Mobile Computing: Introduction

Dr. Siba K. Udgata

Department of Computer & Information Sciences
University of Hyderabad
 Goal of Wireless and Mobile Computing

“People and their machines should be able to access

information and communicate with each other easily and
securely, in any medium or combination of media – voice,
data, image, video, or multimedia – any time, anywhere, in
a timely, cost-effective way.”

Dr. G. H. Heilmeier, Oct 1992

 Technology Trends

 Development and deployment of wireless technology and

infrastructure
– in-room, in-building, on-campus, in-the-field, MAN, WAN

 Miniaturization of computing machinery

. . . -> PCs -> laptop -> PDAs -> embedded
computers/sensors
 At Home WiFi

satellit WiFi 802.11g

e

WiFi
UWB

bluetooth
WiFi

cellular
 At Home

Source: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/science/wireless_interactives.htm
 On the Move

Source: http://www.ece.uah.edu/~jovanov/whrms/
 On the Road

UMTS, WLAN, oc
DAB, GSM, h
ad
cdma2000, TETRA, ...

road condition,
weather,
location-based services,
emergency
 Collision Avoidance at Intersections

 Two million
accidents at
intersections per
year in US

Source: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tfhrc/safety/pubs/its/ruralitsandrd/tb-intercollision.pdf
 Disaster Recovery

 9/11, Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina,

South Asian earthquake …
 Wireless communication and
mobile computing capability
can make a difference
between life and death !
– rapid deployment
– efficient resource and energy usage http://www.att.com/ndr/
– flexible: unicast, broadcast, multicast, anycast
– resilient: survive in unfavorable and untrusted environments
 Habitat Monitoring: Example on Great Duck Island

Patch
A 15-minute human visit leads to 20%
offspring mortality
Network

Gateway

Transit Network

Basestation
 Wireless and Mobile Computing

 Driven by technology and vision

– wireless communication technology
– global infrastructure
– device miniaturization

 The field is moving fast

 Course Outline
 Wireless Networks
– Cellular networks
– Wireless LANs
– Ad hoc networks
– Satellite systems, …
 Mobile Applications
– Client-Server adaptations
– Disconnected operations
– Mobile agents
– Data broadcasting
– Wireless application protocol
 Other Issues
– Security
– Energy efficiency
– Impact of mobility on algorithms
 Wireless Networks

 Need: Access computing and communication services, on the move

 Infrastructure-based Networks
– traditional cellular systems (base station infrastructure)

 Wireless LANs
– Infrared (IrDA) or radio links (Wavelan)
– very flexible within the reception area; ad-hoc networks possible
– low bandwidth compared to wired networks (1-10 Mbit/s)

 Ad hoc Networks
– useful when infrastructure not available, impractical, or expensive
– military applications, rescue, home networking
 Limitations of Mobile Environments

 Limitations of the Wireless Network

 heterogeneity of fragmented networks
 frequent disconnections
 limited communication bandwidth

 Limitations Imposed by Mobility

 lack of mobility awareness by system/applications
 route breakages

 Limitations of the Mobile Computer

 short battery lifetime
 limited capacities
 Effect of Mobility on Protocol Stack

 Application
– new applications and adaptations
 Transport
– congestion and flow control
 Network
– addressing and routing
 Link
– media access and handoff
 Physical
– transmission errors and interference
 Mobile Applications

 Vehicles
– transmission of news, road condition etc
– ad-hoc network with near vehicles to prevent accidents
 Emergencies
– early transmission of patient data to the hospital
– ad-hoc network in case of earthquakes, cyclones
– military ...
 Traveling salesmen
– direct access to central customer files
– consistent databases for all agents
– mobile office
 Mobile Applications

 Web access
– outdoor Internet access
– intelligent travel guide with up-to-date
location dependent information
 Location aware services
– find services in the local environment, e.g. printer
 Information services
– push: e.g., stock quotes
– pull: e.g., nearest cash ATM
 Disconnected operations
– mobile agents, e.g., shopping
 Entertainment
– ad-hoc networks for multi user games
 Application Adaptations for Mobility

 System-transparent, application-transparent
 the conventional, “unaware” client/server model
 System-aware, application-transparent
 the client/proxy/server model
 the disconnected operation model
 System-transparent, application-aware
 dynamic client/server model
 data broadcasting/caching
 System-aware, application-aware
 the mobile agent model
 World Wide Web and Mobility
 HTTP/ HTML have not been designed for mobile applications/devices
 HTTP Characteristics
– stateless, connection oriented overheads
– big protocol headers, uncompressed content transfer
 HTML Characteristics
– designed for computers with “high” performance, color high-resolution
display, mouse, hard disk
– typically, web pages optimized for design, not for communication; ignore
end-system characteristics
 Adaptations for Mobile WWW
– Enhanced browsers and/or servers
– Client proxy: pre-fetching, caching, off-line use
– Network proxy: adaptive content transformation for connections
– Client and network proxy
– New protocols/languages: WAP/WML
 Wireless Transmission Basics
 Cellular Networks
 Wireless MAC Protocols
 Wireless LANs
 Mobile Network Layer
 Mobile Transport Layer
 Advanced Topics in Wireless Network
 What is different in wireless network?
– Bandwidth
– Error rate
– Media
– Signal strength (fading)
– MAC
– Mobility
– Security
 Wireless networks

