Focused Practice

I. Answer the following questions:

1. What is Bluetooth used for?

2. What frequency does Bluetooth technology use?

3. What are Bluetooth target applications?

4. Why can Bluetooth devices connect through walls?

5. What is Bluetooth’s main strength?

6. What makes Bluetooth a superior solution for mobile devices and Internet applications?

II. Analyse the grammar structures underlined in the above text.

III. Speak on: Bluetooth technology.

Unit 60 Grammar: The Adjectives (Degrees of Comparison) Word List:

1. decade	десятилетие
2. Ethernet cables	коаксиальные кабели сети Ethernet
3. hardware	аппаратное обеспечение, «железо»
4. intruder	«злоумышленник»
5. router	маршрутизатор (в сети)
6. Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity)	стандарт Wi-Fi на беспроводную высококачественную связь
7. throughput	пропускная способность
8. vendor	продавец-производитель
9. implementation	внедрение
10. mbps = megabits per second	мегабит в секунду
11. shield	защита

Wrap – Speed Wireless

For two decades, users have linked PCs with Ethernet cables, but sending data through the open spaces of offices and homes without wires is still relatively new. 802.11b wireless standard allows transfers at a maximum speed of 11 megabits per second under ideal conditions. That pales next to wired speeds. However, 802.11g wireless standard promises 54 mbps speed while running in the same 2.4 GHz range as 802.11b and remaining compatible with the older hardware (unlike 802.11a, which offers 54 mbps but has a shorter range and no compatibility with 802.11b). The anticipation for 11g products was so great that vendors began releasing them months before the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ratified the 802.11g specification.

The 802.11g products we saw were certainly faster than the 802.11b models. And the products using proprietary technologies were even swifter ¾ though you’ll get those speeds only if all your hardware is from the same vendor.

The new speeds allow 11g networks to boldly go where no wireless has gone before. 11g’s extra throughput lets you more easily transfer large files across office and home networks and even stream video from computer to computer.

The new products also provide better shields against intruders, by supplementing the weak Wired Equivalent Privacy security system with Wi-Fi Protected Access ¾ the first chunk of a developing wireless security standard called 802.11i. WPA capability became a requirement for any new product seeking certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance industry group. (already-certified 802.11b products don’t have to support WPA.) Wireless products that carry the Wi-Fi logo ¾ even ones manufactured by different companies, such as a router from one vendor and a PC Card from another ¾ are supposed to work together.

Like 802.11g certification, WPA capability is currently at varying stages of implementation. All the vendors are planning WPA firmware upgrades for their entire lines of 11g routers, and for some 11b products.

Windows XP is the only version of Windows that has built-in wireless support. Installing a wireless product on other versions requires a driver from the manufacturer, which will also have to provide WPA upgrades. All of the wireless vendors say that they are developing WPA software for Windows 98 SE, Me, and 2000 on their 11g products.