Wireless Communication is the fastest growing and most vibrant technological areas in the communication field. Wireless Communication is a method of transmitting information from one point to other, without using any connection like wires, cables or any physical medium.

Generally, in a communication system, information is transmitted from transmitter to receiver that are placed over a limited distance. With the help of Wireless Communication, the transmitter and receiver can be placed anywhere between few meters (like a T.V. Remote Control) to few thousand kilometres (Satellite Communication).

We live in a World of communication and Wireless Communication, in particular is a key part of our lives. Some of the commonly used Wireless Communication Systems in our day – to – day life are: Mobile Phones, GPS Receivers, Remote Controls, Bluetooth Audio and Wi-Fi etc.

What is Wireless Communication?

Communication Systems can be Wired or Wireless and the medium used for communication can be Guided or Unguided. In Wired Communication, the medium is a physical path like Co-axial Cables, Twisted Pair Cables and Optical Fiber Links etc. which guides the signal to propagate from one point to other.

Such type of medium is called Guided Medium. On the other hand, Wireless Communication doesn’t require any physical medium but propagates the signal through space. Since, space only allows for signal transmission without any guidance, the medium used in Wireless Communication is called Unguided Medium. If there is no physical medium, then how does wireless communication transmit signals? Even though there are no cables used in wireless communication, the transmission and reception of signals is accomplished with Antennas.

Antennas are electrical devices that transform the electrical signals to radio signals in the form of Electromagnetic (EM) Waves and vice versa. These Electromagnetic Waves propagates through space. Hence, both transmitter and receiver consists of an antenna.

What are Electromagnetic Waves?

Electromagnetic Waves carry the electromagnetic energy of electromagnetic field through space. Electromagnetic Waves include Gamma Rays (γ – Rays), X – Rays, Ultraviolet Rays, Visible Light, Infrared Rays, Microwave Rays and Radio Waves. Electromagnetic Waves (usually Radio Waves) are used in wireless communication to carry the signals.

An Electromagnetic Wave consists of both electric and magnetic fields in the form of time varying sinusoidal waves. Both these fields are oscillating perpendicular to each other and the direction of propagation of the Electromagnetic Wave is again perpendicular to both these fields.

Mathematically, an Electromagnetic Wave can be described using Maxwell’s equations. Pictorial representation of an Electromagnetic Wave is shown below where the Electric Field is acting in the Y – axis, magnetic field is acting in the Z – axis and the Electromagnetic Wave propagates in X – axis.

Brief History

Since the use of smoke signals, flags and flashing mirrors in the pre – historic period, Wireless communication has been a part of human life and is continuously evolving. Modern Wireless Communication i.e. using electrical signals and radio waves for communication has been around us for more than 100 years.

In the year 1897, Guglielmo Marconi successfully demonstrated the Wireless Telegraphy by sending EM Waves for a short distance of 100 meters. This demonstration paved way for Radio Communication and the term Radio is derived from Radiant Energy.

By early 1900’s, Trans – Atlantic radio transmission had been established, where Marconi successfully transmitted messages in the form of Morse code. Since then, the technology related to wireless communication and wireless system has advanced rapidly and thus enabling transmissions over longer distances at low cost with cheaper devices.

Throughout the development of wireless communication, there are many wireless systems and methods that flourished and many got disappeared. The best example for this is Telephone Communication and Television Transmission. Initially, all telephone related communication was carried out (and still is) using wired network. But the rapid growth of Mobile Communication started to replace the complex wired telephone system. In this scenario, the wired technology became outdated and got replaced by wireless communication. Another scenario where wireless communication got replaced by wired communication is Television broadcasting. In the early days, television signals were broadcasted using wireless radio transmitters. But this setup got replaced by cable television.

These two examples point out that with the development of technology, we always have to choose what’s best for the situation i.e. in some areas we have to use wired communication whereas in the other, going for wireless may be a better option.

Why Wireless Communication?

When wired communication can do most of the tasks that a wireless communication can, why do we need Wireless Communication? The primary and important benefit of wireless communication is mobility. Apart from mobility, wireless communication also offers flexibility and ease of use, which makes it increasingly popular day – by – day. Wireless Communication like mobile telephony can be made anywhere and anytime with a considerably high throughput performance. Another important point is infrastructure. The setup and installation of infrastructure for wired communication systems is an expensive and time consuming job. The infrastructure for wireless communication can be installed easily and low cost. In emergency situations and remote locations, where the setup of wired communication is difficult, wireless communication is a viable option.

Advantages

There are numerous advantage of Wireless Communication Technology, Wireless Networking and Wireless Systems over Wired Communication like Cost, Mobility, Ease of Installation, and Reliability etc.

• Cost – The cost of installing wires, cables and other infrastructure is eliminated in wireless communication and hence lowering the overall cost of the system compared to wired communication system. Installing wired network in building, digging up the Earth to lay the cables and running those wires across the streets is extremely difficult, costly and time consuming job.  In historical buildings, drilling holes for cables is not a best idea as it destroys the integrity and importance of the building. Also, in older buildings with no dedicated lines for communication, wireless communication like Wi-Fi or Wireless LAN is the only option.
• Mobility – As mentioned earlier, mobility is the main advantage of wireless communication system. It offers the freedom to move around while still connected to network.
• Ease of Installation – The setup and installation of wireless communication network’s equipment and infrastructure is very easy as we need not worry about the hassle of cables. Also, the time required to setup a wireless system like a Wi-Fi network for example, is very less when compared to setting up a full cabled network.
• Reliability – Since there are no cables and wires involved in wireless communication, there is no chance of communication failure due to damage of these cables which may be caused by environmental conditions, cable splice and natural diminution of metallic conductors.
• Disaster Recovery – In case of accidents due to fire, floods or other disasters, the loss of communication infrastructure in wireless communication system can be minimal.

Disadvantages 

Even though wireless communication has a number of advantages over wired communication, there are a few disadvantages as well. The most concerning disadvantages are Interference, Security and Health.

• Interference – Wireless Communication systems use open space as the medium for transmitting signals. As a result, there is a huge chance that radio signals from one wireless communication system or network might interfere with other signals. The best example is Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (WLAN). Both these technologies use the 2.4GHz frequency for communication and when both of these devices are active at the same time, there is a chance of interference.
• Security – One of the main concerns of wireless communication is Security of the data. Since the signals are transmitted in open space, it is possible that an intruder can intercept the signals and copy sensitive information.
• Health Concerns – Continuous exposure to any type of radiation can be hazardous. Even though the levels of RF energy that can cause the damage are not accurately established, it is advised to avoid RF radiation to the maximum.