Mobile Computing - Research Paper Example

Mobile Computing Abstract The demanding needs of the modern world compel individuals to be connected with their peers for updated information. They might need this information at anytime, anywhere therefore fixed and wired communication ceases to fulfill their needs. A new form of technology has been developed to cater to the needs of the individuals who wish to stay connected even when they are mobile. Mobile computing enables people to communicate with anyone, anywhere at any time for example; accessing email on PDA or chatting via laptop in a vehicle. It has leaped communication to a new level that has become the focal point of attention of many researchers around the globe. Mobile Ad hoc networks (MANETs) have been developed to facilitate mobile communication for users. Although there are some challenges that are faced in mobile computing and security concerns that need to be addressed. 1. Introduction The modern world of today has witnessed many revolutionary inventions that have made life more convenient for mankind. Such remarkable inventions have also been produced in the field of communication that have made communication fast-paced for humans. The increasing need for communication came about when universities started acquiring more systems and machines. The increasing number of systems created the need for intercommunication that gave birth to Local Area Network (LAN). With the passage of time, the fixed setup of wired hosts did not seem sufficient therefore the need for wireless hosts came into existence. This idea further developed and refined into a greater wireless concept of cellular communication and Wifi. Another name for such wireless and mobile communication is ‘mobile computing’. Mobile computing is defined as the use of any computing device in a mobile (moving) environment that can communicate with other hosts. The devices that might be commonly used for this kind of computing are laptops, palmtops, and wearable computers etc. Mobile computing devices use different wireless technologies that provide it with the platform to communicate with the other hosts in different networks; these technologies include GPRS, Wifi etc. The latest form of technology that facilitates the mobility of devices is MANETs (Mobile ad hoc networks). Mobile computing has broken all the barriers of communication in terms of geographical location of the hosts. 1.1 Wireless and Mobile Technologies As the name suggests, wireless communication basically involves the transfer of data from one host to the other without the use of wires. It is a wide domain that tends to constitute many types of technologies and devices in it for example, cellular phones, PDAs, satellite televisions, WiFi etc. WLAN and Wifi There exists a difference between Wireless LAN and WiFi; Wireless LAN defines the communication between two communicating hosts for the transfer of data or messages and it might not offer internet connectivity, whereas Wifi is that kind of WLAN that offers internet connectivity to the end users. WiFi Alliance (2006) stated in one of their articles that WiFi is the most efficient technology to provide internet access to users even if they are mobile in the environment and nowadays, its connection providing points are commonly available in restaurants, hotels, café’s etc. Cellular Phones Cellular phone technology has become the most commonly used technology to keep in touch with any required user. Teixeira (2010, April 23) explained that these devices use the radio waves to enable the user to make calls to any user in the world. Some of the wireless protocols are: Wifi (for e.g.IEEE 802.11) and Bluetooth GSM and 3G WAP / iMode These technologies have further evolved into newer concepts of mobile computing and now even mobile ad hoc networking that requires no established infrastructure to pursue communication. The concept of mobile computing is gaining a strong position year after year and the following figure highlights the rate of integration of both of these technologies in the lifestyles of individuals: Figure 1: Comparison of wired and mobile communication (Wattenhofer, 2004) 2. Types of Mobile Computing Mobile computing has been classified into two categories; portable computing and mobility computing. Portable computing are mobile devices but if a host requires access to them then a connection with the network port has to be made. This implies that their communication with the other host is dependent on the availability of a network. The dependency on the network port can serve to be a serious constraint as it might not be available in some places. The other type of mobile computing is mobility computing which safeguards the true essence of mobility. The devices are mobile and reachable from anywhere thereby eliminating the need of a presence of a network port. This type of mobile computing is preferred by end-users therefore it has found its place in almost every field of life. 3. Applications of Mobile Computing The concept of mobile computing has grown so much that many applications are present for a diverse range of fields. The acceptance and integration rate of mobile computing has been nothing less than remarkable over the past years. The following figure shows