Bluetooth and Ultra-wide Band Technologies - Report Example

Bluetooth and Ultra wide Band Technologies Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Name Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Course Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Lecture Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date Abstract Bluetooth and ultra wideband are generally termed as protocol standards which are mainly applied in short distance wireless communications and are mainly related with a lower level power usage. When viewed from an application point of view Bluetooth is anticipated for a mobile keyboard, mouse, and hand free headset whereas the UWB is an elevated level bandwidth multimedia connections. This report aims at exploring the past, present and future uses or applications of Bluetooth and ultra wide band, the basics of both Bluetooth and ultra wide band and how Bluetooth and ultra wide band have developed over the years. Data for this report was generally generated from primary sources the data was later supplemented with secondary sources such as books, journals and also by the use of interviews. The population sample that was used in the study comprised of students, lecturers and the general population. Both descriptive and inferential data analysis techniques were adopted in analyzing the data for the study for one to get meaningful and helpful information to enable one to make an informed conclusion. Thus it is evident that Bluetooth and ultra wide band have a wide range of applications and they have been in existence for a long duration of time. Index words: Bluetooth, ultra wideband and protocol. The Research objectives Like other kinds of researches which have been carried out this research has the specific set of objectives that ought to be obtained at the end of the research. The objectives of this research is to answer the following questions 1. Determine the past, present and future uses of Bluetooth. 2. Determine how Bluetooth and ultra wide has developed through out the years. 3. The basics of both Bluetooth and ultra wide. Contents Abstract 2 The Research objectives 2 Contents 3 Research methodology 6 Guidelines to be followed 6 Population and sample 7 Instruments 8 Method of data analysis 8 Ethical Issues in Research 9 Problems encountered when conducting the research 11 Results 11 Discussion 12 Uses of Bluetooth 12 Uses of UWB 14 How Bluetooth has developed 15 Ultra-wideband technology basics 16 Bluetooth basics 17 How Bluetooth technology works 17 BWT network topologies 17 Bluetooth security 18 Establishing Bluetooth connections 19 Ultra wide band basics 19 Conclusion 20 Bibliography 21 Introduction This research paper will present the findings of study on the uses of Bluetooth and ultra wide, how Bluetooth and ultra wide have developed over time and the basics of both Bluetooth and ultra wide band technology. It has been noted that over the past few years there have been a competitive contest among excessively reliant on technological advancement, this contest has amassed a high rate on the development of modern day electronic devices that makes it possible to send and share data in a more secure and rapid manner. Nevertheless, the task of linking the diverse technologies has been a tough one since a great number of the devices were initially developed with different kinds of operating systems, connectors and protocols which are factor factors to be considered when any new development is been done. Consequently, it has proved to be difficult to develop the technologies which will enable the devices to connect easily. Two technologies which have been developed to facilitate the connection of these devices are ultra wide band and Bluetooth technology. These two devices allow the devices which have been developed with different protocols, operating systems and connectors to connect wirelessly over a short distance. Thus this report will therefore place much emphasis on the past, present and future uses both Bluetooth and UWB technology, how Bluetooth and ultra wide band have developed over the years and the basics of both Bluetooth and ultra wide band technology. There is no inquiry that aspects related to both Bluetooth and ultra wide band are major areas of concern and research related to this two technologies have been carried out. The basic definition of Bluetooth is that it is a wireless technology which is mainly composed of components such as interoperability requirements, hardware and software which assist various components which are Bluetooth enabled to communicate and share data or information. Bluetooth technology has been applied greatly by most industries and organizations such as telecommunication industry, automotive industry, the health sector and most toy industries. The technology is also used for home entertainment and by most computer industries. UWB technology is a shortened version of the word Ultra Wide Band technology. This technology is widely based on radio waves which aids the communication in short distances but at high rates. Ultra wide technology mainly comprises of high bandwidth and is mostly applied in personal area network which have ultra wide technology. None of the operations of ultra band technology is wired that is all its operations are wireless. Most of the processes of Ultra wide band technology are mostly intended for multi media processes. The most common application of the ultra wide band technology is in