Power: A Hands-On Demonstration

    Several years ago, I was at a science/art exhibit in Los Angeles where a box was on a pedestal and it had a couple hundred jellybean sized light bulb-type things in it. They appeared to be just a filament in a glass encasement. When they were just sitting in the box, they were dark, however...
  20. Chandra214

    Is a Wireless Audio Transmitter Feasible with 2.4GHz Band and an Audio Codec?

    Hi All, we are planning to build a wireless audio transmitter. In 2.4GHz Band. I would acknowledge that this is my first audio interfacing project. So i have a lot of doubts about the way i can interface audio and stream the data out. we plan to use an audio codec which can take Mic ( line...
  21. P

    Why Is There No Induction in My Wireless Power Transmission System?

    Wireless Power transmission(URGENT) Hi guys Im actually plannin to build a wireless transmission system using induction, and without using a soft iron core. We are actually having 2 coils, one primary and one secondary. Our problem is that we aren't getting any kind of induction output. The...
  22. F

    How can I find my WEP key on an existing wireless network?

    I set up my wireless network some time ago. I want to add a recently purchased PS3 to my network, but I can not find my WEP key. Is there any way to track this down on my existing network? Thanks.
  23. Topher925

    Wireless electrical power tranmission.

    For those of you that don't read yahoo news, there was an article this morning about Intel developing wireless power transmission. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080821/ts_afp/usitinternetenergychipcompanyintel" Apparently there was a demonstration where they lit up a 60watt light bulb across...
  24. TheStatutoryApe

    Wireless Mouse Battery Life Issues

    I bought a fairly cheap wireless mouse a while back. With the batteries it came with it lasted quite some time, at least a few months, before it died. I bought new batteries from the store that were on sale and put one in. About a week later I found that the usb plug had come detached from...
  25. A

    Exploring the Potential of Wireless Electricity Implementation and Applications

    Can someone tell us about the possible implementation and application of wireless electricity? I know there is a lot of interest in the topic and recently, I read that MIT made a successful experiment of transferring power wirelessly. If we can concentrate the beam of the transmitting element...
  26. baywax

    Wireless Recharging: Is It Safe? | LiveScience

    Here's an interesting development. Could this be harmful to humans? How safe is electromagnetic induction? http://www.livescience.com/technology/061114_wireless_recharge.html
  27. JasonRox

    Troubleshooting Wireless Connection Issues on Windows Vista

    I'm at the library on the wireless system and it works fine. I go home to my wireless system and it does not work. It says connected, but the browser can not locate any website and can not detect an internet connection? What's wrong here? Note: Windows Vista
  28. D

    What are some affordable options for wireless transmitter/receiver packages?

    Anyone have a good source for a wireless transmitter/receiver package. We have been using an off the shelf set for one of our products at work from Linear Corp. This one is similar to a really old garage door opener technology. We have been having problems with range and interference...
  29. A

    Need guidance on a simple wireless setup to transmit a number

    Goal: To transmit a number from one location to another without wires. For example, the number 20, and to transmit it from one place to another. I'm not worried about distance or anything specific like that right now, however I want to be able to change the number that is transmitted, and...
  30. TheStatutoryApe

    Using Mobile Device as Wireless Modem: Issues with Carriers?

    How many of you use your mobile device as a wireless modem for your laptop? It took me a while to figure out how to do it since my carrier Sprint likes its customers to believe that they have to pay extra for this "service" even though it's simply a matter of routing the data from your device...
  31. 8

    Wireless USB to USB: Can It Be Done?

    is there such a thing as a wireless usb to usb. for example i want to connect my printer to my laptop and it would be really easy if i could simply plug a thing into the usb input on my laptop and plug a thing into the usb of the printer and it would work essentially as a wireless usb cable...
  32. 8

    Can Wireless Power Transmission Revolutionize Energy Distribution?

    i was reading about a wireless energy transfer system using antennas with long-lived resonance under development by MIT (google 'wireless power MIT' to find explanations of technology). i understand enough about the workings of this system i was wondering if anyone knows anything about when it...
  33. JasonRox

    How to Track & Prevent Users From Your Wireless Network

    I have a question... If you have a unsecured network, is it possible to track users hooked up to your network? Say neighbours? If so, how do you do it? And, can you prevent them from logging on to your network without using a secured network?
  34. C

    Can USB Data Be Transmitted Wirelessly with Circuit Integration?

