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workrockin · 6 years ago

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What is WiFi calling technology, and how does it work in sync with the cellular provider?

Thanks for asking this question. Wifi calling is an instance of what are known as generic access networks (GAN) [1]. GANs allow you to access the networks of cellular providers through an external IP network.

It is important to keep in mind however that Wifi Calling in traditional sense is still a cellular call. By that I mean you are calling a number. Authentication, call connection , call routing all works as it would if you called directly.

“How does it work in sync with the cellular provider?”

For that we need to look into something called the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

[I’ll limit this discussion to 4G networks but note that GAN also works for 2G networks just that the handoff method is a bit different requiring a GANC (C here stands for controller referring to a specific hardware device that transforms and forwards the data traffic from WiFi to cellular network processor)]

IMS is a system for delivering communication services over an IP network. Before 3G services were delivered using a circuit switched network. IMS performs routing,authentication ,authorization and accounting over internet protocol. Several protocols are available for performing individual tasks but they all work over IP. All these tasks are performed on the server level (or the base station level in telephony terms) provided by the network operator.

Now it's common knowledge that cell phones work wirelessly. These wireless signals form the “Physical Layer” of the communication network stack. 4G onwards all cellular communication is IP based [2].

What is other wireless communication technology that works on IP?

Wifi!! So since wifi understands IP pretty well. Since wifi is widely deployed. And since nearly all smart devices support wifi it is an easy choice for infrastructure providers to use wifi calling to not only offload the strain on their core network but also to enable their services where towers don’t yet exist.

Now 4G is an all IP network and wifi understands IP pretty well, all that is needed to be done is to forward the wifi packets to the 4G network provider over the wifi connection. This is handled by the operating system of the handset when you enable the wifi calling feature.

For example check out this line on android open source repository

https://android.googlesource.com/platform/frameworks/base/+/master/telephony/java/android/telephony/ims/ImsMmTelManager.java#69

How does it work on the hardware level?

The easy answer is it will work in the same way as you receiving a call on your phone while watching youtube connected to your wifi router. At that point in time you are using both wifi and cellular network services.

For wireless communication to work you need radios and antennas. Now if you have been following the developments in mobile chip technology you must have noted that a single modem encapsulates 3g,4g,5g,wifi and bluetooth in a package.

Such a package contains both radios as well as antennas for various technologies to work simultaneously. The antennas and radios for wifi are separate from the antennas and radios for 4G even though all the components are on a single chip. They are all distinct subsystems.

You can have your wifi,bluetooth and 4G on all at the same time and use all these services at once.

As described above the handoff or the sync will have to be handled by the OS (android or IOS depending on your smartphone). It will determine when to handoff and to what network to handoff to.

The handoff can only work when both cellular and wifi radios are “on”. Which can lead to more load on the battery.

Wifi calling is not without its faults however. The way current wifi systems are deployed range can often be an issue. On the other hand , at least as a personal observation, most people seem to prefer an asynchronous mode of communication.

Email me I’ll reply when I have the time.

What’s app me I’ll reply when I check your message

Voice message me and I’ll get back to you.

Direct telephone calls, unless they are from someone close to you or pre scheduled are seen as intrusive.

Now this makes wifi based offloading a very attractive option especially considering the pricing of wireless equipment (remote radio heads for example). Even if a user does not use wifi calling feature natively, they can converse on several other apps. Their is messenger, email, what app, twitter, skype in fact we are at a stage where its hard to keep a track of all the ways in which we can communicate!

When GAN was proposed in 2005 there were not as many alternatives. Android was not popular. Smartphones were in their infancy. At that time it was a brilliant idea. But today not so much.

That is not to say that the idea has no merits. It does. Especially when you consider that nearly all telecom companies are pushing for wifi deployments. Wifi calling may or may not be successful. But it definitely will reduce the operational cost of service providers by reducing the load on their towers.

I’m of the opinion that in the near future we are going to see more and more open systems like wifi taking over the functions that were previously provided by core cellular deployments. The cellular networks are IP based but they don’t offer significant advantages over the default networking open source stack [3] on linux which has already proven its networking capabilities in data centers. Communication technology is going to be more open. That’s what I feel at least. And wifi calling is a step towards that direction.