 Two types
– Voice network
• Cellular systems (GSM, CDMA etc.)
– Data network
• WiFi, HiperLAN
 Networks are moving towards an integrated network
– GPRS
– Voice over WiFi
 Physical Layer (PHY)

 Binary (digital) data transmitted over airwave

 Requires antenna
 characterized by transmission range, power, modulation
scheme, frquency range
 MAC Layer

 How wireless stations share the air medium and avoid

contention to transmit data successfully
 “listen before you speak” or “speak at predetermined
interval”
 Unique problems
– Hidden node
– Exposed node
 Network Layer

 Responsible for facilitating multihop communication

 Need to run some routing protocol
 Traditional routing protocols may not work efficiently
Source: Matt Welsh, Harvard University
WiFi Network

Basic Service Set

Access Point

Wireline network

g
Access Point
 Bluetooth
 Short range (10m),moderate data rate (720kbps) for creating an adhoc network between
personal devices
 One master and upto
7 slaves in a piconet
 Master controls the transmission
schedules of all the devices
– TDMA scheduling
 Frequency hopping used to
avoid interference with other
piconets
– 79 channels in the 2.4GHz ISM
band, with 1 MHz spacing
– Frequency hopping at 1600 hops/s PICONET
 Wireless and Mobile Computing

 Driven by technology and vision

– wireless communication technology
– global infrastructure
– device miniaturization

 The field is moving fast

Why is the Field Challenging?
 Signal Propagation Ranges:
High Level

 Transmission range
– communication possible
– low error rate
 Detection range
– detection of the signal
sender
possible
– no communication
transmission
possible
distance
 Interference range detection

– signal may not be interference

detected
– signal adds to the
background noise
 Challenge 1: Unreliable and Unpredictable Wireless Links

 Wireless links are not reliable: they may vary over time
and space
Standard Deviation v.
Reception v. Distance Asymmetry vs. Power Reception rate

*Cerpa, Busek et. al What Robert Poor (Ember)

calls “The good, the bad
and the ugly”
 Challenge 2: Open Wireless Medium

 Wireless interference
S1 R1
S2 R2
 Challenge 2: Open Wireless Medium

 Wireless interference
S1 R1
S2 R2
 Hidden terminals

S1 R1 S2
 Challenge 2: Open Wireless Medium

 Wireless interference
S1 R1
S2 R2
 Hidden terminals

S1 R1 S2
 Exposed terminal

R1 S1 S2 R2
 Challenge 2: Open Wireless Medium

 Wireless interference
S1 R1

S2 R2
 Hidden terminals and

S1 R1 R2
 Exposed terminal

R1 S1 S2 R2
 Wireless security
– eavesdropping, denial of service, …
 Challenge 3: Mobility

 Mobility causes poor-quality wireless links

 Mobility causes intermittent connection

– under intermittent connected networks, traditional routing, TCP,
applications all break

 Mobility changes context, e.g., location

 Challenge 4: Limited Resources

 Limited bandwidth
 Limited battery power
 Limited processing, display and storage

PDA
• data Laptop
Sensors, • simpler graphical displays • fully functional
embedded • 802.11 • standard applications
controllers • battery; 802.11

Mobile phones
• voice, data
• simple graphical displays
• GSM

Performance/Weight/Power Consumption
Challenge 5: Changing Regulation and Multiple Communication
Standards

cellular phones satellites cordless wireless

phones LAN
1980
1981: :
NMT 450 1982:
1983: CT0
Inmarsat-
AMPS 1984
A
:
1986:
CT1
1987
NMT 900
1988: :
Inmarsat- CT1+
1989:
C CT 2
1991: 1991: 1991:
1992: CDMA D-AMPS 1992: DECT 199x:
GSM 1993: Inmarsat-B proprietary
PDC Inmarsat-M
1994: 1997:
DCS 1800 IEEE 802.11
1998:
Iridium 1999:
802.11b, Bluetooth
2000: 2000:
analogue GPRS 2001: IEEE 802.11a
IMT-2000
digital
200?:
Fourth
Generation
(Internet
based)
Cellular Networks
 The Layered Reference Model

Application Application

Transport Transport

Network Network Network Network

Data Link Data Link Data Link Data Link

Physical Physical Physical Physical

Radio Medium

Often we need to implement a function across multiple layers.

