The following article appeared in the March 15, 1994 PC
MAGAZINE
Page 29
It may be of interest to us because of the work with the
Braille 'n Speak infrared connections
Infrared Tower of Babel
Setting a wireless standard
With all the attention that wireless communication is getting these
days, there's one wireless technology that's inexpensive, safe,
unregulated, and lost in the spectrum of invisible light: infrared.
One reason infrared is sometimes ignored is because hardware
manufacturers use different protocols to transmit signals. The
result is a virtual Tower of Babel, where desktops, notebooks,
PDAs, and printers speak their own invisible languages. That could
change this year as many developers agree on ground rules for point
and shoot infrared communication.
"A Zoomer can talk only to another Zoomer. An Omnibook can't
approach a Sharp Wizard," explains John LaRoche, of the Infrared
Data Association, which is promoting a universal infrared serial
link that connects desktop PCs, printers, telephones, docking
stations, networks, and PDAs. "A standard will allow for true
interoperability between PDAs, mobile communicators, and
peripherals so you won't have to worry about brand names."
Fifty member companies are working on standards that address
details such as the way the pulses are encoded and the wavelength
of the infrared light so that both ends agree on how to interpret
the stream of light. The two protocols in the spotlight are
Hewlett Packard's Serial Infrared communications interface (SIR),
found in HP's OmniBook, and General Magic's MagicBeam, found in
Apple's Newton and Sharp's Wizard. SIR uses pulses of light to
transmit data at a rate of 115.2 kilobits per second over distances
of 1 to 3 meters. Magic Beam, which modulates a beam of light, can
use less power to transmit less data over a longer distance 38.4
Kbps and 4 meters, respectively. "Magic Beam is more like an FM
receiver. You can modulate for different channels so you can have
multiple communications going on in one area," explains General
Magic's Tony Fadell. Dual mode hardware would support both
standards, similar to having AM and FM on one radio.
Cross-brand interoperability is a tall order. Some say that
expectations are too high and that a standard may emerge only when
a substantial volume of products hits the market. When that
happens, you'll be able to shoot files to printers, transmit pages
to fax machines, and use infrared docking stations instead of
tangled cords to synchronize desktop PCs with mobile companions.
-Carol Levin
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