References

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_Access_Network

[2] 4G is all IP https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/4g2.htm

[3] It is relevant here to point out that VOLTE is basically SIP. Here are a few references that explain how Voice over LTE works

https://www.quora.com/Is-SIP-required-in-Voice-over-LTE

https://www.netmanias.com/en/post/blog/10907/lte-volte/part-3-what-happens-when-a-user-performs-a-voice-call-from-an-lte-4g-network-volte (Jump to Section 3.2)

https://www.quora.com/How-do-4G-and-2G-users-call-each-other

http://www.eventhelix.com/lte/volte/volte-originating-call.pdf

It is quite interesting to note that android natively supports SIP

https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/sip

Also freeswitch an opensource linux application can basically be used to replicate the same features over unlicensed bands.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreeSWITCH

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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What are some career options in wireless network infrastructure?

Thanks for asking this question. I may not be the best person to give career advice. Usually, unless you are well off economically,you have very limited moves straight out of college.

The easiest thing is to apply for a job. In wireless technology this would mean

Either with an OEM [ mobile phone manufacturers, radio equipment providers,chip makers etc]

Or at an ISP

Or at tower companies

This is a good start. But I've noticed many people and especially students take up job hunting as a full time exercise. It is not.

Devote a fixed amount of time looking for the positions you want ,3-4 hours, but after that invest everything into personal projects.

Here you have a lot of freedom. You can either spend that time acquiring new skills like learning about software that controls wireless network systems or build products that can be sold for example base stations and antennas.

https://www.quora.com/q/jcmpkzyhqciulode/Integrated-custom-base-stations

In india there's a big push towards rural connectivity. Companies like C-DOT are always looking for part time support from to help install their rural network systems. Check out their products and see if you can help with installation.

http://www.cdot.in/cdotweb/web/product_page.php?lang=en&catId=3&pId=10

http://www.cdot.in/cdotweb/web/product_page.php?lang=en&catId=3&pId=9

In addition to this constant support is needed in monitoring access points both on towers and in buildings. You can volunteer to assist more experienced operators.

Wireless networks are complex and require geographical understanding before they can be set up. You can do the discovery task. Build the network architecture.

Find the tallest line of sights in a city or in a village.

Strike a deal with the land owner.

Assess the power supply requirements. Figure out power backup plans.

Create a business case for the installation of access points.

Use that to get ISPs intrested.As a bonus you can put the reports on your blog to get some free buzz.

Many more opportunities exist in the hospitality sector,in-building connectivity, wireless network in public places etc.

If you can demonstrate skills this may be a good way to earn some money while sharpening your knowledge on wireless networks.

If nothing else I'm sure that everyone in your locality must be complaining about the awful wifi range from their routers. You can use your skills to improve their network coverage and make a name for yourself. Listing YouTube before and after videos will give you some much needed attention.

Admittedly things will be tough if you don't have any source of income but as you dive deeper into your projects and get a better understanding of market you'll find plenty of things to make money from. Some of them may not be related to your domain but will present an interesting new direction. Take these opportunities. Always be looking to learn as many new things as you can.

Three tactics to live by

Always have as many sources of income as possible.

Have complementary sources of income.

Work towards deferred income.

In your case these points mean if for example you can build base stations sell it to diverse set of customers from system integrators to ISPs #1 also provide service to maintain them and create products like servers for use in data centers,wifi access points for use in home etc #3 #2.

Basically learn how to effectively monetize your knowledge and skills.

Eventually you'll learn to create big picture theories about where your industry is going or where you want it to go. When you do that shift your entire focus to always work towards the big picture.

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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What are the benefits of an LCP (liquid crystal polymer) type antenna in a smartphone? Is it good in terms of signal reception?

Thanks for asking this question.My answer will be a bit roundabout so apologies in advance. It may seem off topic but it will provide background for the actual question. Also I'm not a material science expert and only have second hand knowledge of both ceramics and LCP.

Signal strength is one of the most important qualities to consider when designing an antenna both transmitting and receiving. But it's not the only one. Other factors like

Ease of construction, installation and maintenance

Environment in which the antenna operates

The function it has to perform

are just as relevant.

It is important to stress on the third point because of something called reciprocity principal of antennas

It states that properties of transmitting and receiving are the same for an antenna. If the antenna is a good transmitter for a particular situation, it is also a good receiver.

If we look only at signal strength then nothing can beat parabolic antennas. They are so powerful that they can communicate with satellites thousands of KMs away.

But a parabolic antenna can't be made to fit inside a mobile phone. Even if they could their highly directive nature will not be suitable for mobile communication. We want antennas that create coverage in a 3D space not just a straight line.

