IS024: Foundation of Mobile

Computing
Lecture 01
General Information
• 8.0E credits course
• Prerequisite: none
• Objective: To provide students with an understanding of
mobile/wireless technologies and how these technologies are utilized
and integrated to meet specific business needs.
• Mode of delivery: 2 hrs lecture + 1 hr Tutorial/practical
• Lecture:
• B305 Wednesday 16:00 – 18:55 (2 hrs)
• Tutorial/lab work:
• B101 Monday 18:00-18:55 (1 hrs)
Course Contents
• Refer to the file IS024-course content.pdf
Assessment
• Continuous Assessment (CA): 40%
• 2 Tests: 40% (15 % + 15%)
• TEST1 during the 7th week
• TEST2 during 13th week
• Several quizzes/lab work: 10%

• University Exam: 60%

• According to Univ. Almanac
 Extra info
Revision
• IS013- Foundation Data Communications and Networks

• Attendance -
• Punctuality -
• Updates – through emails/class reps mobiles (short
notes)

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Basic Concepts- Mobile computing
 What Is Mobile Computing?
• What is computing?
Operation of computers (oxfords advance learner’s dictionary)
• What is the mobile?
That someone /something can move or be moved easily and quickly from place to place
• What is mobile computing?
Users with portable computers still have network connections while they move
• A simple definition could be:
Mobile Computing is using a computer (of one kind or another) while on the move
• Another definition could be:
Mobile Computing is when a (work) process is moved from a normal fixed position to a
more dynamic position.
• A third definition could be:
Mobile Computing is when a work process is carried out somewhere where it was not
previously possible.
Comparison to Wired Network

Wired Network Mobile networks

• high bandwidth • low bandwidth
• low bandwidth variability • high bandwidth variability
• can listen on wire • hidden terminal problem
• high power machines
• low power machines
• high resource machines
• low resource machines
• need physical
• access(security) • need proximity
• low delay • higher delay
• connected operation • disconnected operation
Wireless Network Vs Wired Network
 Why Go Mobile?
• Enable anywhere/anytime connectivity

• Bring computer communications to areas without pre-existing infrastructure

• Enable mobility

• Enable new applications

Mobile Computing
Vs
Wireless Networking
Evolution of Wireless LAN
• In late 1980s, vendors started offering wireless products, which were to
substitute the traditional wired LAN (Local Area Network) products.
• The idea was to use a wireless local area network to avoid the cost of
installing LAN cabling and ease the task of relocation or otherwise
modifying the network's structure.
• The question of interoperability between different wireless LAN
products became critical.
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard
committee took the responsibility to form the standard for WLAN.
• As a result IEEE 802.11 series of standards emerged.
Evolution of Wireless LAN
• WLAN uses the unlicensed Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM)
band that different products can use as long as they comply with
certain regulatory rules
• WLAN is also known as Wireless Fidelity or WiFi in short
• There are many products which use these unlicensed bands along
with WLAN.
Evolution of Wireless Network(start from
here)