the radar systems. Ultra wideband is essentially termed as a technology that is used to transmit information spread over a large bandwidth that should, in theory and under the right circumstances, be able to share spectrum with other users. Research methodology This section of the report will essentially describe the research design and the method of data collection to be applied in the research. This section gives a clear and concise reason for undertaking the research and also why certain methods of data collection were applied and adopted in the research. The research design applied is descriptive research design. The time frame for this research is six months so as to ensure a wide coverage of the research topic. Only past scientific data and information will be used since they are objective, precise and have a high accuracy level. The information carefully reviewed so as to come up with a concise conclusion on the uses of both Bluetooth and ultra wide band technology, how they have developed over the years and the basics of both Bluetooth and ultra wide band (Dhir 2001). Guidelines to be followed There are certain guidelines that ought to be followed when undertaking the research this will ensure that the research achieves a successful completion within the required time and if delays do occur they will be very minimal. The following guidelines will be adhered to throughout the research: 1. The research objectives will be realised through the use of literature report review, and interviews which will be administered to the participating entities. 2. Literature report reviewing entails the use of online reports that are reflective of the past, present and future uses of Bluetooth and ultra wide, the basics of both Bluetooth and ultra wide and how blue tooth and ultra wide have developed over time. 3. Personal interviewing is another technique that will be implied in the collection of research data on the subject. About 10 % of the individuals were interviewed in each group. Face to face interviews will be conducted to obtain the required information for the research. 4. Data will be collected in charts, which will be made based on the uses, basics and development and also based on the group that was interviewed. 5. Questions will only be limited to the identified scope of the proposed research. 6. Per set questions and innovative questions will be formed to interview. Population and sample The population for the study consisted of 1,000 undergraduate, 200 lectures and around 500 individuals from the general population. The participants were selected from the three groups who were different in regard to education levels so as to obtain data in regard to the main objectives of the research. The list on undergraduates students were collected and roughly 700 undergraduates, 150 lectures were also selected while 400 individual from the general public were selected or sampled to participate in the research. This was due to the fact that a small number of individuals from each group refused to participate in the research. The ones who participated supplied data on: (a) the past present and future uses of Bluetooth and ultra wide (b) how Bluetooth and ultra wide have developed throughout the years (c) the basics of Bluetooth and ultra wide. The participants in the research were selected using a simple random sampling technique so as to make the research more accurate and effective. In addition to direct face to face interviews, there was the use and by the use of books, journals and reports to supplement the information obtained. Time was allocated to those to be interviewed depending on the availability of the individual. The number of people to be interviewed was expected to amount to: Undergraduate students= 1, 000 Lecturers= 200 General public= 500 Total=1, 700 A breakdown of the retrieved interviews is as follows: Undergraduate students= 700 Lecturers= 150 General public= 400 Total= 1,250 It is noted that the number of respondents decreased since some did not show up. Instruments The study was a research during which data were obtained from relevant subjects to determine the past, present and future uses of Bluetooth and ultra wide, how Bluetooth and ultra wide has developed over the years and the basics of both Bluetooth and ultra wide. These methods of data collection were adopted: the use of interviews so as to obtain the required objectives of conducting the research. There was also the use of documentaries, scientific books on Bluetooth and ultra wide band technology, reports and journals to supplement the information obtained. Method of data analysis This research analyses data from a grounded presumption approach. In particular interviews were analyzed at different textual levels. This in turn allows relationship to be clearly identified, and in turn this aids both the analysis and conclusions to be drawn from the research. Interviews were also used in the analysis of data. The data which was collected from the interviews were analyzed in such a way that it facilitated simpler presentation of the data obtained. Interviews were used as a data analysis method because of the many advantages associated with the method such as: by the use of interviews researchers are able to obtain detailed information about the respondent’s feelings, opinions and perception. Interviews enables the researcher to ask more detailed queries to be asked, when interviews are used there is a higher rate of response