And so while mobile phone antennas are decent receivers you can't really replace the antenna on towers with mobile phone chips. [You kind of can with reflectors but it's not the same thing even then]

Reciprocity principles holds, but it can't surmount design constraints. We need different antennas to serve different purposes.

In mobile phones we use dielectrics that are made of the same materials as the rest of the chips. Leading to a more compact design.

Some helpful links on the subject

https://www.globalspec.com/learnmore/semiconductors/communication_ic/chip_antenna

https://www.microwavejournal.com/blogs/1-rog-blog/post/18190-picking-pcb-material-for-a-patch-antenna

https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/243341/how-does-a-chip-antenna-work/244435#244435

Now coming to LCP it has a low dielectric constant this property can allow it to create radio waves like ceramic materials that are used today.

The key advantage that it possesses over ceramics is its flexibility,it can be bent and rolled therefore easily attached to pcbs in any form.

It can perform over frequencies as high as 100 GHz.

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1284807

On the flip side as you move towards higher frequencies antennas become so small that advantages offered by dielectrics are lost. At these frequencies copper base will perform just as well as LCP,if not better.

LCP is preferred for its range. In a more compact form it can support a wide range of frequencies. Especially the ones needed in, you guessed it, 5G.

References

- Best materials for mm wave

https://www.microwavejournal.com/blogs/1-rog-blog/post/27798-what-type-of-circuit-material-works-best-for-millimeter-waves

- copper conductivity at mm wave

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6768175

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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Which book will help me to make my own wireless network?

Thanks for asking this question. Wireless networking is one of those things that is easier to do in practice than it is to learn in theory. You will learn more by jumping in right ahead rather than poring through the books. But if you’re an absolute beginner you need to start somewhere. So I’ll give an overview of the practical aspects of wireless networks first and towards the end of my answer I’ll give suggestions from where you can learn the theory.

All wireless networks have three basic components

Antennas that send out wireless signals

A hardware that provides input signal to the antennas which it sends out wirelessly

An operating system that controls the hardware, which sends the input signals to antennas, which then sends it out wirelessly.

Now if you look at something as basic as a wifi router you’ll note that it has

Antennas (either external or on chip)

A chip to which those antennas are connected

An OS (that is accessible through the web admin panel) that controls the chip

So as a start you should try to read the specifications of wifi routers. What kind of chip does it use? What kind of antenna it has? What kind of OS runs on it? Buy a cheap wifi router and tear it apart. Watch tear down videos on youtube. Try to absorb as much information from a complete working system as you can.

Later on you’ll come to an understanding that a wifi router is simply a specialized computer. At that point you should try to build a wifi computer of your own. In this article I give an overview of how you can build your own wireless base stations

https://www.quora.com/q/jcmpkzyhqciulode/Integrated-custom-base-stations

The concepts used in wifi base station is exactly the same as the ones used in base stations for 5G and 4G networks. So all your skills are transferable.

By the way, next time you go out and keep an eye on the telephone towers you come across. Try to understand how the different components on the towers namely

The wire

The antennas

The base stations

are connected to each other. At this point you don’t have sufficient theory to fit all the pieces together. But when you start to learn theory seeing things first hand is going to help you get a better grasp of underlying concepts.

How to study theory?

Don’t try to learn everything all at once. Think of the subjects as separate courses that you take in college. Divide your time into “semesters” and try to get a hold fundamental concepts first.

Learn the OSI model before you do anything else, so that you have a framework of how to arrange the different components of wireless network in your mind. For me nothing has helped better than this video by drunk engineer. It’s 18 minutes long Check it out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b_TAYtzuho

At this point with the OSI model in place can you fit the telecom tower and all of its components in it?

What to study in theory?

In theory you want to learn all about antennas. How many different kinds there are? How do they work and what are their radiation patterns? What are their radiation patterns?

Try to co-relate your learning with the on field deployments in mobile towers. At this point you should be asking questions like

Given the length of the antenna can I guess what frequencies it operates on?

Given the shape of the antenna can I guess its radiation pattern?

Given the placement of the antenna can I guess its coverage?

