Who Uses Wireless Technology?

A good example of a consumer-level system can be seen in the OnStar product being offered as an option with some high-end General Motors products, such as their Cadillac automobile product line. The OnStar system is combined with a cellular service and the GPS tracking system. The system provides a series of end-user services that includes travel directions, emergency road services, automobile enabling services, personal notification, and theft notification.

The OnStar system uses a GPS tracking device that is installed on the vehicle and allows the OnStar control center to locate a subscriber's vehicle. Through a cellular link with an on-board computer, the control center can detect if the car's airbags have been deployed. If so, the control center detects a change, and a call to the subscriber is made to determine if there is a need for assistance. The control center also can remotely open the car doors if the subscriber has locked himself out of the car.

A surprisingly large number of health care service providers have taken advantage of wireless technology. Good examples of the application of wireless technology can be seen at Austin Regional Clinic, Indiana Methodist Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital, Wausau Hospital, and Winthrop-University Hospital, to name a few. All of these facilities have essentially the same problem: getting to patient information, where and when needed. Many found that they had to take handwritten notes to the nearest nurse station and enter the information manually into a computer terminal. As a result, administrators had to come up with a more-efficient way to operate.

Austin Regional Clinic elected to supply its medical professionals with mobile handheld computers to record and retrieve patient information in real-time. These terminals were linked to the clinic's Novell Netware LAN using PCMCIA modem cards. A series of wireless distributed access points located throughout the clinic provided a direct link to the LAN via a corresponding link in the clinic's communications server. The portable computers used were grid pad, pen-based portables configured with application screens, and allowed medical professionals simplified data entry and retrieval. This system eliminated large amounts of paperwork, thus allowing the professionals to function in a paperless environment.

In some manufacturing plants, sensors and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are used to control many of the processes related to product manufacturing. In many places, these devices are hardwired into high-maintenance networks that need frequent attention. In many plants, these networks have been fitted with Ethernet interfaces as part of a plantwide LAN. However, many plant managers have found that they can refit with wireless adapter cards that provide an RF link to wireless access points located around the plant. These arrangements link the PLCs directly into the wired LAN and the server, ensuring timely monitoring of all devices.

The Pacific Exchange (on the West Coast) and Hull Trading (headquartered in Chicago) both opted to deploy wireless terminals on the trading floor to simplify the trading process. Instead of walking to a static terminal to enter trade information, traders can now do that from their handheld terminals. This innovation permits much faster trades, while eliminating many manual steps and the reliance on handwritten notes.