as contrasted with the other methods of data collection. Also by the use of interviews ambiguities may be illuminated and in areas where there is an incomplete answer the respondents can be followed up to explain what they meant. Hence all the reasons made interviews to be selected as the data collection method. Diverse methods of data analysis were used so as to solve the problems associated with the use of only one method thus aspects which were not identified by the use of one method were obtained when other method was used. Hence there was accuracy of information which was finally achieved. The secondary source of information will also be used to obtain the necessary information this source of information is important since it gives information about what other scholar and authors have done in regard to the area of the study and what have been recorded in the primary sources of information. Through it use more precise and correct data is obtained as compared to the use of other methods. Ethical Issues in Research Ethical issues are over time becoming a dominant topic of interest within scientific research. Presently most researchers are going through a time of thoughtful alterations in the consideration of ethics; thus there has been a mounting accord on the main ethical principles that should lie behind most research activities. These guidelines drive the research project, and act as a reference point for any ethical issues. A universalism stance is taken, in which, the researcher promotes that ethical precepts should not be broken. Furthermore, it is recognized that due to the high levels of human participation within the research, it is important that values of honesty and integrity are followed. Anonymity is respected where needed, and this is something, which is important to offer the participant largely due to the fact that more open and detailed responses will be gained if the respondent feels comfortable. However, despite every attempt being made to ensure that ethics take priority, it is recognized that ethics is a highly complex area, and therefore discrepancies may arise without meaning. For example: it may be difficult to ensure that participants have all the information they need in order to decide whether to participate prior to the interview. The following ethical issues are to be followed: 1) Responsibility: The researcher will seek to establish relationships of trust with all members they work with (colleagues, supervisors and interviewees). Furthermore, the researcher is aware of their responsibilities to society. Finally, the researcher will seek to be concerned about the ethics of their colleague’s academic work. 2) Integrity & honesty The researcher will seek to promote ‘accuracy, honesty and truthfulness’. The researcher shall not cheat, or engage in fraud. Finally, the researcher will treat all those involved in this research paper with respect and dignity. 3) Respect for peoples rights and dignity. The researcher will respect the privacy and worth of all those involved in this paper. Also the confidentiality of the participating entities will be ensured at all times. Furthermore, the researcher is aware of cultural differences, religion and race and how these differences may affect the research. Finally, the researcher will seek to limit all bias, and no prejudices will be made against the respondents. 4) Professional integrity The researcher will encourage meaningful exchange. A climate will be created in which criticism is accepted. Furthermore, all participation will be voluntary and all operations will depend on the co-operation and involvement of the interviewees. Finally, all interaction will be conducted in a manner, which recognises dignity and merit. Problems encountered when conducting the research Like any other research this research faced numerous problems before it was successfully completed. A number of factors posed serious constraint to the successful completion of this research. The first major problem was that the person who was in charge of the money to be used in the research took a long time to disband the money thus there was a delay in all the activities of the research since money was needed in every step the delay of the mainly contributed to the research not been completed on the specified time. The most but not the least is uncooperative attitude of some respondents especially the students most of whom were uncooperative the students behaved in an orderly manner and even in some instances some refused to be interviewed though they had initially agreed to participate. Another problem was associated with language barrier this was experienced mostly with the general population since most of them were illiterate and mostly conversed in their native languages and most of them did not understand what was been required of them thus it proved difficult since a translator to explain what was been asked. The last problem was that it proved to be difficult to trace some of the individual who were participating in the research since most of them did not have phone thus proving the task to be tiresome since they were to be located using postal addresses this also ultimately led to the delay of the research since all the interviews had to be considered in making the final decision, thus problem made the research to delay for another two months though eventually the results were obtained. Results The following section presents the results of the data collected