Some youtube channels that will help you learn more about antennas

Antenna and wave propagation playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgwJf8NK-2e7tzLIDL4aXUbtRFY3ykmkT

Antenna theory by NPTEL

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzJaFd3A7DZsL9dZDCeA3ijHZwwBb6R8y

stan gibilisco’s videos (must watch)

https://www.youtube.com/user/stangibilisco/playlists

And tonnes and tonnes of videos by ham radio operators (search for them) along with DIY antenna builders, you can learn a lot by watching people build antenna. Build one yourself and see if you can improve reception in your home

And this great Practical Antenna Handbook for when you need it

https://archive.org/details/PracticalAntennaHandbook

Alt link

http://s1.nonlinear.ir/epublish/book/Practical_Antenna_Handbook_0071639586.pdf

Then you want to know as much as possible about the chips that provide signal to it. Learn about motherboards. Building computer systems from components. If you’re a gamer it should be easy for you. If not watch videos of people building gaming pc. To build a base station for wireless network you’ll just have to switch a few components. You’ll know them if you’ve taken the time to learn about chips. This guy is good

https://www.youtube.com/user/AwesomeSauceNews/playlists

WARNING: Remember you are here to learn about how to build wireless networks not to play games. The urge will be strong. Resist it ... if you can….

And finally know how to operate a network. That you can understand by playing around with a wifi router admin panel. Whatever is in there should be more than enough.

Some More Material

I have found sunny’s classroom videos invaluable in helping me learn as well as refresh software part of the wireless networks. You can see his playlists here https://www.youtube.com/user/sunnylearning/playlists . Be sure to check out the videos on modulation schemes.

Wireless Networking for the developing world has great book that helps with both concepts as well as the business aspects of running a network http://wndw.net/

Start your own wisp is a great community resource for both learning about practical operations as well as sourcing of materials https://startyourownisp.com/

Remember that the industry is moving towards IP based networks. From 4G onwards all cellular networks run on IP. So spending some time studying that will help a lot.

Obviously it is very easy for me to list out all of the things here. No doubt you’ll find yourself stuck in places. Feel free to ask questions on quora and the community will do its best to help you. Take things as slow as you can. It sounds overwhelming but its not. Once you tune yourself in.

Building your own network

Now if you do things right, not only will you have the knowledge but also very valuable insights that will tell you what most internet companies are doing wrong. And that insight will help you start a successful wireless network of your own. As a final note don’t get washed away in industry trends.

73

#wireless #technology

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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Integrated custom base stations

A base station is the brain behind a wireless network. It is responsible for data transmission lines,authentication, routing,computing.

Although it looks much different, a base station is simply a desktop computer packaged in a way that it can be placed outdoors.

So that if you can build a gaming pc that can play Metal Gear Solid V on max settings you can build a very powerful base station.

Now of course there are some differences. For one instead of graphics card you would go with a network card. Instead of an ssd you might want to get the latest wifi card.

You may ask, is this how the base station for 5G and 4G is created?

Yes but they use different wireless chips and the software to control these chips are proprietary.. for now. But inside the components are the same. A motherboard, RAM, processor, peripheral components.

Luckily there are alternatives. WiFi that can work on both 2.4 and 5 GHZ bands is quite open.

Coupled with the advantage that you don't have to pay anything to use wifi spectrum a wifi base station becomes very promising investment.

In fact there is a full open source operating system that allows you to customize your wifi network to your heart's content -- openwrt

Link aggregation,quality of service, dual band networks, VPN,DHCP, ssh, custom web services. Anything that you can do with linux you can do with openwrt.

Infact openwrt is linux, complete with its own package management. So that you won't have to use an outdated firmware on your router ever again.

With openwrt you can turn a base staion into a full blown application server.

Besides it has an appealing web interface that you can use to configure your networks without getting into the terminal at all.

With advancement in single board computers you can even create an embedded router that can distribute your network to 10s of Kilometers.

Gigabit speeds without having to deal with installation of fiber optic networks is a big win. It slashes your infrastructural investment by 1/10,maybe more. Giving you faster returns.

If you are a small ISP or WISP looking for cheap ways to reach more customers build your own wireless base station. Install openwrt and you're ready to go.

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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Who supplies antennas for Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and Google smartphones?

Thanks for asking this question.

Mobile phones and most other portable devices use integrated antennas. In other words the same chip that contains components like RAM and processor also has a built in antenna.

So companies like Qualcomm who build the SOCs have integrated antennas on phone. These chips are sold to phone manufacturers that get all the goodies in a single package.

The actual components that form the antenna on the chip are in all probability bought from third party [1] and assembled at the time of manufacturing.

