workrock

September 8, 2019September 8, 2019

Who owns the patent for wireless power transfer?

My opinion on the matter is quite modest as I’m not an expert in patent law. It’s important to note that the grant of patent depends upon the laws country as well as international agreements. The last part is significant as your patent in one country may not be recognized is another unless there are cordial relations between the two nations.
Besides that much of the patent granting procedure is arbitrary and left to the wishes of the patent office.

The three most important criteria for granting a patent are

1. Novelty
2. Usefulness
3. Non obviousness

Wireless power transfer is a natural phenomenon. From dusk to dawn sun transfers energy to us wirelessly. This phenomenon has been known and studied for centuries.

Therefore the principal of wireless power transfer is un-patentable. It’s not novel and it’s obvious but certainly useful.

If we talk about wireless power transfer through human devices and invention patents may only be granted on the transmission and reception of power. But only at the device level. As propagation in free space can’t be patented.

Generation of power is obvious and not novel. For example It is taught in elementary schools that electromagnetic wave can be produced by an accelerating electric field. Perhaps if someone found a novel way to accelerate the field then that invention may be patentable.

Therefore the only window of opportunity that enterprises have is the specific way in which they transmit and receive power i.e the protocols that they design around the processes and within the ecosystem.
If you search on Google you’ll find various patents that follow this script.

Closing remarks

A patent office is an administrative body. It may grant the patent but the validity of a patent will have to be determined in a court of law.
In fact many patents actually turn out to be invalid when they are tried in court

https://doi.org/10.2139%2Fssrn.567883

Not only the patent grant procedure is arbitrary but also it’s not an executive right. It’s simply a right to go to the court to affirm that the patent holder was indeed the original inventor and can exclude others from profiting from his invention for a period of time. And may take share in profits if he so chooses. But again this is not forever. Some 20 years at best.

Holding a patent does give you an apparent authority over your subject matter that can be used to advance your career even if there is no value to the actual invention.

workrockin@gmail.com

September 7, 2019September 7, 2019

Should you use google Fi?

One of the biggest advantages of Google Fi is the international coverage. If you are say a traveller or a business person who has to frequently go to different countries it would make sense to get a google fi connection.

You won’t have to shop around for different SIM card providers and pay bills to multiple networks. You get a predictable bill as well as a data plan for your money. No additional roaming charges. It is quite convenient and frankly speaking is something that should have been been promoted by core networks themselves considering how many people are travelling internationally so frequently.

There are other benefits like automatically connecting to WiFi networks and some “quality of life” upgrades but those are minor conveniences and not something that should influence your purchase decision.

On the other hand if you’re not spending too much time travelling, maybe only once or twice a year out of the country, then I don’t think that Google Fi is the best choice for you right now and the local plans may indeed be cheaper depending upon where you’re living.

To summarize, if your goal is to have an international mobile.plan with predictable pricing and max coverage google Fi is a good choice. It’s way better than having to buy SIM cards at destination. However if you’re not moving too much a local service provider may give you a better deal. Compare plans before buying.

Further Reading

Google Fi is a type of Mobile Virtual Network Operator. MVNO does not own the infrastructure but buys it from other providers in bulk and then sell it to individuals. Thereby passing on the cost savings.

You’d be surprised to know that around the world there are more than 900 MVNOs offering services to customers with over 220 M mobile connections.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_virtual_network_operator

Although at the moment google operates as a mobile virtual network operator for Fi, it’s also getting into providing network access as well with it’s fiber project.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Fiber

https://fiber.google.com/

As well as their undersea cables

https://www.cnet.com/news/google-third-subsea-cable-equiano-connect-portugal-south-africa-nigeria/

https://9to5google.com/2019/05/29/google-indigo-cable-live/amp/

Additionally google is also building wifi hotspots around the world with it’s google station and it’s wifi router products

https://station.google.com/

https://store.google.com/?srp=/product/google_wifi

So it’s possible that in the future there may be a time when Google’s network and access points are better than those of its partners. And the best way to enjoy these services would be through the Google Fi project. Until that happens I’d say go with what’s best for you.

workrockin@gmail.com

September 6, 2019

Distributed digitization of documents

Paperwork is essential for the functioning of any organization or administrative body. Through the creation of legally binding contracts, memorandums,invoices, public records, reports manifestos or laws, documents appear in many forms but they all serve the same purpose.Which is to keep a formal record of all the activities undertaken by a person, an organization, government or society.

