IEEE DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS ONLINE 1541-4922 2004 Published by the IEEE Computer Society

Vol. 5, No. 5; May 2004

Editor: Marcin Paprzycki, http://www.cs.okstate.edu/%7Emarcin/

A Good Wireless Technologies Reference

Benny Bing

Wireless Networks
By P. Nicopolitidis, M.S. Obaidat, G. I. Papadimitriou, A. S. Pomportsis
422 pages
US$79.95
John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470845295
The wireless subject is an intense research area owing to the medium's inherent difficulties and
the increasing demand for better and cheaper services. Two of the most notable commercial
successes resulting from this research in the last decade are cellular and 802.11 (Wi-Fi)
systems. Wireless Networks provides an in-depth discussion of these technologies and also
briefly looks at other emerging technologies such as wireless ad hoc networks and wireless
local loops.
The authors first explore important concepts related to wireless-system deployment to equip the
reader with the necessary background information. They cover signal propagation, voice
coding, modulation techniques, multiple access protocols, cellular networks, ad-hoc wireless
networks, and use of limited wireless spectrum. They also discuss several important wireless
standards spanning different coverage areas: personal area networks such as Bluetooth and
802.15; local area networks, including 802.11 and HiperLAN; and wide area wireless networks
such as cellular, 802.16, and satellite.
In Chapter 6, the authors provide a vision of future 4G wireless systems, arguing that such
systems will rely heavily on the IP platform. This discussion should be of value to researchers,
but unfortunately it fails to mention other emerging wireless technologies such as ultrawideband, multiple input multiple output antenna systems, and software radio systems.

Designers of broadband wireless access should appreciate the table listing FCC-approved
frequency bands for fixed wireless access (Chapter 8). Having a consolidated table of approved
frequency bands is very useful.
Less useful is Chapter 10, which combines wireless ATM and wireless ad hoc networking. The
authors should have focused on wireless ad hoc networking, instead including wireless ATM as
part of the HiperLAN standards discussion (Chapter 9).
Also, the authors should have expanded their discussion of security issues (Chapter 12) to
include solutions for improving wireless security. This has become an important topic in recent
years, given that secure wireless transmission is physically difficult. The authors should have
fully explored security standards involving 802.1x, the Extensible Authentication Protocol, the
Temporal Key Integrity Protocol, and the Advanced Encryption Standard.
Most useful for graduate students is Chapter 13, which covers the basics of simulating wireless
systems, including model creation and random number generation. It also provides a couple of
OPNET case studies involving the 802.11 standard and the wireless MANET routing protocol.
The final chapter (Chapter 14) focuses on the economics of wireless networks, including the
role of governments, infrastructure deployment, enabling applications such as voice telephony,
and billing issues. It discusses the technological aspects of wireless networks in a business
context and should interest any business investor.

CONCLUSION
Overall, the book covers a broad spectrum of both traditional and contemporary wireless
technologies and should appeal to a wide range of readers interested the subject. It might not be
an ideal textbook, because it doesn't include problem sets or exercises, but it could easily
complement other more analytical texts on wireless networks. Additionally, there's no complex
mathematical treatment, so it's easy to grasp important concepts. Also, rather than just stating
the facts, the authors explain things and attempt to integrate the disparate wireless technologies.
Because wireless standards and technologies are evolving quickly, the book does lack a more
forward-looking discussion on wireless networks. However, it's generally well written and well
organized and should be a useful reference for any wireless practitioner or researcher.
Benny Bing is a research faculty member at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Contact
him at benny@ece.gatech.edu.

IEEE Distributed Systems Online May 2004