(For a more detailed understanding you can read the specifications in FCC filings against a model number)

An antenna is not anything special. It's simply a piece of a conducting (dielectric on chips) material. For example, even the wire in the earphones can act as an antenna, as you might know if you've used radio on your mobile device.

What is more important is the chip that gives antenna its input signal for transmission and decodes the incoming signal for reception. These chips contain firmware, closed source, that performs housekeeping tasks like starting and stopping as well as Digital signal processing. This is the secret sauce that actually makes the antenna work.

The operating system of the mobile device then interacts with the chip via device drivers to create a finished product that everyday users interact with.

Some references

https://www.mouser.in/Passive-Components/Antennas/_/N-5g73?P=1y9hq54

https://www.researchgate.net/post/what_are_the_exact_materials_used_in_designing_a_microstrip_patch_antenna

https://blog.solidsignal.com/tutorials/good-material-antenna/

https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/243341/how-does-a-chip-antenna-work

https://www.globalspec.com/learnmore/semiconductors/communication_ic/chip_antenna

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microstrip_antenna

#electronics

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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How is routing implemented in a web server?

Thanks for asking this question. URL based routing is a feature of a web server. Therefore the specifics of implementation are dependant upon the rules enforced by the web server. Nginx, express, sinatra all have their own “style” of routing. But the general principle of execution of a request are the same across different servers.

Consider for example that your web server is running on the endopint

http://localhost/

Let us say that you access a location /foo

http://localhost/foo/

The URL parsing engine will

1.Extract the relative path from the url. In our example /foo

2. It will invoke the processing code that is associated with /foo. This is the web server specific part. In your web server there would be a function that would execute everytime /foo is accessed.

3. The web server will now execute the corresponding function and then return the result to the client. When and how the result is returned depends upon the concurrency model of the webserver, which is explained below.

Parameters can also be passed to the url like so

http:/localhost/foo?a=1&b=2

In this case these parameters will be passed along to the function that is responsible for processing the /foo path. These parameters can be utilized to pass some sort of state information (like in case of paging) or some other information that can be used by the function to give an appropriate result to the user.

Web servers also allow the routes to become Method specific. For example a certain route might only execute when client sends a GET request. Yet other routes may only execute POST request. This lets you “overload” URLs allowing you to send a response depending upon the method of the request even when the name is the same. For example

/foo when invoked with a GET method may give a different result than /foo when invoked with a POST.

The concurrency model

The web server is responsible for handling not only the url specific request but also maintaining what is known as concurrency. Since a web server can be accessed by multiple clients at once you don’t want any particular request to block the execution of the entire web server. The kind of concurrency model used is again web server specific. Some web servers dedicate one thread per request. Other web servers use an event driven model. Many use a mix between the two.

Workrock Engineering ,WRE

[email protected]

#web #tech #server

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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While living in India, was it easy to find WiFi or data towers for your phone or laptop?

Thanks for asking this question.

For the most part yes. I have travelled extensively in the country and have had no problem in accessing the internet.

If you're travelling by rail you're sure to find free WiFi hotspots with regularity. If you're staying in a hotel then again free WiFi is almost a guarantee though the quality of public WiFi in railways is a lot better than WiFi in hotels.

In other places cell tower coverage is good so that if you have a SIM card with nice data plan you're pretty much covered.

Between free WiFi and cellular connectivity you should not have any problems accessing the internet. However India is a vast country and there are a few remote areas where connectivity is limited due to a combination of terrain and limited demand.

#travel #india

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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How does DHCP work in wireless router?

Thanks for asking this question. First a bit of background.

A modern wireless device like a wifi router is responsible for implementing all 4 layers of TCP/IP stack.

The link, internet, transmission and application are all implemented in the same box.

Of these 4 layers only the link is the actual physical component. Rest all the layers are logical and as such they are provided by the software inside the router.

A router has its own operating system that manages these software services automatically.

DHCP or dynamic host configuration protocol is one such service. It works on the application layer of the stack. When the router turns on, it automatically starts the DHCP server. From that point DHCP leases local IP addresses to each connected device. When a device is no longer connected to the network of that router that IP address is reclaimed.

As you might have guessed Opensource router operating systems give you a lot of freedom in configuring DHCP server. Where as closed source systems are a bit limited in this regard,but still good enough for normal use cases.