Documents need to pass around. They need to be modified, approved and amended by various stakeholders. Document is not just a representation of information but also a workbench for producing more information.

Paper documents can only do so much and are a chore to maintain and preserve. Digital documents are limitless in their capacity. They last forever.

Workrock document management system gives you a timeline of modifications and digital stamps to trace the history and authenticity of the document. It can work offline for internal use. Or it can be made publically available on the internet.

Our document management system is highly flexible and it can be used in any workplace. In a hotel or a restaurant. In banking or transportation industries. For keeping a record of sales or in legal matters. Our application is compatible with all kinds of file formats.

Less paper. More information. Unlimited Capacity.

workrockin@gmail.com

September 6, 2019September 7, 2019

How can li-fi be better than wifi?

Any communication technology provides a communication channel and a means to access that channel.

You may pick any wired or wireless standard and you’ll find this statement to be true. Ethernet, wifi, 4g and lifi they all work the same way.

For any technology to be better than the other in terms of speed it needs to provide a faster access to the channel as well as faster data rate on that channel.

Ethernet is faster than wifi over short range because it allows for bidirectional data transfer. Upload and download at the same time. Point to point connections mean that each participant on the network has their own dedicated channel which implies that the channel does not have to be multiplexed or shared.

On the other hand wifi has to share the channel and divide the bandwidth on uploads and downloads.

If Li-Fi wants to be better than wifi then it can

Use visible light to offer separate channels for each connected user. If primary colors are exhausted secondary colors may be used. There are infinite combinations available so channels will never run out. However since visible light consists of 7 colors, using map theorem only 4 colors may be needed to provide distinct communication channels to participants. Greatly reducing the complexity of channel allocation but increasing the complexity of service area division. This will not increase the per user speed but will allow more users access to the same speed.
Use more efficient modulation to offer higher speed over channel. Wifi uses QAM modulation to encode bits over the air. By using higher bandwidth of the visible light same modulation technique can be used to encode more bits of data.

The challenge faced by Li-Fi is interference from existing light sources. Outdoor connectivity is doubtful because of sunlight. Indoor would also suffer from in house lightning.

However Li-Fi can find great use in photonics. It’s an upcoming technology that looks to use photons for computing instead of electrons. Fiber optic connectors have been demonstrated to work in a few experiments.

If Li-FI can develop efficient light based communication it can be used inside chips. But that’s just the beginning. In the future colors of light may even be used for representing information rather than 1s and 0s that we use today.

Further Reading

Bit Depth — https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/bit-depth.htm

workrockin@gmail.com

September 4, 2019

What kind of advancement can we expect in wireless technology?

It’s impossible to predict the future. But based on what I’ve seen and in some cases worked with I’m pretty excited about the developments in wireless world right now.

Wireless is perhaps the most efficient distribution technology we have. It’s easy to set up, it’s flexible and it’s universally accessible. Once you set up the infrastructure anyone within the network can enjoy the services. You don’t have to run to each and every home to bring them the benefits of connectivity. This is a huge advantage as it reduces the installation complexity.

Compare for example landline phones to mobile handsets people have today. It’s because of wireless technology that we’ve been able to bring the benefits of connectivity to one and all.

Long distance communication that was once an expensive privilege is now an expected commodity.

Point to point fixed connection can’t scale. They are a liability. Not just from the point of view of maintenance but also from upgradation.

It won’t be long before even the internet backbone goes wireless with advancement in satellite internet as well as ground based wireless backhauls.