during the administration of the interviews and data collected from the secondary sources to the three different levels of individual who participated in the research. The results have been analyzed with accordance with the findings from the literature review and the set research objectives. The primary objective if the research was to review the past, present and future uses of both blue tooth and ultra wide, how Bluetooth and ultra wide has developed over time and the basics of both Bluetooth and ultra wide. With regards to the participating group that is student, lecture or the general population. Among those who were interviewed and according to various books, reports and journals there was a great similarity and most of tem provided similar uses of both Bluetooth and ultra wide. The study was unique in that it chose to focus on a wide representation of individuals this in turn lead to a greater level of accuracy since it was easier to compare the various uses and come up with the most common ones. The student comprised of the highest population in the research. This was not intentional due to the random nature of the sampling; however, the results are interesting due to the fact that is commonly viewed as a group with adequate knowledge in the telecommunication protocols that is blue tooth and ultra wide since in most instance they used Bluetooth technology and they had done research related to the two technologies. Discussion This section will mainly focus on the interpretation of the results that were generated using the data collection methods that is interviews. Uses of Bluetooth Based on interviews that were conducted there seemed to be some common application of Bluetooth that were pointed out by the lectures, students and the general population and also the books, journals and articles which were reviewed. According to the participants there exists a wide range of applications of Bluetooth in the common day communication world. One of the major applications is in the retail and mobile e-commerce. The Bluetooth technology is has been widely included in more personal mobile devices, the technology also facilitates new applications for the mobile devices an example of such applications is the payment for goods and services used through the use of mobile devices (Bluetooth resource centre 2011). Another application that was mentioned by the participants was the use of Bluetooth in the medical field. With time the medicine practice is becoming more and more complicated and complex, thus it necessitates the use of new technologies in the area. Certain applications are therefore in use in the medicine domains and they incorporate the use of Bluetooth wireless technology such domains include: the remote patient examination, wireless biometric data and medicine dispensers. Another application that was mostly identified by the general population was the use of Bluetooth in the travelling industry. According to them there has been advancement in the travelling industry in that there is a wide range use of electronic tickets. The general population also identified in-home networks as also been a major application and that it play a major role in enhancing their handiness, security and safety in their homes and other personal devices which are within their home environments. Another application that was mainly identified by the students was that Bluetooth used in the communicating between two mobile devices even without using a wire in that they are usually able to share songs and data by the use of Bluetooth technology. Another application that identified was Bluetooth can be used to send data and information from mobile phone devices to a Bluetooth companionable car stereo system. Bluetooth is also used in personal security application on mobile phones for prevention of theft or loss of items. The item to be protected has an inbuilt Bluetooth marker that has a constant and consistent communication the mobile phone in instances for connection break down the alarm is raised to alert the owner. Lastly the technology was also identified to be applied in the bridging of connections of two industrial Ethernets. Uses of UWB According to those who were interviewed there are numbers of applications of the ultra wide band technology according to them most of the applications of ultra wide band technology mainly relies upon multimedia or the cordless media. Among the most common application that was identified is the use of ultra wide band technology in indoor appliance and also in the devices that functions within short distances. The short distance between the communicating devices augments the speed at which the data is transferred from one device to another. Some of the common or the important applications of the ultra wide band technology that were identified were that it ultra wide band can be applied in a large number of wireless technologies for example in monitors, and printers which are connected to dissimilar device types which are later connected to the computer through the use of wireless media. Another application that was identified was that with the help of application of the ultra wide band technology users can be able to develop the photographs without connecting to the computer. Another application that was identified is the RADAR and it was named as been one the oldest applications of ultra wide band. Generally this ultra wide band technology is used radar systems and are mostly used