By the way, there is no difference between working of DHCP on a wired/wireless router. The protocol is independent of the link layer. Whether it's a wired network or a wireless it's all the same as far as DHCP is concerned.

Workrock Engineering

WRE

[email protected]

#tech #engineering

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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Does wifi extender affect speed?

Thanks for asking this question.

In a wifi setup the internet speed depends on

The main connection speed. How fast the line at your place actually is?

The speed of devices. Do they support the latest standard? Are they capable of processing max throughput?

How many devices are accessing the medium at once? Wifi is a shared access protocol. For small number of devices the waiting time is negligible and can be safely ignored. But as the devices increase the channel may get congested and you may feel the speed going down even though max amount of time is spent waiting to get the access of the network.

Now with these points in mind it's easy to see that wifi can't possibly increase the line speed. Assuming that you have the best client as well as access point hardware, wifi extender will increase the perceived speed by decongesting the channel.

Think of it as increasing the number of queues at a ticket counter. A single queue will have the longest waiting time. 2 queues will halve the waiting time and so on.

With an extender your client devices will have more communication paths to talk with your main line internet.

In the best case you want your extender to be connected via a cable to your modem. Although it can also be connected wirelessly (provided that the wireless connection does not use the same channel as used by other client devices)

On the flip side if you extended your WiFi with the same channel that other client devices are using then you simply add a bottleneck. Instead of adding 2 queues you double the length of your first queue.

Workrock Enterprise

WRE

[email protected]

#tech #engineering #wifi

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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How do I build a simple antenna for a remote control drone?

Thanks for asking this question. Before we get to the designing part lets quickly review a few basics.

1. Antennas can broadly be classified into directional and Omni directional. An Omni directional antenna radiates in all directions which makes it wider in coverage but at a smaller distance. A directional antenna on the other hand is focussed. Meaning the beam goes a longer distance but has lesser area of coverage. As you can see there are trade offs to be made.

2. An antenna is the last part of the system working to transmit or to receive. To make something useful you need other components as well. The chip that will generate the input signal to create EM waves on the transmit end or the one that will demodulate at the receiver end.

3. The size of the antenna depends upon the frequency of your signal. You don't want to choose one that will make you antenna too big. Luckily this problem has been solved for you. The ISM band has GHZ frequencies especially ones in the wifi range that will be a few centimeters.

Now coming to the actual building part. For testing You can use any wifi chip to create an input signal. These chips are quite cheaply available online. For example

https://www.mouser.in/m_new/embedded-solutions/wireless-rf-modules/wifi-80211-modules/n-6l7qa

Once that is done you'll need to add a receiver to your drone. The same wifi chip can be used to receive the signals.

Your drone remote control system would consist of a wifi chip at transmitter and receiver.

This setup would work fine at small distances like a few feet. This is good enough for you to test your setup in a lab and fine tune things if needed.

But for a production remote control drone you want an antenna that is able to transmit at receive signals at longer distances. So the first thing you need to while designing your antenna is to account for that.

The built in antennas for the chip are patch and not able to transmit to long distances.

What you'll need to do is drive the input signal into an antenna with better gain.

This step is experimental and you'll need to try with many different antennas. Unfortunately I can't give a definitive answer…. but I can give you some points to get started

If you want to build your own antenna you'll need

1. A wire

2. Cut to an appropriate length (depending upon the frequency of your signal,don't ignore this step because it's important)

3. A means to drive current to it . (Which you can do by connecting it to chip)

That's it.

Before you make your own antenna it would be good to check out what other people have built.

Some References

Drone FPV antenna gain and range explaination--

https://www.dronezon.com/learn-about-drones-quadcopters/learn-about-uav-antenna-fpv-live-video-transmitters-receivers

Some commercial drone antennas to study --

https://www.getfpv.com/fpv/antennas.html

A nice video explaining the effect of antenna gain in a drone

https://youtu.be/MigTBIsk6IA

Workrock Enterprise

WRE

[email protected]

#tech #engineering #electronics

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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What would I like to see in Playstation 5?

Considering how microsoft is promoting it's backward compatibility features,I have no doubt that ps 5 will support ps 4 and maybe even PS3 and ps2 games (digitally).

That is how I think the new generation of consoles should be released. They should build upon the work of their predecessors rather than starting from scratch.