Until now wireless technology has been looked upon as a replacement or as an alternative to wired technology. This view is rapidly changing as wireless is fast becoming the foundation for tech of the future.

Wireless beacon technology ,for example, that allows for offline application access is gaining popularity as the new standard for accessing informational services in places like airports, banks, stadiums and public locations.

While fixed line internet has succeed in global communication it hasn’t had much of an impact hyper local information exchange. Here too new kinds of wireless networks are replacing the legacy internet applications. Localized data accessible through high speed, on demand wireless networks have the capability of connecting people in ways never before seen.

Offline social networks in restaurants, flights , hotels, tourist spots are ready for deployment. And if consumers adopt them we may get to witness the development of a new social interaction that will in turn open up even more opportunities,just like traditional social media did a decade ago.

Wireless is not limited to just communication but is expanding into other exciting areas like energy transmission.

One of the major roadblocks holding alternative sources of energy back, is the lack of efficient transport from the source to destination. Traditional wires are lossy. Even more so for battery powered energy.

Technology exists that can transmit kilowatts of energy wirelessly over a range of a few KMs. Deployment of this technology will help in the growth of renewable energy generation as transmission losses and expenses of wire can be nullified. We will be able to create renewable energy generators like solar farms, dams and wind turbines and transmit energy directly to the grid. Over the air.

Social networks, communication, entertainment, commerce, banking ,energy. The applications of wireless networks are many and more will be discovered in time to come.

To realize the full potential of wireless networks we need more skilled people. All of wireless tech is based on the simple, well understood,century old concept of electromagnetism that is taught in all technical courses across the world. But due to diverging lines of business, professionals often forget the basics. Refresher courses have been published online on YouTube by eminent professors to help experienced people as well as newcomers get quickly up to speed.

Since wireless is an emerging technology an immense scope exists for entrepreneurs to start new businesses. By being aware of the common concepts any one can identify and act upon opportunities as they present themselves. If you’re comfortable in learning and applying your knowledge then time is on your side and the future is yours.

Personally I’m looking forward to see how people solve problems and invent new things on wireless.

workrockin@gmail.com

Reference

Free Books on electromagnetism

https://www.sciencebooksonline.info/physics/electromagnetism.html

September 2, 2019

Why can’t devices be powered in the air without plugging in or using wireless charging statio

Actually we’re transmitting power wirelessly all the time. Cellular towers, wifi devices all work on the principle of transmitting electrical power over the air.

When these signals are demodulated in the device the current stream is converted into a digital signal which is then processed by the client.

Therefore we have both transmitters and receivers capable of manipulating energy wirelessly.

However the energy is very small. Comparatively speaking our electrical devices need much more power to operate. Signals over the air decay rapidly as the distance from the source increases.

In effect wireless electrical transfer would only be good at very small distances or the power of radiation would have to be drastically increased.

From this FCC document

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/human-exposure-radio-frequency-fields-guidelines-cellular-and-pcs-sites

“Although the FCC permits an effective radiated power (ERP) of up to 500 watts per channel (depending on the tower height), the majority of cellular or PCS cell sites in urban and suburban areas operate at an ERP of 100 watts per channel or less.

An ERP of 100 watts corresponds to an actual radiated power of 5-10 watts, depending on the type of antenna used. In urban areas, cell sites commonly emit an ERP of 10 watts per channel or less. For PCS cell sites, even lower ERPs are typical. As with all forms of electromagnetic energy, the power density from a cellular or PCS transmitter rapidly decreases as distance from the antenna increases.”

From the point of view of physics you can capture this energy and use to store in a battery, no problem. But it would be a net loss as compared to the power delivered to you with wired lines.

So yes we can charge devices wirelessly.

Useful Trivia

Sun radiates 3.83 x 10^26 watts of energy wirelessly, a small fraction of which we look capture in fixed solar panels.

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-estimated-power-radiated-by-the-Sun

I think it might not be such a bad idea to create devices that radiate sun’s power as electromagnetic waves that can be stored in remote batteries. Losses here don’t matter because everything is free. We can try to optimize for convenience and create a wireless power distribution system that augments (not replaces) the wired power distribution.