in the detection of people the location in the that are used to detect the presence of the people under the ground or behind the walls thus it is useful for the rescue teams. Ultra wide band is also applied in repairing of industries in that it detects steel and wiring materials in the walls. The last application that was identified by the participants was that Ultra wide can also be used in engineering to gauge the precise distances connecting the points and in locating the definite locations of the working. Based on this ultra wide band is efficient for both indoor and outdoor activities thus having a wide range of applications. How Bluetooth has developed The Bluetooth communication protocol was developed by the “Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) which was comprised of large number of organisations with the major players been Agere, IBM, Motorola, Toshiba, Ericsson, Intel, Microsoft, and Nokia back in the year 1998 (Bluetooth SIG 1998). Initially it was premeditated to replace the cable which were been used and were mainly associated with a low level of low bitrates of data transfer for example the voice and small data communications. The technology is more often than not advertised as a mobile improvised technology, and the technology is therefore available in a wide range of modern day PDAs, notebook computers and mobile handsets. There are other exists various substitutes to Bluetooth technology, such as 802.11 and zigbee, which are both termed as IEEE principles and they operate in the same 2.4GHz band. The two technologies are applied in transmitting data as low as 250 kbps and as high as 54Mbps. 802.11 is a very widespread technology which is generally applied for local area connections and they are applied to replace the Ethernet. Zigbee is less abundant and is mainly aimed for the sensornets and home automation fields, its application will probably increase with time, but currently it does not have a wide range of applications. Bluetooth can be therefore be applied t on a single fragment and it cost will amount to approximately $3. This implies that Bluetooth is cheaper technology to add to a device than 802.11, zigbee or even other wired communication. When all this is added it make Bluetooth more viable for use in most workplaces, which makes it interesting from a security point of view. Ultra-wideband technology basics Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology has been in existence ever sine the early 1980s, but by then it was mainly applied in only radar based applications due to the wideband nature of the signal that eventually results in extremely precise and timing of the information generated or to be transmitted. Nevertheless, because of the most recent and advanced development in the high speed controlling technology, ultra wide band is over time becoming the more preferred application due to the low cost of communicating which it offers. Even though the term Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is not very expressive, it does aids in separating this technology from more conventional “narrowband” systems and also from the newly developed “wideband” systems which are generally termed to as 3G cellular technology by literature related to communication protocols (Demassieux 2002). Nevertheless there exist two distinct differences between ultra wide band technology and the other wideband and narrow band technologies. The first difference is that the bandwidth of the ultra wide band system comprises of approximately more than twenty five percent of the centre frequency. Undoubtedly, this bandwidth is much larger than the bandwidth which is applied by most current technology for communication. Secondly, ultra wide band technology is classically applied in a carrier sense fashion. The traditional narrowband and wideband systems use Radio Frequency (RF) carriers to transfer signals from one baseband to real frequency carrier where the system is permitted to operate. On the other hand, ultra wide band applications can modulate an impulse directly that has a very pointed rise and fall time, thus resulting in a waveform that occupies several GHz of bandwidth. Bluetooth basics How Bluetooth technology works Bluetooth technology and its enabled devices mostly functions in the unlimited 2.4 gigahertz in the industrial science field and medical band. The ISM band varies between a range of about 2.400 GHz low and 2.480GHz high. The instruments that are enabled with the technology make use of seventy nine 1 megahertz in the ISM band. A technique referred to as frequency hoping is used by the gadgets to diminish the effects which are brought about by eavesdropping and intrusion from other networks using the same ISM band. When applying the frequency hoping technique the data to be transmitted is split in various small pieces which are referred to as packets. The gadget transmitting the data and the one receiving switch over a data packet at the frequency rate of one, and with time they hop to another frequency to switch over to another packet. The process is repeated until the data is transmitted to the receiver (Layton & Franklin n.d). The figure 1 below shows the frequency that BWT-enabled devices hop with. BWT network topologies According to the respondents devices which are Bluetooth enabled form network topologies which are termed as piconets and scatternet. A piconet is comprised of about eight enabled devices and after the piconets are