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authored by Chuck Bolvin, VP of Technology There are still quite a few legacy data collection systems out there, many of them running on older wireless networks that may be pre-standard 802.11b. Even those that are 802.11b compliant probably don’t support current generation security such as WPA. There are ways to take some older gear and convert those to newer radios thus saving some of the original investment. If the equipment for example uses a standard radio form factor such as a PC-CARD (PCMCIA) radio, the manufacturer may have an upgrade path to a newer generation of radio. This is bay far the safest way, but not always available. Another concern is the operating system on the device. Most older data collection devices ran either some flavor of DOS or even a proprietary OS. Although there are newer radios available, finding drivers for DOS can be a challenge. Few manufactures such as Cisco still have drivers available that would allow radio upgrades to newer, but not latest radio technology. If the OS is proprietary the only source would be the terminal manufacturer. For newer OS’s such as WindowsCE the odds of finding a newer driver are much better. Especially if the OS is no older than say, PocketPC 2002 which used the CE 3.0 kernel.
What about current devices that don’t come with radios but at have a Compact Flash (CF) slot that’s accessible? CF radios are available, but most have integrated antennas that aren’t the right size. If the radio is embedded, then any radio with an integrated antenna is out of the question. Many current generation CF radios also have performance issue. They don’t handle roaming properly nor do they handle powersave modes properly. Powersave mode is critical to the battery life of a handheld device. Many CF radios currently available don’t handle powersave correctly or not at all. Another issue is FCC certification. FCC certification is required for radios that have external antennas. So if a radio replacement is possible, making sure the radio/antenna combination is certified is important. This all leads to a question: If I want to replace my radio or add a radio to my device, what are my choices? Here’s a list of things to think about: 1. Find a radio that will physically fit the device 2. Find an antenna that will fit if required 3. Make sure drivers are available, or an API specification is available so you can write your own driver 4. Make sure that testing tools are available for FCC certification. This is usually in the form of special software 5. Find a manufacture that is willing to work with you and has the support team in place 6. Find a manufacturer that has experience with wireless in portable devices Wav carries a product from a company with just those qualifications: Summit Datacomm. Summit is a company made up of engineers with extensive backgrounds in wireless and portable devices, many of which came from Aironet which has always been the leader in Wireless LAN technology. Especially for client devices. Summit has made available an extensive API and developer’s kit to support driver development and tailoring of the radio to the customer’s specific needs. The radio comes in CF and PC-Card form factors with standard U.FL antenna connectors and the company will soon be releasing a version with an integrated antenna. In addition, Summit has a complete set of FCC test tools to make FCC certification as smooth as possible. Couple that with excellent development support and a completely US based team means a successful implementation. WAV Inc. has been designated as Summit’s sole distributor and has the ability to help in the integration, support and can also assist on the FCC certification of the radio if required.
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