September 1, 2019September 1, 2019

Return of the wireless ad hoc multiplayer

Multiplayer gaming has always been popular. Every gaming platform ever made, whether it’s the arcades or PC or home consoles, has tried to incorporate some form of multiplayer gaming. Technology has been a limiting factor sometimes. Computer networks were not as robust in the 90’s as they are now. Good for sending a couple of emails maybe but not good for playing games.

Local networks were still in their formative years. LAN parties only became popular towards the end of the 90’s and continue to draw crowds even today.

Multiplayer itself has taken many forms. From the two player cooperative side scrolling gameplay of Contra to one on one matches of street fighter. From the humongous 256 simultaneous players online multiplayer of MAG, to the incredibly popular mobile multiplayer shooter PUBG, people love their multiplayer games in all of its forms.

While shooters and real time strategy have dominated the muliplayer scene alternatives have existed for people who have wanted to try something new.

We are here to talk about a very different kind of multiplayer experience. One that works on individual machines yet it does not require an active internet connection. These experiences were made possible because of handheld consoles.

As far as video game consoles go handhelds themselves were a novelty. No longer you needed to hook your machine to a TV. No longer you needed to sit down in front of the monitor to play a game. You could take it to your school. Play a game on your flight. With an inbuilt screen, a couple of buttons on the gamepad, and a slot for batteries, handhelds were a technological marvel. Earliest form of digital multimedia devices. Long before mobile could send emails. Long before they could display images.

Handhelds appealed to a mass market. They were cheap to buy. Cheap to develop games on. Playing on handhelds was like reading a book. Just you and your gameboy. A handheld RPG was like a fairytale you could play before going to bed.

Handhelds were also one of the first console devices that did machine to machine multiplayer right.

When Nintendo released the original gameboy it came with a game link cable. The link cable let you connect two gameboy devices together to support multiplayer games. Further enhancement to the game linking technology allowed you play with upto 4 people together. This technology was best utilized by legend of zelda adventure of the 4 swords. Although by the time the Zelda came out wireless technologies were becoming quite popular. Zelda could be played either with a game link cable or with the help of a special wireless adapter.

While in those early days the implementation was crude, game link cables were only a few feet long and could pop out quite easily if either one of the player got excited while playing the game, this was the first time that the world saw mobility and multiplayer combined. Yes there were flaws. But the promise was big.

With new handhelds wireless multiplayer was adopted rather quickly. Both psp and ds supported adhoc wifi multiplayer games that could work offline. Think game link cable without the wires. As long as two people had the same game on their machines and it supported multiplayer in some way they could play together without an internet connection.

Multiplayer gaming on handhelds took a different path than multiplayer gaming on the consoles. While on consoles the big selling point was the ability to play with gamers on the other side of the world. Handheld multiplayer gaming was about playing games with friends in your real life. People whom you knew. Classmates. Family members. Two very different multiplayer experiences. Both very fun.

Multiplayer gaming on home consoles and PC has been competitive. Even if it is in a team based shooter the goal is generally to defeat the players in the opposing camp.

Handheld multiplayer explored co-operative multiplayer games. Sure there were wipeouts and tekkens that allowed Player Vs Player kind of matches but cooperative games stole the show. The most famous example of this kind of game is Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.

On consoles local offline multiplayer has always had half hearted support. For example take a look at XBOX 360’s local multiplayer guide using ethernet cables to create an Xbox LAN network. While it works setting things up quite a headache. It almost seems like a regression into the days of Game link cable.

Generally speaking any console that has an ethernet port can be added to a LAN network. Also if your console has an ethernet port you can reasonably expect its OS to give you networking support. However to actually play games on that network you must have software support. If the game does not allow you to play offline multiplayer there’s little you can do.

XBOX 360 was not the only console to support LAN gaming. Both playstation 3 and nintedo wii had support for offline multiplayer games.