forms one of the devices is designated to set the hoping frequency and other devices are to follow suit by harmonizing their respective signal to the same outline. The device hat is designated to set the hoping frequency is known as the primary device while the others are referred to as the secondary devices. For every piconet a different hoping frequency is set so as to different the signals from different piconets. According to the respondents scatternet is formed when a link is made between two or more piconets which are connected using a Bluetooth enabled device. If one of the devices is present in several piconets, it harmonizes to the master of each piconets with which it is presently communicating and thus it sets the hopping frequency of the piconets in which it is the master. Figure 2: this figure shows that a piconet is formed by joining 8 BWT enabled devices. Bluetooth security According to the respondents Bluetooth security is multifaceted nevertheless it is typically translucent and easy for the users to apply it. Bluetooth mainly uses three types of security techniques such as encryption, authentication and authorization. The implementation stages of these techniques are mainly done in three levels. The first mode is mode 1 it is generally associated with lack of security and can be accessed by a wide range of people. In the second mode permission one selects the services that can be accessed from the device whereas in the third mode devices ought to be paired prior to establishing connection and transferring data. Establishing Bluetooth connections The first stage in creating Bluetooth connections is setting off Bluetooth functionality on each device, the second step is choosing the services that the device ought to make with the other devices. When one is operating on the secure mode, one ought to first pair the devices which are to communicate to one another before they can interoperate. Ultra wide band basics UWB is a termed as a radio technology that modulates the impulse level based upon the waveforms as a substitute of unremitting carrier waves. This is best described in the figures below Ultra wide basics works in different ways such as in multiple access mechanism, modulation schemes, transmitter and receiver and channels models. The functioning of the ultra wide band technology is very precise and designed because since it usually presides over the functioning of the processes in which multimedia processes are implicated such as in the mp3 players, various kinds of mobile phones using PDA technology and in mp4. The functioning of Ultra wide band technology is mainly applied on places that require a high transmission arte and there is a short distance between the communicating devices (Hulbert & Streeton n.d). This technology depends mostly on radio waves, thus the ultra wide band works only when the ultra wide band waves which are generated from the ultra wide band transmitter release and send signals to the band. The signals are designed in such a way that revolves around the definite setting with a high rate. With such high arte ultra wide band offer a high speed of transferring data using wireless means between two locations but it is only operational within a short distance. When applied in areas with large distance ranges it tends not to work properly but in instance where it works there is a reduced level of transmission of the required information or data (Intel 2005). Conclusion Thus from the above research it is evident that Bluetooth has a wide range of application such as in e commerce, in electronic air tickets, in medicine and it is also used in mobile file in sharing and transferring of data form one person to another and from one electronic device to another if the two devices are Bluetooth enabled (Geier 2002). Also it has been noted that ultra wide band has also a wide range of applications such as it’s used in indoor appliances and its wide rage use in radar systems. The technologies have also been proved to have been existence for a long duration of time for example Bluetooth was developed in the year 1988 while the ultra wide band technology was developed in the early 1980s and they two devices that is Bluetooth and ultra wide band have certain basics which are largely recognized by a wide range of people such a scientists, students, lecturers and the general public. Bibliography Bluetooth resource centre, 2011 http://palowireless.com/bluetooth/ Bluetooth SIG, http://www.bluetooth.com. Demassieux, N 2002, An Overview of Ultra Wide Band Indoor Channel Measurements and Modeling, accessed on 17th January 2012, http://www.ctr.kcl.ac.uk/Pages/4GForum/2002/CD/P1/P-6.ppt Dhir, A 2001, Wireless Home Networks- DECT, Bluetooth, HomeRF, and Wireless LANS accessed on 17th January 2012, http://www.xilinx.com/support/documentation/white_papers/wp135.pdf Geier, J 2002, Minimizing Bluetooth interference, accessed on 17th January 2012, http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/1379911 Hulbert, P & Streeton, R n.d, ULTRA WIDE BAND an overview, RokeManor Research, accessed on 17th January 2012, http://www.roke.co.uk/resources/articles/UWB-An-Overview.pdf Intel 2005, Ultra-wideband (UWB Technology), accessed on 17th January 2012, http://www.intel.com/technology/comms/uwb/download/Ultra-Wideband.pdf Layton, J & Franklin, C n.d, How Bluetooth works, accessed on 17th January 2012, http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/bluetooth.htm Read More