the different technological developments in mobile devices over the past decades: Figure 2: Technological development in mobile devices in the past decades (First Consulting Group, 2001) It can be seen from the above figure that devices have been improved with respect to their computational powers, disk capacities, energy consumption rates etc. Some of the most common applications have been discussed below: Sensors: Sensors can serve as the computing devices to extract useful information from its environment. They can be used to monitor some specific area for security or intelligence purpose. Emergency Incidents and Natural Disasters: These devices can be useful in the times of a natural disaster where the whole infrastructure might be damaged. In the absence of the fixed and wired network, these mobile devices can help in communication with the rescue services for aid and other purposes. Warfare: Wearable computers can be used by soldiers in the midst of warfare to know their locations and their enemy’s whereabouts. Such mobile devices can be helpful in sending updates to the soldiers about the progress of the war. 4. Mobile Computing Overview It is very necessary to understand the aspects that build up the mobile computing concept. Mobile computing is not a single technology; it is an amalgamation of different technologies that interact with each other to provide access to data from any desired location. MANETs MANETs (mobile ad hoc networks) facilitate the connection of moving nodes with any node (whether fixed or mobile) to ensure that users can communicate at any given time. The mechanism with which MANETs work is described below: Schiller (2003) explained the process of mobile communication and stated that it is the responsibility of the mobile node to inform its home network about the current location so that communication can commence with respect to the node’s current location. Figure 3: Working of Mobile Computing The above figure highlights the instance when a node goes from its original network (home network) to a new network (foreign network). The entities that are shown in the figure have been explained below: MN: Mobile Node (MN) is the node that is currently moving in the environment and thus getting out of the range of its own home network. FA: Foreign Agent (FA) is the node that shall manage the assignment of the new IP to the mobile node so that it can continue its communication with other nodes. FA assigns the first IP address that is found available in the network. CN: Correspondent Node (CN) is the node with which MN wants to communicate. It can either be a mobile node or a fixed one. HA: Home Agent (HA) is the node that is present in the home network and manages the frequently changing location (IP address) of the MN since all the communication will be done with MN with respect to its home network. Home Address COA Association Lifetime Table 1: Information maintained at HA The information in the above table is maintained at HA that binds the original home address of the MN with the current location (in some other network). Care of Address (COA) is the current location of the mobile node. Schiller (2003) further stated that other nodes might not be aware of the current location of MN and might not even be aware of the mobility of the node therefore all the data (that is meant for MN) is sent to the home network of MN. HA searches the information in Table 1 and finds out that MN is mobile and does not currently exist in the network. The current location of MN is looked up i.e. COA and data is sent to it. Association lifetime is considered as the time period in which the respective COA will be valid. Cellular phones that are also mobile devices tend to operate according to a different mechanism. 5. Challenges of Mobile Computing Bandwidth Constraints The ability of the radio band in wireless networks is not as good as the fixed networks. It is due to this reason that data transfer rates are lower. It is always advised to monitor the usage of the bandwidth so that this limitation can be overcome. Mobility of the devices The mobile devices are not stagnant and therefore move around in their environment causing frequent changes in the topology of the network. According to Ghosh (2005), the network address of the mobile node needs to be identified frequently to enable communication with the other nodes. The identification process of the current location of the node can be a difficult task since the physical location of the node is not the network address. Finite Energy Source Satyanarayanan (1995) described one of the challenges and stated that the mobile devices are equipped with a limited power supply since they are mobile and not wired to an almost infinite power supply. The software and technology that is used for mobile computing needs to consider the energy power constraints that are present in them. Security Concerns Information Security Office (2010) stated that the advent of mobile devices in our lives has introduced much convenience in our lives but our information and data has also become vulnerable to malicious activities and attacks. Examples of such malicious activities are viruses, bots, malware etc to extract personal details and information from a device or crippling the device for no further usage of the device. Higher Loss Rate Just like in wireless communication, there exists a greater degree of loss rates in mobile computing as compared to wired communication. This might be witnessed due to environmental conditions. The quality of service (QoS) cannot be predicted in wireless communication and thus mobile computing. 