| The term wireless is normally used to refer | | | | in to a receptacle or jack in the television |
| to any type of electrical or electronic | | | | whereas more modern televisions use wireless |
| operation which is accomplished without the | | | | (generally infrared) remote control units. |
| use of a "hard wired" connection. Some of | | | | |
| these operations may also be accomplished | | | | Cellular telephones |
| with the use of wires if desired, while | | | | |
| others, such as long range communications, | | | | Perhaps one of the most well known examples |
| are impossible or impractical to implement | | | | of wireless technology in action is the |
| with the use of wires. The term is commonly | | | | cellular telephone. These instruments use |
| used in the telecommunications industry to | | | | radio waves to enable the operator to make |
| refer to telecommunications systems (e.g., | | | | phone calls from many locations world-wide. |
| radio transmitters and receivers, remote | | | | They can be used anywhere that there is a |
| controls, computer networks, network | | | | cellular telephone site to house the |
| terminals, etc.) which use some form of | | | | equipment that is required to transmit and |
| energy (e.g.,radio frequency (RF), infrared | | | | receive the signal that is used to transfer |
| light, laser light, visible light, acoustic | | | | both voice and data to and from these |
| energy, etc.) to transfer information without | | | | instruments. |
| the use of wires.[1] Information is | | | | |
| transferred in this manner over both short | | | | History |
| and long distances. | | | | |
| | | | The term "wireless" came into public use to |
| The term "wireless" should not be confused | | | | refer to a radio receiver or transceiver (a |
| with the term "cordless", which is generally | | | | dual purpose receiver and transmitter |
| used to refer to powered electrical or | | | | device), establishing its usage in the field |
| electronic devices that are able to operate | | | | of wireless telegraphy early on; now the term |
| from a portable power source (e.g., a battery | | | | is used to describe modern wireless |
| pack) without any cable or cord to limit the | | | | connections such as in cellular networks and |
| mobility of the cordless device through a | | | | wireless broadband Internet. It is also used |
| connection to the mains power supply. It is | | | | in a general sense to refer to any type of |
| interesting to note that some cordless | | | | operation that is implemented without the use |
| devices, such as cordless telephones, are | | | | of wires, such as "wireless remote control", |
| also wireless in the sense that information | | | | "wireless energy transfer", etc. regardless |
| is transferred from the cordless telephone to | | | | of the specific technology (e.g., radio, |
| the telephone's base unit via some type of | | | | infrared, ultrasonic, etc.) that is used to |
| wireless communications link. This has caused | | | | accomplish the operation. |
| some disparity in the usage of the term | | | | |
| "cordless", for example in Digital Enhanced | | | | Heinrich Rudolf Hertz |
| Cordless Telecommunications. | | | | |
| | | | Possibly the most important discovery in the |
| Examples of wireless technology at work | | | | history of wireless technology was the |
| | | | demonstration by Heinrich Rudolf Hertz in |
| Security systems | | | | 1888 that electromagnetic waves exist as |
| | | | predicted by James Clerk Maxwell and Michael |
| One common example of an operation or | | | | Faraday. He also proved that these waves |
| operations where the implementation of | | | | could be transmitted and caused to travel |
| wireless technology may supplement or replace | | | | through space and that they were able to be |
| hard wired implementations is in security | | | | received by an experimental apparatus.[2][3] |
| systems for homes or office buildings. The | | | | The experiments of Hertz proved to be very |
| operations that are required (e.g., detecting | | | | important to the fields of wireless |
| whether a door or window is open or closed) | | | | communication and remote control, though |
| may be implemented with the use of hard wired | | | | practical applications of the technology |
| sensors or they may be implemented with the | | | | would be implemented by others. |
| use of wireless sensors which are also | | | | |
| equipped with some type of wireless | | | | Nikola Tesla |
| transmitter (e.g., infrared, radio frequency, | | | | |
| etc.) to transmit the information concerning | | | | Some principles and inventions of wireless |
| the current state of the door or window. | | | | technology can be found in the lectures, |
| | | | patent record, and other accounts of the |
| Television remote control | | | | electrical engineer Nikola Tesla (such as his |
| | | | 1916 deposition on the history of wireless |
| Another example would be the use of a | | | | and radio technology: 'Nikola Telsa On His |
| wireless remote control unit to replace the | | | | Work With Alternating Currents And Their |
| old hard wired remote control units that were | | | | Application to Wireless Telegraphy, |
| sometimes used in the television industry. | | | | Telephony, and Transmission of Energy, |
| Some televisions were previously manufactured | | | | Anderson, Leland, ed., Published 1992). |
| with hard wired remote controls which plugged | | | | |