Page 119 - DCAP311_DCAP607_WIRELESS_NETWORKS

Unit 7: Wireless LAN

7.3.6 Antennae Notes

That part of a transmitting or receiving system which is designed to radiate or to receive
electromagnetic waves”. An antenna can also be viewed as a transitional structure (transducer)
between free-space and a transmission line (such as a coaxial line). An important property of an
antenna is the ability to focus and shape the radiated power in space e.g.: it enhances the power
in some wanted directions and suppresses the power in other directions.

7.4 Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) Applications

Small office/home office (or single office/home office; SOHO) refers to the category of business
or cottage industry that involves from 1 to 10 workers.
Before the 19th century, and the spread of the industrial revolution around the globe, nearly
all offices were small offices and/or home offices, with only a few exceptions. Most businesses
were small, and the paperwork that accompanied them was limited. The industrial revolution
aggregated workers in factories, to mass-produce goods. In most circumstances, the so-called
“white collar” counterpart—office work—was aggregated as well in large buildings, usually in
cities or densely populated suburban areas.

Beginning in the mid-1980s, the advent of the personal computer and fax machine, plus
breakthroughs in telecommunications, created opportunities for office workers to decentralize.
Decentralization was also perceived as benefiting employers in terms of lower overheads and
potentially greater productivity.
Many consultants and the members of such professions as lawyers, real estate agents, and
surveyors in small and medium-size towns operate from home offices.
Several ranges of products, such as the armoire desk and all-in-one printer, are designed
specifically for the SOHO market. A number of books and magazines have been published and
marketed specifically at this type of office. These range from general advice texts to specific
guidebooks on such challenges as setting up a small PBX for the office telephones.
Technology has also created a demand for larger businesses to employ individuals who work
from home. Sometimes these people remain as an independent businessperson, and sometimes
they become employees of a larger company.

In popular literature, the home office has not been the topic of as many works as the “normal”
modern office. Brian Basset, the author of the newspaper comic strip Adam@home, has sometimes
described its more humorous aspects.

The small office home office has undergone a transformation since its advent as the internet has
enabled anyone working from a home office to compete globally. Technology has made this
possible through email, the World-Wide Web, e-commerce, videoconferencing, remote desktop
software, webinar systems, and telephone connections by VOIP.

7.4.1 SOHO Wireless Network Components

There are currently two types of Wi-Fi components you’ll need to build your home or office
network: Wi-Fi radio (also known as client devices) devices (desktops, laptops, PDAs, etc.), and
access points or gateways that act as base stations. A third type, Wi-Fi equipped peripherals, is
emerging and will soon be commonplace. This group includes printers, scanners, cameras, video
monitors, set-top boxes and other peripheral equipment.
Types of equipment include:

z z PC Card Radio
z z Mini-PCI Modules and Embedded Radios

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