Q: What are we going to talk about today?
A: Today I want to make people aware of some of the many radio signals going through the air around us. In some ways it’s amazing that we can do everything we do wirelessly. But it’s also understandable when we have problems.
Q: Being somewhat of a computer Geek myself, I can understand your comments.
A: Yeah, lets start with you. Right now I think you have a wireless keyboard and mouse. And you probably have a cell phone in your pocket and because you are looking for better cell service you are probably using WiFi to get to the cell phone carrier rather than going direct.
Q: That sounds about right…But Charlie, you missed the most obvious wireless signal: Radio, that is 1340 KROC AM that we are using to talk to all our listeners!
A: Oops, I guess I should have put that and the FM stations in there somewhere. The point is that there are a lot of signals going around out there in the Ether and a lot of things are getting done by them. And with all these signals out there is plenty of room for problems to happen. These signals are all in ranges or bands that are very tightly controlled by the FCC and their maximum power is also very tightly controlled too so we can use the different kinds of radio signals with some smarts to get the best results with our computing and other equipment.
Q: OK, where do we start?
A: Let’s start short range: You have the wireless keyboard and mouses and then you have wireless printing, wireless speakers, wireless file sharing between two nearby devices. In most cases this is a form of BlueTooth. A short range, slow speed signal. Then we get WiFi which usually has a range of about 400’. This is a much longer range signal running at much higher speed so it can transmit/receive data easily between high speed computers. To avoid interference with roam phones and microwaves, we also have dual band WiFi that allows even faster more reliable data transmission. For longer range WiFi, there are directed beam outdoor transmitters that can send/receive over distances of 8 miles or more. And all our wireless has to work with all the other radio signals out there too.
Q: I suppose that people have problems with making all these radio waves work the way they are designed in all the different buildings and areas where they want WiFi.
A: Yes they do. And we have been working with the different kinds of WiFi ever since it first came out so we have some experience in setting up different configurations so that it works right and reliably for both businesses and residential installations.
Q: So if someone needs help with their computer wireless they can give you a call at 507-533-6510 or they can contact us at our web site www.pcapp.com.