What is WPAN (wireless personal area network)?

In this tutorial, we are going to see What is WPAN (wireless personal area network)?

The wireless personal area network (also called wireless individual network or wireless home network and noted WPAN for Wireless Personal Area Network) refers to wireless networks with a short-range: about a few tens of meters. This type of network is generally used to connect peripherals (printer, cell phone, domestic appliances, …) or a personal assistant (PDA) to a computer without a wired connection or to allow the wireless connection between two machines that are not very far apart. There are several technologies used for WPAN:
 

 
The main WPAN technology is Bluetooth, launched by Ericsson in 1994, offering a theoretical data rate of 1 Mbps for a maximum range of about 30 meters. Bluetooth, also known as IEEE 802.15.1, has the advantage of using very little power, which makes it particularly suitable for use in small devices.
 

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HomeRF (for Home Radio Frequency), launched in 1998 by the HomeRF Working Group (represented by the manufacturers Compaq, HP, Intel, Siemens, Motorola, and Microsoft) offers a theoretical speed of 10 Mbps with a range of about 50 to 100 meters without an amplifier. The HomeRF standard, supported by Intel in particular, was abandoned in January 2003, mainly because the processor founders are now focusing on embedded Wi-Fi technologies (via Centrino technology, which includes a microprocessor and a Wi-Fi adapter in the same component).
 

 

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The ZigBee technology (also known as IEEE 802.15.4) allows to get wireless connections at a very low cost and with very low power consumption, which makes it particularly suitable to be directly integrated into small electronic devices (household appliances, hifi, toys, …). The Zigbee technology, operating on the 2.4 GHz frequency band and on 16 channels, allows reaching data rates up to 250 Kb/s with a maximum range of about 100 meters.
 

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Finally, infrared connections allow the creation of wireless connections of a few meters with speeds that can reach a few megabits per second. This technology is widely used for home automation (remote controls) but suffers from disturbances due to light interference. The irDA association (infrared data association) was created in 1995 and has over 150 members.
 

 
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