• There are 3 bands within the ISM bands. These are

900-MHz ISM band, which ranges from 902 to 928 MHz;
2.4-GHz ISM band, which ranges from 2.4 to 2.4853 GHz; and
 5.4 GHz band, which range from 5.275 to 5.85 GHz.
• WLAN uses 2.4 GHz and 5.4 GHz bands.
• WLAN works both in infrastructure mode and ad hoc mode
 Evolution of Wireless PAN
• Techniques for WPANs (Wireless Personal Area Network) are infrared and radio
waves.
• Most of the Laptop computers support communication through infrared, for
which standards have been formulated by IrDA (Infrared Data Association-
www.irda.org).
• Through WPAN, a PC can communicate with another IrDA device like another PC
or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or a Cellular phone.
• The other best known PAN technology standard is Bluetooth. Bluetooth uses
radio instead of infrared.
• It offers a peak over the air speed of about 1 Mbps over a short range (10
meters).
• The advantage of radio wave is that unlike infrared it does not need a line of
sight.
New Forms of computing
Mobile Computing
• Mobile computing can be defined as a computing environment over
physical mobility.
• The user of a mobile computing environment will be able to access
data, information or other logical objects from any device in any
network while on the move.
• Mobile computing system allows a user to perform a task from
anywhere using a computing device in the public (the Web),
corporate (business information) and personal information spaces
(medical record, address book).
Mobile Computing cont.
• Mobile computing is used in different contexts with different names.
The most common names are:
 Mobile Computing:
• The computing environment is mobile and moves along with the user.
• This is similar to the telephone number of a GSM (Global System for
Mobile communication) phone, which moves with the phone.
• The offline (local) and real-time (remote) computing environment will
move with the user.
• In real-time mode user will be able to use all his remote data and
services online.
Mobile Computing cont.
• Anywhere, Anytime Information: This is the generic definition of
ubiquity, where the information is available anywhere, all the time.
• Virtual Home Environment : (VHE) is defined as an environment in a
foreign network such that the mobile users can experience the same
computing experience as they have in their home or corporate
computing environment.
• For example, one would like to put ones room heater on when one is
about 15 minutes away from home.
Mobile computing cont.
• Nomadic Computing: The computing environment is nomadic and moves
along with the mobile user. This is true for both local and remote services.
• Pervasive Computing: A computing environment, which is pervasive in
nature and can be made available in any environment.
• Ubiquitous Computing: A disappearing (nobody will notice its presence)
everyplace computing environment. User will be able to use both local and
remote services.
• Global Service Portability: Making a service portable and available in every
environment. Any service of any environment will be available globally.
• Wearable Computers: Wearable computers are those computers that may
be adorned by humans like a hat, shoe or clothes (these are wearable
accessories).
Mobile Computing functions
• We can define a computing environment as mobile if it supports one
or more of the following characteristics:
• User Mobility:
 User should be able to move from one physical location to another
location and use the same service.
The service could be in the home network or a remote network.
Example could be a user moves from London to New York and uses
Internet to access the corporate application the same way the user
uses in the home office.
Mobile Computing Functions
• Network Mobility: User should be able to move from one network to
another network and use the same service.
 Example could be a user moves from Hong Kong to New Delhi and uses
the same GSM phone to access the corporate application through WAP
(Wireless Application Protocol). In home network he uses this service
over GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) whereas in Delhi he accesses
it over the GSM network
• Bearer (Carrier) Mobility: User should be able to move from one bearer
to another and use the same service.
Example could be a user was using a service through WAP bearer in his
home network in Bangalore. He moves to Coimbatore, where WAP is
not supported, he switch over to voice or SMS(Short Message Service)
bearer to access the same application.
Mobile Computing Functions(start from here)
• Service Mobility: User should be able to move from one service to
another.
 Example could be a user is writing a mail. To complete the mail user
needs to refer to some other information. In a desktop PC, user
simply opens another service (browser) and moves between them
using the task bar. User should be able to switch amongst services in
small footprint wireless devices like in the desktop.
• Host Mobility: The user device can be either a client or server.
When it is a server or host, some of the complexities change.
 In case of host mobility the mobility of IP needs to be taken care of.
Characteristics of mobile computing env.
• Device Mobility: User should be able to move from one device to another and use
the same service.
Example could be sales representatives using their desktop computer in home
office. During the day while they are on the street they would like to use their
Palmtop to access the application.
• Session Mobility: A user session should be able to move from one user-agent
environment to another.
 Example could be a user was using his service through a CDMA (Code Division
Multiple Access) IX network. The user entered into the basement to park the car
and got disconnected from his CDMA network. User goes to home office and starts
using the desktop. The unfinished session in the CDMA device moves from the
mobile device to the desktop computer.
Types of Wireless Devices
• Laptops
• Palmtops
• PDAs
• Cell phones
• Pagers
• Sensors
• …..
Application of Mobile computing
• There are several applications for mobile computing including;
Wireless remote access by travellers and commuters,
 Point of sale
Stock trading
Medical emergency care
Law enforcement
Package delivery
Education
 Insurance industry
Disaster recovery and management
Trucking industry
Intelligence and military.
• Most of these applications can be classified into:
wireless and mobile access to the Internet
wireless and mobile access to private Intranets
wireless and adhoc mobile access between mobile computers.
Traffic Telematics Systems