5.1 Preventive Measures to Ensure Security The systems that are wired as a part of a network have the advantage of being protected for intrusion activities with the aid of the software that are installed on the network as well as the physical security that is provided in the vicinity of the office. However, mobile devices are not under the cover of any such protected environment. Therefore administrators need to install software at the device level to ensure that the data in the mobile devices is protected and not vulnerable to any threats. Some of the other techniques for a safer mobile computing experience are stated below: Protect the device by means of a password Software should be used to destroy the information in the mobile computing device if it is stolen. Some devices may not be connected to other hosts all the time therefore it is good practice to switch off the connectivity options when it is not needed to avoid any attacks. 6. Future of Mobile Computing The future of mobile computing seems very promising since many new technologies and applications are coming in the market that will bring about more convenience and ease for the end-user. Working from home has already become common around the world but even now there is only a fraction number of employees that are permitted to do so. With further advancement in mobile computing, it is predicted that more people will be able to work from home and get the same workplace facilities at their own residence. First consulting group stated some predictions in their report for the California Health Foundation and remarked that mobile computing has even earned a good name in the field of medicine and predictions are that there shall be further improvements in the future. Treatments shall be adjusted with respect to the condition of the patient for example; insulin dosage will be increased or decreased according to the need of the patient without any human intervention. Mobile computing devices may be implanted in the body of humans thereby detecting any diseases. This would give the opportunity to treat the diseases in their infancy. Conte (2008) explained some of the enhancements that are expected in the future related to mobile computing: Locale: will set the settings of the phone with respect to the current location of the user for example; if the user is present in the office then his phone will only vibrate instead of ringing on calls or messages. Geolife: The smart device will ping the user with the appropriate information with respect to the place of the user, for e.g.; the user will be alerted to buy necessary things at the grocery store. 7. Conclusion Mobile computing is considered to be the most efficient mode of communication and connection with peers since it allows the user to be mobile. The fast-paced modern life requires individual to be on the move as well as stay connected to be able to receive updated information regarding their respective areas of interest. This is a relatively new area in the field of networking therefore further developments are frequently witnessed and the challenges that are faced in the adaption of mobile computing are tried to be overcome. Mobile devices like PDA, cell phones etc keep improving in the area of capacity, computation power, and reliability etc that increases their performance in mobile communication. There are some severe security concerns related to mobile computing that should be given due attention when mobile communication is adapted. References Conte, A., (2008), The future of computing, POPSCI, Retrieved from: http://www.popsci.com/annemarie-conte-and-esther-haynes/article/2008-09/future- mobile-computing?page=1 First Consulting Group, (2001), Wireless and Mobile Computing, California Healthcare Foundation. Ghosh, R., K., (2005), Mobile Computing Challenges [PDF Document], Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur Information Security Office, (2010), Guidelines for Securing Mobile Computing Devices, Retrieved from: http://www.stanford.edu/group/security/securecomputing/mobile_devices.html Schiller, J., (2003), Mobile Communication (2nd Edition), Pearson Education Limited, Great Britain. Satyanarayanan, M., (1995), Fundamental Challenges in Mobile Computing, Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Retrieved from: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~coda/docdir/podc95.pdf, Teixeira, T., (2010, April 23), Meet Marty Cooper - the inventor of the mobile phone, BBC News, Retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/8639590.stm Wattenhofer, R., (2004), Mobile Computing, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich [PDF Document], Retrieved from: http://dcg.ethz.ch/lectures/ss04/mobicomp/lecture/1/Chapter1Introduction4Slides.pdf WiFi Alliance, (2006), An Overview of the Wi-Fi Alliance Approach to Certification, Retrieved from: http://www.wi-fi.org/wp/wifi-alliance-certification/ Read More