Offline multiplayer gaming on consoles have some serious shortcomings. The consoles lack mobility. To make offline games work you need to have the full setup ready. Console, controllers as well as monitors. Only the most dedicated gamers will go through the trouble of arranging all that.

Despite this fact due to the widespread adoption of video game consoles its LAN gaming scene is growing. LAN parties are no longer a PC only affair. They’ve grown to include home consoles as well.

Handhelds on the other hand are portable. You can carry them with you. You can set up local multiplayer matches wirelessly. Wireless signals can be extended to increase the range to enable you to play even from the remotest places in house. Unlike in link cables you don’t have to sit right next to each other to play. On the PSP fan made multiplayer systems transformed adhoc wireless into fully featured online multiplayer games.

Still wireless adhoc games are fundamentally different from online multiplayer games. You can’t just log into a server play a few rounds of capture the flag and then switch your machine off. Even though you can play without wires you need to arrange the game. You need to invite your friends over to your house/cafe. You need to schedule the game play. That alone makes it a very different experience.

But the big question is do wireless adhoc games have a future?

Today internet is common. The limitations that held back online multiplayer gaming in the early 90’s are all gone. Hardware is cheap. Internet is cheap. Multiplayer games are as cheap as they can be (free). Why would any one bother with wireless ad-hoc?

Well there are many many reasons.

Multiplayer games are becoming an essential component of gaming. Every shooter has a multiplayer aspect in it. Single player only games are a rarity.

Online multiplayer requires a huge investment in servers. Not only in building them but also in maintaining them. Multiplayer heavy games lose their appeal when the servers go down.

Lets suppose that you buy a copy of a game, you beat it and then forget about it. Years later you feel like revisiting certain portions of the game but you can’t because the game won’t work unless it is connected to a server. Not something that you’d want.

Consider another scenario of a co-operative multiplayer game that is designed to be played with at least 2 people. If the game is dependent on a server and the server goes down you can no longer play it even if you have the copy of the game and a friend who is willing to play with you.

Switch, Nintendo’s latest console has once more put the focus back on wireless ad hoc play. A game like mario kart for example can be played with upto 8 people. Sure you can also play it online. But nothing beats seeing the look on your friends face when you blast him with a blue shell to win the tournament. LAN parties are way more fun. Wireless LAN parties make it much better.

wireless adhoc makes multiplayer games timeless. As long as you have a copy you can play it any time you want. Even if a server is down.

With Google’s stadia game streaming might become the new standard. Who knows you may no longer even buy games. You can play them on any device you want. You can play any game you want. The promise is big. But the question remains the same. What happens when the server goes down?

Maybe wireless adhoc multiplayer will also reinvent itself. Maybe we will see a different kind of game streaming. Maybe there will be a wireless adhoc game streaming service. Turn on the game stream. Get your friends together and play the game using your phone.

Maybe the next generation of video game machine will not be a pc or a console or a handheld for that matter. Not your phone, not your tablet, not your smart watch. It would be a networking device.

Who knows?

workrockin@gmail.com

September 1, 2019

Is wifi as reliable as Ethernet?

Both wifi and Ethernet provide physical and data link layers of the communication stack. In OSI model this is called layer 1 and layer 2.
Both Ethernet and wifi are shared access mediums. They both work on CSMA. Or carrier sense multiple access. That is before transmission can happen it is verified that no other node is using the carrier signal.
Ethernet uses Collision Detection or CD to stop transmission as soon as packets collide . Wifi uses Collision avoidance or CA to stop collision from happening in the first place. This way single transmission medium is used by many nodes. Or it’s multiplexed.
Ethernet is best for point to point and fixed multipoint connections. Since wifi communication is over the air it’s best for mobile point to multipoint as well as mobile point to point connections.
In terms of speed Ethernet is faster than wifi with speeds touching 100 Gbps.
Because Ethernet uses a wire for transmission it does not have to deal with interference. Wifi signals on the other hand suffer reflection,interference, diffusion etc.

