This book is an entry-level text on the technology of telecommunications. It has been
crafted with the newcomer in mind. The twenty-one chapters of text have been prepared
for high-school graduates who understand algebra, logarithms, and the basic principles of
electricity such as Ohm’s law. However, it is appreciated that many readers require support
in these areas. Appendices A and B review the essentials of electricity and mathematics
up through logarithms. This material was placed in the appendices so as not to distract
from the main theme, the technology of telecommunication systems. Another topic that
many in the industry find difficult is the use of decibels and derived units. Appendix C
provides the reader a basic understanding of decibels and their applications. The only
mathematics necessary is an understanding of the powers of ten
Mobile and wireless application development has come a long way in the past few
years. It has progressed beyond the hype of wireless Web applications for consumers
to the reality of high-value mobile applications for corporate users. Opportunities
abound for creating new mobile and wireless applications that provide vital benefits to
any business. A sampling of these benefits includes increased worker productivity,
reduced processing costs, heightened accuracy, and competitive advantage. In contrast
is the concern that developing mobile and wireless applications will involve many new
technologies and concepts that many corporate developers are still learning to use.
Ever since ancient times, people continuously have devised new techniques and
technologies for communicating their ideas, needs, and desires to others. Thus,
many forms of increasingly complex communication systems have appeared
over the years. The basic motivations behind each new one were to improve the
transmission fidelity so that fewer errors occur in the received message, to
increase the transmission capacity of a communication link so that more infor-
mation could be sent, or to increase the transmission distance between relay sta-
tions so that messages can be sent farther without the need to restore the signal
fidelity periodically along its path.
In this updated and expanded edition of her excellent telecommunications primer,
Lili explains in just the right detail everything you need to know to become
fluent in this most important and fascinating industry. Besides including a
satisfying amount of expert technical detail, the book also discusses equally
crucial aspects of how communications technology affects society, culture, and
politics. Electronic communications is changing the world for the better; learn
from Lili's expertise how you, too, can participate in the revolution." Steve Riley, senior security strategist, Microsoft
Corporation
I love telecommunications. It is powerful and it empowers, with
far-reaching consequences. It has demonstrated the potential to transform
society and business, and the revolution has only just begun. With the invention
of the telephone, human communications and commerce were forever changed: Time
and distance began to melt away as a barrier to doing business, keeping in touch
with loved ones, and being able to immediately respond to major world events.
Through the use of computers and telecommunications networks, humans have been
able to extend their powers of thinking, influence, and productivity, just as
those in the Industrial Age were able to extend the power of their muscles, or
physical self, through use of heavy machinery.
The information age is exploding around us,
giving us access to dizzying amounts of data the instant it becomes available.
Smart phones and tablets provide an untethered experience that offers stream-
ing video, audio, and other media formats to just about any place on the planet.
Even people who are not “computer literate” use Facebook to catch up with
friends and family, use Google to research a new restaurant choice and print
directions to get there, or Tweet their reactions once they have sampled the
fare. The budding Internet-of-things will only catalyze this data eruption.
The infrastructure supporting these services is also growing exponentially,
and the technology that facilitates this rapid growth is virtualization.
LIKE SO MANY OTHERS , THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN BECAUSE WE COULDN ’ T FIND ONE LIKE IT . We
needed something to hand to all of those people who have come to us asking for “a good
book to read on RFID.” When we looked for candidates we found some great books, but
most were aimed at electrical engineers or top-level managers, with very little for those of
us who are in between. This book is for developers, system and software architects, and
project managers, as well as students and professionals in all of the industries impacted by
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) who want to understand how this technology
works. As the title suggests, this book is about RFID in general and not just the most
recent developments; however, because so much is going on in the area of RFID for the
supply chain and especially the Electronic Product Code (EPC), we have devoted consider-
able space to these topics. Regardless of the type of RFID work you may be doing, we
think you will find something useful here.