In terms of new capabilities I'd love to see physical release of games in bootable mediums like usb sticks/hard disk/SD cards that can be plugged into the console. Because as the games get bigger in size it's going to get difficult to download and keep them on hdd or ssd. Downloading games via servers also puts unnecessary burden of maintenance. USB sticks are cheap enough that they can be loaded with a full game and still make a profit for the publisher.

Plus they can be used to manage save game states and allow the player to have full control of their data.

Since Sony already manufactures both hard drives and USB sticks they should try to use it as a game distribution medium. It's way better than optical disks (speed,price and efficiency) and a better option when compared to going completely online. At least until bandwidth becomes so cheap that downloading 100 GB games is no longer an issue.

Let's see what happens though.

Workrock Entertainment

WRE

[email protected]

#video games

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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Can the internet be used without optic fibers?

Optical fibers are used in internet backbone. The part of the network that is responsible for global communication.

Optical fibers form what is known as the PHYSICAL layer of the network. While any other medium may be used to carry data, fiber optic cables are the most cost effective and efficient data transport available.

So yes while you can use the internet without fiber optic cables in theory, practically all your data is carried through undersea fiber optic cables.

If someone wants to replace fiber optic then they'll have to find a new way to transport data.

#internet #fiber #tech

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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Halloween video games for people who don't enjoy survival horror

You know the feeling. Around the halloween season. When all your friends are talking about replaying Silent Hill 3. A dread takes hold of you. It's not that you can’t stomach horror. You can handle it just fine. But sometimes these survival horror games can be so slow. It's one thing to be scared out of your pants and quite another to snooze off on the sofa after there has been no action on the screen for 30 minutes.

Fear not. You are not alone. Survival horror is not for everyone. But we can understand that haloween does call for something special. Regular,run of the mill platformers won’t just do during this time. We are going for atmosphere instead.

Here’s our list of games for you to play on Halloween if you don’t like survival horror.

Castlevania -- The essential halloween game. Dracula, werewolves, specters. It's got it all. Pick up one of the oldies for 2D platforming or go with the Lords of the shadow for some 3D action. On Halloween you can’t go wrong with castlevania.

Ultimate ghost and goblins -- Another classic. You are a knight starting off your quest to rescue the princess from the dragon, in a graveyard. But there’s a slight problem. You are in your underwear. But be brave! Fight the embarrassment and then defeat the spirits to acquire new armour. You are going to need it.

Prey (2006)- Step into the shoes of Tommy. You are abducted by aliens and have found yourself on sphere, the alien spaceship where all manner of horrible creatures and machinations reside. On the surface Prey is a first person shooter. But it has a depth of story and gameplay that is deep. It was released almost a decade ago but still feels fresh.

Resident Evil 4 -- RE 4 came at a time when third person shooters were still struggling to find their foothold. Released on Gamecube it received critical reception from the fans and the journalists and was later on ported to almost all gaming platforms. In RE 4 you’ll not be fighting zombies. This time you’ll be pitted against an occult clan that goes by the name of Los Illuminados and has infected the entire village with Las Plagas,the virus.

Bioshock : An underwater metropolis. A famed industrialist. A dream. Now turned into a nightmare. Bioshock is an atmospheric story warning against ambition taken too far.

Metroid: Featuring Samus Aran, the famed bounty hunter from outer space. You fight bizarre alien life forms. Acquire new weapon upgrades. Solve puzzles. Do a lot of backtracking. Like castlevania, Metroid game is a must play on halloween. But the thing is, once you’ve started the game it's not going to let you go until it's done. Make sure you’re ready for it.

XCOM: Aliens have attacked. Now humanity has no choice but to work together to ward off the threat. But even with life threatening danger ,there is still a lot of cunning, behind the scenes politics going on. You have to manage finances. Recruit new soldiers. Promote R&D. Rescue key people. Investigate alien technology and lifeforms. Counter metaphysical attacks. Can you save the world?

Fallout 3/New Vegas : The worst has happened. A Nuclear Holocaust. The civilization has collapsed. You can't stay locked up in your underground vault forever. As a new adventurer you have to venture out in wasteland. Find your way through the radioactive environments and somehow survive. And to top it off you’ve got 30’s swinging jazz playing in the background, that tries to make the world look a bit rosier but ends up turning the atmosphere more creepy. Can you survive?

Metal Gear Solid 2 : Another game with the shadow of nuclear warfare looking in the background. You play as Solid Snake. And your goal is to infiltrate an enemy vessel and collect evidence for Metal Gear Ray. But things don’t go according to the script. There’s an accident followed by a huge public scandal. Now your job is to clean up the mess. As quietly as possible.

