Recent Advances in Wireless Networks: From RFIDs and Sensor Networks to WMANs
Dr. Rajeev Shorey - Research Staff Member, IBM India Research Lab

Synopsis:
Wireless networks have seen an exponential growth in the last decade. Even as wireless cellular networks continue to grow, as is seen by current activities in 3G standard, the interest in these networks has saturated and has given way to sensor networks, wireless LANs, wireless MANs and mesh networks.

On the one end of the wireless spectrum is the simple RFID technology. Even though RFID is relatively new to the mass market, it has now become a household word. RFID is an electronic tagging technology that allows an object, place, or person to be automatically identified at a distance without a direct line-of-sight, using an electromagnetic challenge/response exchange. Typical applications include labelling products for rapid checkout at a point-of-sale terminal, inventory tracking, timing marathon runners, secure automobile keys, and access control for secure facilities.

Two emerging technologies that have caught the attention of the world is wireless ad hoc networks and sensor networks. Ad-hoc wireless and sensor networks are emerging as technologies of great practical importance, with their applicability spanning surveillance, emergency response, healthcare, and other commercial applications. Novel approaches are needed to address the challenges of ad-hoc networks, which lack a fixed infrastructure. The topology of ad-hoc wireless networks is dynamic, decentralized, and the nodes forming the network usually have transient connectivity. Hence, networking techniques for these environments must be power-aware, adaptive, and lightweight. Wireless sensor networks are a class of ad-hoc wireless networks that consist of power-constrained, multi-functional sensor nodes which have a small form factor. These tiny sensor nodes consist of sensing, data processing, and communicating components, and are capable of collaborating with each other in an uncertain environment. Wireless sensor networks are evolving from simple data transportation networks to functionally rich distributed systems that additionally support actuation.

A specific form of ad hoc network called "mesh" networks is gaining tremendous popularity. In a wireless mesh network, multiple nodes cooperate to relay a message to its destination. The mesh topology enhances the overall reliability of the network, which is particularly important when operating in harsh environments. This technology delivers self-configuring, scalable, and self-healing networks. Mesh networks dynamically route packets from node to node. Only one access point needs to be connected to the wired network, with the rest sharing a connection over the air. The resulting network is less expensive than a traditional WLAN (wireless LAN).

The talk concludes with a description of a cable replacement technology called WiMax. WiMax is a wireless technology that can provide up to 70M bit/sec of throughput over several miles in the unlicensed or licensed bands. The industry is looking towards the end of 2005 for the general availability of Wi-Max radios based on the first generation of WiMax silicon. WiMax has caught attention in the last one year since it is a possible rival to wired broadband services.

Manufacturers and service providers believe that WiMax is round the corner and has the potential to be widely deployed, and be popular in the near future the same way Wi-Fi has been popular in last few years.

Enhancing the value of Server Room NCPI
David Blumanis - Data Centre Advisor, Asia Pacific, American Power Conversion

Emerging Trends in Enterprise Wireless LAN deployment
Raghunandan Charan - Business Consultant, American Megatrends

Synopsis:
First Generation wireless Access Points deployed in public hotspots enabled islands of wifi zones for wireless internet access. The same Access Points have found their way into boardrooms and conference areas in Enterprises. As a Second Generation solution, multiples of these Access Points managed by a Wifi switch or AP controller is one of the answers for enterprise wide WLAN deployment. The Third Generation Mesh Architecture with distributed intelligence offers Enterprise wide pervasive wireless network providing all of the management and security that network managers have come to expect - Making Wireless like Wired.

Workforce Mobility, Pervasive and Embedded
Vijay K. Sukthankar - DGM, IBM Software Lab

Synopsis:
a brief introduction to Pervasive Compting and IBM's contributions to this field. The presentation also introduces the different areas to which Pervasive Computing contributes and provides a quick introduction to the various IBM Pervasive Middleware products.

Increasing Business Value through Wireless Solutions - Our Experience
Chidambara - Sr. Manager (Business Development), Convergent Communications

Synopsis:
There is a sudden interest in the market to explore & utilise fixed wireless networks both in Wireless (Wi-Fi ) domain and Wireless Wide Area Network [ WAN ] domain. Many new technologies like Wi-MAX, RFID, BlueTooth, are entering the market.

This presentation aims at sharing experiences including case studies, challenges faced in setting up Wi-Fi hotspots, Wireless MANs and the 'value addition' provided for the user organizations.

Extending Wireless Awareness into Corporate Network Infrastructure
Parag Arora - Business Development Manager, Cisco Systems, India & SAARC

Synopsis:
There is an emergence of Wireless technology framework to integrate and extend wired and wireless networks to deliver the lowest possible total cost of ownership for companies deploying wireless LANs (WLANs). The flexibility of this framework allows network managers to design the network to meet their specific needs. There are four components to the framework: access points; management and security servers; WLAN clients; and infrastructure devices. Core components and optional components can be deployed based on the size and requirements of the network. Cost effective solutions based on this integrated framework ensure that wireless LANs have the same level of security, scalability, reliability, ease of deployment, and management as wired LANs.