 Overview of Wireless Transmissions

sender
bit analog
stream signal
source coding channel coding modulation

receiver
bit
stream
source decoding channel decoding demodulation
 Signal

 Signal are generated as physical representations of data t

 A signal is a function of time and location

1
ideal
digital signal
0
t

a special type of signal, sine

waves, also called harmonics: 1
s(t) = At sin(2  ft t + t)

with frequency f, period 0

T=1/f, t
amplitude A, phase shift 
Why Not Send Digital Signal in Wireless Communications?

 Digital signals need

– a wide range of frequencies

– however, the frequencies that wireless communications can use is

highly regulated to avoid interference
Fourier Transform: Every Signal Can be Decomposed as a Collection of Harmonics

 
1
g (t )  c   an sin( 2nft )   bn cos( 2nft )
2 n 1 n 1

1 1

0 0
t t
ideal periodical
decomposition
digital signal

The more harmonics used, the smaller the approximation error.

 Frequencies for Communication

twisted coax cable optical transmission

pair

1 Mm 10 km 100 m 1m 10 mm 100 m 1 m
300 Hz 30 kHz 3 MHz 300 MHz 30 GHz 3 THz 300 THz

VLF LF MF HF VHF UHF SHF EHF infrared visible light UV

VLF = Very Low Frequency UHF = Ultra High Frequency

LF = Low Frequency SHF = Super High Frequency
MF = Medium Frequency EHF = Extra High Frequency
HF = High Frequency UV = Ultraviolet Light
VHF = Very High Frequency

Frequency and wave length:

= c/f
wave length , speed of light c  3x108m/s, frequency f
 Frequencies and Regulations

 ITU-R holds auctions for new frequencies, manages frequency bands worldwide
(WRC, World Radio Conferences)
Europe USA Japan

Cellular GSM 450 - 457, 479 - AMPS , TDMA , CDMA PDC

Phones 486/460 - 467,489 - 824 - 849, 810 - 826,
496, 890 - 915/935 - 869 - 894 940 - 956,
960, TDMA , CDMA , GSM 1429 - 1465,
1710 - 1785/1805 - 1850 - 1910, 1477 - 1513
1880 1930 - 1990
UMTS (FDD) 1920 -
1980, 2110 - 2190
UMTS (TDD) 1900 -
1920, 2020 - 2025
Cordless CT1+ 885 - 887, 930 - PACS 1850 - 1910, 1930 - PHS
Phones 932 1990 1895 - 1918
CT2 PACS - UB 1910 - 1930 JCT
864 - 868 254 - 380
DECT
1880 - 1900
Wireless IEEE 802.11 902 - 928 IEEE 802.11
LANs 2400 - 2483 I EEE 802.11 2471 - 2497
HIPERLAN 2 2400 - 2483 5150 - 5250
5150 - 5350, 5470 - 5150 - 5350, 5725 - 5825
5725
Others RF - Control RF - Control RF - Control
27, 128, 418, 433, 315, 915 426, 868
868
 Spectrum and Bandwidth: Shannon Channel Capacity

 The maximum number of bits that can be transmitted per

second by a physical channel is:

W log 2 (1  ) S
N
where W is the frequency range of the channel, and S/N is the
signal noise ratio, assuming Gaussian noise
 Modulation

 Objective
– translate digital data into analog signals (with limited usage of spectrum)

 Basic schemes
– Amplitude Modulation (AM)
– Frequency Modulation (FM)
– Phase Modulation (PM)
 Digital Modulation

 Modulation of digital signals known as Shift Keying

1 0 1
 Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK):

1 0 1
 Frequency Shift Keying (FSK):
t

1 0 1

 Phase Shift Keying (PSK): t

Questions: compare bandwidth requirements and resistance to interference

 Phase Shift Keying: BPSK

 BPSK (Binary Phase Shift Keying): Q

– bit value 0: sine wave
– bit value 1: inverted sine wave
I
– very simple PSK 1 0
 Properties
– low spectral efficiency
– robust, used e.g. in satellite systems

fc : freq. of carrier
Rb =Bb = 1/Tb

fc

Spectral density of BPSK

 Phase Shift Keying: QPSK

10 Q 11
 QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying):
– 2 bits coded as one symbol
I
– symbol determines shift of sine wave
– Often also transmission of relative, not absolute 00 01
phase shift: DQPSK - Differential QPSK
A

 Properties
t
– needs less bandwidth compared to BPSK
11 10 00 0
1
 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM): combines amplitude and
phase modulation
 it is possible to code n bits using one symbol
– 2n discrete levels
 bit error rate increases with n

Q
0010
0001
• Example: 16-QAM (4 bits = 1
symbol)
0011
0000 • Symbols 0011 and 0001 have
the same phase φ, but different
φ

a I

1000
amplitude a. 0000 and 1000
have same amplitude but
different phase
 Antennas: Isotropic Radiator

 Isotropic radiator: a single point

– equal radiation in all directions (three dimensional)
– only a theoretical reference antenna
 Radiation pattern: measurement of radiation around an antenna

z
y z

y x ideal
x isotropic
radiator

Question: how does power level decrease as a function of d, the distance

from the sender?