Wireless communication

Question 1

What is wireless communication?

Answer 1

Use of electromagnetic waves (usually radio waves) to carry information from one place to another

Question 2

Examples of wireless appliances

Answer 2

Televisions- radio waves
Radios- radio waves
Mobile phones- microwaves
Laptops- radio waves
Smart phones- radio waves and microwaves

Question 3

What is an aerial?

Answer 3

Piece of metal that absorbs radio waves to produce an alternating electrical current.

Question 4

Advantages of aerial?

Answer 4

• No wired connection needed. You don’t need telephone line to be able to make a phone call or connect to the internet.
• Wireless technology is portable and convenient
• You can use wireless technology whilst on the move, for example in a car or on a train

Question 5

How can signal be positively affected by wireless signal?

Answer 5

Whenever a wireless signal travels through the air it can be reflected and refracted by buildings or by layers in the atmosphere. This can allow the signal to be received that would otherwise be blocked by buildings and hills in the way

Question 6

How can signal be negatively affected by wireless signal?

Answer 6

Can also lead to a drop in quality. The signal can lose too much energy and became too weak, Too many reflections can also cause a drop in quality because the wireless appliance receives more than one signal at once.

Question 7

Short-range communication

Answer 7

Bluetooth

Wi-Fi

Question 8

What is the ionosphere?

Answer 8

Layer if ionised particles in the upper atmosphere, on the edge of space.

Question 9

How can signal be lost in long-range communication?

Answer 9

Whenever the waves are transmitted from dishes, some of the signal spreads out (diffracts) rather than travelling in a perfectly straight line.
Waves bend or refract as they pass through different layers in the atmosphere.
Both of these factors make it difficult to send the signal where you want to, and result in a drop in quality.