How Does Wireless Technology Work?
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Question by sly_ice99: How does wireless technology work?
As in wireless controllers, internet...etc? it just confuses me how the signal doesn't just scatter in open air
Best answer:
Answer by Marvin
Signals do scatter - just like any other signal - TV, Radio, mobile phones etc.
But the ariel can detect the signal even though it gets scattered.
Think of the wireless signal as being like light. If you lit a small candle in the middle of a sports stadium you would still see the candle light even if you sat at the very back of the stadium. Sure - the light scatters in all directions, but your eyes can still see the light that gets scattered in your direction.
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I am non stop on the
search for new content on
new technology. Now, I
came across a really
amazing article that talks
about technology from a different
perspective. Today’s is titled Safety Technology International STI-34151 Additional Wireless Sensor for use with STI-34150 .
Safety Technology International STI-34151 Additional Wireless Sensor for use with STI-34150
- It uses a patented magnetometer sensor system
- Movement of any large metallic (iron or steel) object close to the driveway sensor will cause the sensor to transmit to the receiver
- The sensor may be placed as far as 1000-Feet (line of sight) away from the receiver in your home
- Easy installation
- For best performance, place the sensor within 500-Feet of the receiver
This additional transmitter is for use with the STI-34150 battery-operated Wireless Driveway Monitor. It uses a patented magnetometer sensor system. Movement of any large metallic (iron or steel) object close to the driveway sensor will cause the sensor t
List Price: $ 91.00
Price:
February 1st, 2012 - 02:08
FM radio (low power) for short distances like room to room or to fill a coffee house, trailer park etc. and Infrared for line of site control, as in remote keyboard or mouse.
You are correct, “the signal scatters in open air.”
February 1st, 2012 - 02:36
Actually it does scatter.
Modern wireless technology works on the same technology that old radios used to use. The only difference is that instead of transmitting/recieving analog voice signals it’s working with encoded data bits instead. In fact, that makes it even more similar to the telgraph of the 1800′s.
If i’m guessing right, the heart of your question is “why don’t all these wireless devices interfere with each other?” The answer is protocols: sets of rules that all wireless devices follow in order to make sure the proper machines get the singals they’re supposed to.
In most models data is transmitted in packets: little strings of data that are sent all at once. At the front of that packet is a header, which tells other devices who the data is for.
So let’s have a basic example: a house where there is a wireless router, a wifi-equipped xbox (with a controller), and a laptop. The router just recieved a packet that contains a piece of a website that the laptop requested. So in the header it puts the laptop’s address. Now, every wireless device in the house recieves that packet, including the xbox. But the xbox will look at the header, see that the packet is not for it, and therefore ignore the data. But the laptop will see the header and go “yay it’s for me!” and put the packet with the other pieces of the website it’s recieving.
I hope that wasn’t too wordy and didn’t make you more confused. :- Long story short: every wireless device in the area recieves all the data from every other device, they are just programmed to ignore the data that’s not specifically addressed to it.