- Buyers Guide
The Book End
Wireless Local Loops - Theory and Applications
Peter Stavroulakis, Editor
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
289 pages; $110
This book presents the theoretical aspects and various practical applications of a new medium of transmission called wireless local loops (WLL) that is making a major impact in the supply of new services. The global WLL market is predicted to reach millions of subscribers with most of this growth occurring in emerging economies where half the world population lacks ordinary telephone service. Developing nations, such as China, India, Brazil, Russia and Indonesia, look to WLL technology as an efficient way to deploy telephone service to millions of subscribers - without the expense of burying tons of copper wire.
The book has been written with the help of 26 authors from all over the world, all of whom are experts in the field. Part I covers the theoretical aspects which include propagation, modulation, coding, channel modeling and traffic engineering issues of WLL, while Part II covers prototype designs of various access protocols and a mobility manager as well as a remote management system and provision of multimedia services. The book starts with a general overview of wireless local loops and continues with a presentation of propagation models for WLLs. Chapter 3 covers capacity enhancement issues for space division multiple access. Modulation aspects are covered in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 describes an algorithmic approach to the generation of orthogonal Hadamar code in order to reduce complexity in low data WLL receivers. Channel modeling for indoor and outdoor WLLs is presented in Chapter 6. Chapters 7 and 8 cover the traffic considerations in comparing access techniques for WLL and dynamic channel allocation schemes.
Applications are covered in Part II, which starts in Chapter 9 to present an innovative access protocol prototype. Chapter 10 presents a mobility manager based on private branch exchange. A remote management system is presented in Chapter 11, and the prospects for current and future services using WLL are covered in Chapter 12.
To order this book, contact: John Wiley & Sons Inc., One Wiley Drive, Somerset, NJ 08875 (800) 225-5945.
Hector J. De Los Santos
Artech House Inc.
261 pages; $85, £59
This book addresses the design of RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based circuits for use in high performance wireless systems. It examines the recent progress made in the emerging field of MEMS technology in the context of their insertion and deployment in radio frequency and microwave wireless applications. The book assumes basic, BS-level background in physics or electrical engineering, and is intended for senior undergraduate or beginning graduate students as well as practicing RF and microwave engineers.
Chapter 1 starts by stating clearly the omnipresent wireless communication problem, as it relates to the technical challenges in meeting the extreme levels of appliance functionality (in the context of low power consumption) demanded by consumers in their quest for connectivity at home. It continues with a review of the wireless standards, systems and traditional architectures, as well as their limitations, which in turn, are imposed by those of the conventional RF technologies they utilize. Chapter 2 provides a review of those salient points in RF circuit design that are key to its successful exploitation of RF MEMS devices in circuits. Chapter 3 offers an in-depth examination of the arsenal of MEMS-based devices on which RF MEMS circuit design will be predicated - namely capacitors, inductors, varactors, switches and resonators, including pertinent information on their operation, models and fabrication. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the modeling of RF MEMS devices, using three-dimensional mechanical and full-wave electromagnetic tools. Chapter 4 provides a sample of the many novel devices and circuits that have been enabled by exploiting the degrees of design freedom afforded by RF MEMS fabrication techniques - in particular reconfigurable circuit elements such as inductors, capacitors, LC resonators and distributed matching networks. Chapter 5 integrates all the material presented as it examines perhaps the most important RF MEMS circuits - namely phase-shifters, filters and oscillators - through a number of case studies.
To order this book, contact: Artech House Inc., 685 Canton St., Norwood, MA 02062 (781) 769-9750 ext. 4030; or 46 Gilligham St., London SW1V 1HH, UK +44 (0) 207 596-8750.