The walking dead: A game that is all about zombies. They are everywhere. You have to run from them and live to fight another day. Unlike other zombie games though the walking dead is a text based adventure. But that doesn't mean it's short on suspense.

Special mention Breath of fire 3

With the onset of winters you crave for something that you can play by the fireside. Breath of fire 3 on the PSP was the one for me. Ancient dragons, a rich lore, nice leveling up system. Towns to explore, new party members to recruit. I started the game in October. Kept on playing till March. Little by little. One random encounter at a time.

One last thought before I take your leave. Halloween is a season to celebrate the outlandish. And what can be more outlandish than playing a video game you love without caring if it matches well with the theme of the season?

Doesn’t have to be horror. Doesn’t have to be suspense. Don't have to have the undead. What kind of games do you like to play on Halloween? Let me know in the comments.

Workrock Entertainment

WRE

[email protected]

#Halloween #games #horror

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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Why do research on EM waves?

"There's a lot we can learn from EM waves that can help us in future for energy conservation, generation as well as transmission. This is an area of research that should be picked by universities."

https://www.reddit.com/user/workrockin/comments/dajisx/where_does_the_energy_go_when_two_em_waves/f2956ha?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

#physics #energy #generation #transmission

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workrockin · 6 years ago

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Thor in Avengers A day

Although Thor has been frequently used in video games, most recently in God of war in which he’s referenced throughout the story and teased in a mysterious cutscene at the end, he is best recognized as Thor Odinson in Marvel universe.

With a string of movies in which he plays the lead character and his appearances in The Avengers, Thor’s popularity is at an all time high. In the Endgame he’s the only character who can stand up to the tyranny of Thanos. If not for the infinity stones he would have been the most likely character to defeat him.

[And perhaps even with the infinity stones, if only he had aimed for the head]

While Thor is an Asgardian God, the movies have tried to humanize him. And they have done it quite well. He cracks jokes, plays video games and like to beat baddies with some Led Zeppelin playing in the background. How cool is that?

People like Thor. But it’s one thing to be a good character in comics and films and quite another to be a good character to play. Thankfully Thor has not disappointed in this respect. If we go by the three Marvel Ultimate Alliance games that have featured him, he has lived up to the expectations of being one of the most powerful characters that you can have in your party.

In Marvel Ultimate Alliance, he’s adept at both Melee and magic attacks. Using his Mjølnir to charge at and smash his enemies. Or using it as a hose to spray (yes literally spray!) thunder on his opponents.

He can use summons to cast lightning or conjure up whirlwinds. Besides dealing offensive damage, Thor is also a decent support character with abilities that can restore the health of the entire party while at the same time electrocuting all the enemies on the screen. Despite being a God, Thor is a team player through and through. At least in Ultimate alliance games. Here’s a good demonstration of Thor’s abilities on the battlefield

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhC77fDDvXE

Still the ultimate alliance games are a hack and slash adventure. His depiction is more realistic. But Thor has also managed to make a good impression in the Lego Marvel superheros game too. The focus in these games is not so much as combat as it the funny dialog, platforming and quest for collectibles.

Like Marvel ultimate alliance games ,Thor can fly at will, but in Lego games the world is more suited for exploration. An environment that makes full use of his flight abilities. It is a joy to scale buildings and cruise over volcanoes and riversides. If you ever get tired doing that, it's also fun crashing into enemies from the sky.

Here’s a free Roam gameplay of Lego Marvel superheros showcasing Thor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYU9lJZLwcc

Now as compared to comics some of the abilities and scenes don’t really translate that well in video games. For sure Thor has Superhuman strength , speed,agility and control over elemental forces of thunder. But since all of that is so fun his alter ego Dr Blake is usually given the boot.

While in comics Thor can travel faster than light and go back in time I don’t really think that these powers would make it to a video game.

Marvel’s avengers :A day promises to be a different kind of superhero action game. Its taking the RPG and hack and slash elements from Ultimate Alliance games while adding the free roam theme from the Lego games, and yet it feels like a proper action game. The moveset of the characters, from what I’ve seen may have been from a God of War or Devil May Cry. I guess the best comparison that can be made is with saints Row 4. With a more serious tone that is.

Thor with his ability to fly, would make for an excellent character to explore the universe of A day. I can’t wait to play as him. When I’m done with hulk that is.