    Is there any way to transmit USB data over the air easily? Thanks
  35. daniel_i_l

    Is Building a Radio Transmitter for Wireless Earphones a Feasible Solution?

    I wanted to get wireless (bluetooth) earphones for my mp3 player but when I checked I found that they were way out of my price range (bluetooth earphones for phones with bluetooth are relatively cheep, but for a regular mp3 player they're expensive ~ 200 dollars). So I had an idea: I can make a...
  36. C

    Wireless cardbus adapter drivers

    [SOLVED] wireless cardbus adapter drivers Yesterday I bought a D-link DWA-645 wireless cardbus adapter and having troubles getting the drivers sorted out. My machine is a portable with ubuntu 7.10 on it (dual boot with XP) I used madwifi but got stuck in the "Loading the MadWifi Module" part...
  37. M

    Can a Device Silently Disrupt a Wireless Microphone?

    I was wondering if anyone knows of a fairly inexpensive way to build a silent device that will cause a microphone/PA system to feedback/disrupt. I know that feedback is generally caused by the speaker output being recorded back into the microphone and then back into the amplifier, creating a...
  38. S

    Wireless Earphone Building: Permission, Frequency & Schematics

    Hello Guys I am about to plan for building a wireless earphone that uses a transmitter and receiver. I have talked to my professor in regard of it, I figured out that I need a permission to be able to build such a project. Then, I changed some basics that I thought the project would have...
  39. S

    New Electronics Promise Wireless at Warp Speed

    Wireless networking technology will one day deliver high-definition video content and other large data files via the airwaves far faster than that information can be now be delivered over wired systems. But it will take major advances in the electronics that drive computer and radio-frequency...
  40. R

    WiTricity and wireless energy trasfer.

    WiTricity is the recent name adopted for wireless energy trasfer. I was surprised to see this, as I've been told before this is impossible. As this subject has such strong links to the controversial work of Mr Tesla, i figured it belongs here in the skeptismism part. I don't think it has been...
  41. ranger

    Can a wireless charger eliminate the hassle of tangled cords?

    There have been a few posts about wireless power transfer here on PF, so some of you may find this useful. I came across this post in another forum about designing a wireless battery charger. The author gives a rather through description of what's going on and why he's doing certain things...
  42. Astronuc

    Westell 327W Wireless Modem/Router

    A friend has one with his DSL service. I was planning to put in a wireless router (which I may still do depending on need) and discovered that the Westell 327W modem also has a built in router with cable/wireless capability. There is a forum that deals with DSL matters, and it addresses...
  43. C

    Exploring the Science Behind Wireless Power Transmission

    I was wondering if anyone could give me more information about wireless power transmission, in particular, technical information about the physics and current prototypes made. I've looked on the internet, but as yet I haven't had much luck.
  44. J

    Simple Digital Wireless transceiver IC?

    Hello All, I'm wondering if there is a very simple (and cheap) method to transmit data from the board with my microcontroller on it to another board? I was looking around ant patallax has a nice transmitter/receiver pair for about $30 that you can buy here...
  45. E

    Wireless Transmitter Project Question

    I have a question regarding those pre-made wireless ic's that are ready to use that you buy in pairs (one is the transmitter unit and the other is a receiver unit). Now I want to use this in a project where I take a signal that is split from my cable television line and send this signal to the...
  46. Aquafire

    Revisiting the History of Wireless Radio: Who Really Invented It?

    Seems like a pretty basic question.. Most will say Marconi... But is that really correct ? Aquafire
  47. Integral

    Is MAC Address Filtering Sufficient for Wireless Network Security?

    Due to an ongoing battle with linksys software I have disabled network security, currently I have restricted access to allow only the MAC address of my laptop. Is this enough? Or should I also have WEP or WAP authentication? .
  48. R

    Wireless Sensor for detecting light

    Here's a tough one: How could one create a sensor which was able to detect if your taillights were on? A way to monitor your taillight activity such as: Let's say you have this tiny sensor which you stick to your taillight lens and, regardless of day or night or other headlights or...
  49. S

    Calculators Calculator that has wireless access?

    Are there any calculators out there (like ti's or other) that can communicate with other calculators via text messaging? Our teacher said he will not allow any calculators on one of his exams because of this. I find it hard to believe that such a thing exists because i can't turn up any...
  50. mattmns

    Google offering free wireless broadband

    http://www.google.com/tisp/ :cool:
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