Layer 2 offloading with Network switch

An Ethernet works in a full duplex mode when separate wires are used for transmission and reception. Lan cables like cat 5 or cat 6 are twisted pair. Pair refers to two set of wires. One set for transmission and the other set for reception.

As such when there is no longer a shared medium it can upload and download at the same time.

This is achieved with the help of a network switch. A separate hardware that takes care of medium access control. It provides the layer 2 functionality that was previously handled by CSMA/CD.

Since the medium is no longer shared ,due to separate wires being used, you can have full duplex high speed connection. No multiplexing is required since each device has a different communication channel.

Summary

On paper both WiFi and Ethernet are equally reliable. In the real world, nothing can beat a fixed wire connection. But that reliability is of little use if it can’t be distributed efficiently. Or require fixed devices for access.

Reference

How gigabit ethernet works

https://www.hardwaresecrets.com/how-gigabit-ethernet-works/

August 29, 2019

How can we build sustainable communication infrastructure?

Our communication infrastructure today consists in large part of undersea and underground cables. These form what is known as the backbone.

This part of the network I believe is mostly insulated from the shocks and disturbances of nature. Infact nature itself provides that insulation. Tsunami’s, Hurricanes,Cyclones affect only the surface of the earth. Underwater it’s peaceful.

Earthquakes have the potential of damaging the fibre but they too are not always earth shattering. And even when they are they affect a tiny region for a small time. Fibres are strong and have very tough shielding. It can be cut but not smashed so easily.

Fiber optic cables have in fact successfully been used as sensors to detect earthquakes!

https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Fiber_Optic_Cables_Find_Use_as_Seismic_Sensors/a63059

But here’s the kicker, climate change won’t be just one thing. It will be unpredictable. We can’t exactly say which part will be affected by what natural force.

Cell towers and other access points that are “out in the open” will probably take most of the battering. Although they are designed to be weather proof they are still susceptible to extreme weather like heavy rainfall or snow. They need regular maintenance. If nothing else rust will eat them away Any disruption in electricity will also render them useless.

On the other hand there are plans to create an internet backbone in space that will run on the sun’s energy. This architecture won’t be susceptible to natural disasters on Earth. When it turns into a reality, it will make our communication system even more robust.

All of this is speculation of worst case scenario that has not yet happened. A negative scenario is on the opposite end of the positive one. So what’s the positive then?

I believe that the communication industry can lead the change in sustainable technology. How?

All of outdoor mobile access points run on electricity powered by non renewable energy sources. The first step could be to provide alternative sources of power. Solar energy coupled with batteries should be a good start.

For places where solar energy is infeasible portable source of power like bio- fuel or hydrogen cells can be used to generate energy required for operation. The advantage that outdoor cells have is for the amount of service they provide they use very little energy. Almost negligible if you count the per user consumption.

But since the demand for communication technology is huge we need a lot of them. Because we need a lot of them they become great large scale labs for alternative sources of energy not only helping it refine for home usage but also kick-starting an industry by providing a ready made market. For example solar cells may not be adequate for home usage but they are ready for small cell towers.

But that is not going to be enough. The design should evolve to make access points smaller, compact and better adapted to the environment. Rather than setting up big towers we should use what is available to us in plenty. Like trees.

At the moment the trees are being viewed as a hindrance to build the infrastructure. But they themselves can provide the foundation for a new smarter telecommunication infrastructure at a cheaper rate.

[Some radio engineers will argue that trees absorb electromagnetic spectrum because of their high water content. But then water is everywhere. We have 70 percent water in our bodies. We simply can’t do way with it. The problem can be solved with directional antennas and multiple access points serving smaller areas. Or by moving the radios to an indoor structure for wider omnidirectional pattern. The possibilities are many. ]

Climate change is not something that we need to be afraid of. We can instead use it as an opportunity to upgrade our infrastructure to be more smarter and sustainable far into the future. Which at the moment it isn’t.

workrockin@gmail.com