ComSoc V1 #75 (fwd)

Tue, 21 May 2002 17:19:45 -0400

Gang,
FYI
Paul

-------- Forwarded message --------
Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 12:55:50 -0400
From: prinaldo@mindspring.com
Reply-to: ComSoc@skyhelp.net
To: ComSoc@skyhelp.net
Subject: ComSoc V1 #75

ComSoc                         Tue, 21 May 2002           Volume 1 : Number 75

In this issue:

        Nova Comsoc 28 May 6pm, 802.11b Wireless Networks
<<<<- --- ---- --- ----- --- -- ->>>>
---IEEE ComSoc Mail List Information--
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Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 12:37:01 -0400
From: "Don Rickerson" <don@skyhelp.net>
To: comsoc@skyhelp.net
Subject: Nova Comsoc 28 May 6pm, 802.11b Wireless Networks
Message-ID: <3CEA3F6D.1294.3AB3631@localhost>

Dear IEEE member or friend,

Our next comsoc meeting will be quite interesting, but please note that
we are NOT meeting at the TRW building (as stated in the Scanner).  We
will be meeting at the MITRE building in McLean, VA, off Chain Bridge
Road.

Here's what's coming up next week:

Speaker:	Mike Vertal, VP of Engineering, Wireless Matrix USA, Reston, VA
Title:	Real-World Experience with IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN, and 802.11b
Customization
Date:	Tuesday, May 28, 2002
Time:	6:00 p.m.  - dinner (free - please RSVP to fseelig@mitre.org)
6:45 p.m. - speaker
Location:	MITRE Corp, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, VA.
Abstract:	   Wireless Matrix, formerly Norcom Networks, has been a
pioneer in the use of industrial messaging using the new IEEE 802.11
wireless local area network (LAN) technology.  Its Mobile Base Station
is a truck-top device the diameter of a pizza that has an L-band
geostationary satellite communications transceiver, a 900 MHz
terrestrial wireless data network transceiver, and an 802.11 WLAN
transceiver card at 2.4 GHz.  It's used to communicate with a repairman
at service calls in homes and businesses.  The 802.11 WLAN in the
serviceman's ruggedized laptop must be battery conservative, so Wireless
Matrix worked with Cisco and Itronix to allow the 802.11 card to have a
"wake-on-LAN" command that would only wake the laptop if an incoming
alert message was received.  Mike will discuss this process, as well as
give real-world performance perspectives on 802.11b.
    The IEEE 802.11b Standard has emerged as the most successful
wireless LAN technology to date. A combination of technical merits,
numerous technology suppliers, and huge customer demand has resulted in
explosive growth and rapidly decreasing costs. The robustness of this
technology combined with its relatively low cost has allowed it to
penetrate numerous applications that may not have been envisioned by its
creators. Originally motivated by the need to provide untethered
Ethernet access to mobile computers inside the corporate office and/or
warehouse, 802.11b can now also be found in airports, coffee shops, and
in the home. The presentation will describe another unique application
of 802.11b WLAN technology -- providing a critical link between wide
area wireless data networks and mobile field computers to achieve truly
ubiquitous computing.
    As enterprises deploy wide area wireless technologies for their
mobile workers, they quickly realize that the availability of those
workers on today's wide area wireless networks are limited by numerous
technical factors. For example, satellite packet data networks do not
penetrate buildings; and terrestrial-based, packet data and cellular
data networks often do not have adequate in-building penetration in
their coverage areas,either.
    Wireless Matrix has developed and successfully deployed its new
Mobile Base Station product, which combines both satellite- and
terrestrial-based wide area packet data networks with 802.11b local area
access.  The Mobile Base Station operates on the Wireless Matrix Wide
Area Wireless IP Network, and has been demonstrated to provide near 100%
availability of mobile field workers.
    This presentation will describe the technical architecture of the
Mobile Base Station and the Wide Area Wireless IP Network, in particular
the integration of 802.11b (at the radio layer, link layer, and IP
network layer) with the wide area wireless technologies.  The
substantial improvements in mobile field computing availability that
have resulted with enterprise customer deployments will be discussed. 
Additionally, other related technically challenging areas of remote
field computing, such as power management, will be described along with
the solutions that have been employed using extensions to commercially
available 802.11b devices.
Speaker Bio:	Mike Vertal is Vice President, Reston Engineering and
Operations at Wireless Matrix Corporation, where he has been employed
since 1998. While at Wireless Matrix (formerly Norcom Networks), he has
led the development and successful commercial deployment of their new
Wide Area Wireless IP Network and the Mobile Base Station.  Prior to
Wireless Matrix, Mike was VP, Product Development at Foresight Systems
which develops modeling and simulation tools primarily for
telecommunications and avionics applications.  Mike earned his BSEE and
MSEE degrees from Case Western Reserve University, and is an IEEE Member
(Communications and Computer Societies). He has authored more than ten
papers that have been published in various technical journals and
conference proceedings in the areas of telecommunications, system
modeling and simulation, systems development, and robotics.

Fred Seelig

-- 
Fred Seelig
The MITRE Corporation             Center for Advanced Aviation System
Development (CAASD)
7515 Colshire Dr.                 F083  Communications, Navigation and
Surveillance
McLean, VA  22102-7508                  Communications and Information
Systems Dept
Mail Stop N660                    (703) 883-3223  phone
fseelig@mitre.org                 (703) 883-1367  fax
http://www.mitrecaasd.org