SIXTH SEMESTER DIPLOMA EXAMINATION IN ENGINEERING/TECHNOLOGYMARCH, 2014

MOBILE COMPUTING
(Common for CT, CM & IF)

(Maximum Mark:100)

(Time: 3hr)
PART - A

I. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences .Each question carries two mark.
1. Name any four mobile and wireless devices.
Mobile phone,Laptop,pager,PDA
2. Define the term device portability.
A portable device is any device that can easily be carried. It is a small form factor of a
computing device that is designed to be held and used in the hands. Portable devices are
becoming an increasingly important part of personal computing as the capabilities of devices
like laptops, tablets and smartphones continue to improve.
3. Define the terms elevation angle and foot print with respect to satellite system.
The elevation angle is defined as the angle between the
center of the satellite beam and the plane tangential to the earths surface.
footprint can be defined as the area on earth where the signals of the
satellite can be received.

4. What is a basic service set in IEEE 802.11?

The basic service set (BSS) provides the basic building-block of an 802.11 wireless LAN.
In infrastructure mode, a single access point (AP) together with all associated stations (STAs) is
called a BSS;[1]not to be confused with the coverage of an access point, known as the basic
service area (BSA).[2] The access point acts as a master to control the stations within that BSS;
the simplest BSS consists of one access point and one station.
5. List any two advantages of CDMA 2000.

Increased Voice Capacity

Higher Data Throughput

PART B
II. Answer any five of the following. Each question carries 6 marks.
1. Explain the near/far effect.
The near/far effect is a severe problem of wireless networks using CDM. All signals should arrive at
the receiver with more or less the same strength.Otherwise a person standing closer to somebody
could always speak louder than a person further away. Even if the senders were separated by code,
the closest one would simply drown out the others. Precise power control is needed to receive all
senders with the same strength at a receiver. For example, the UMTS system presented in chapter 4
adapts power 1,500 times per second.

2. Draw the GSM system architecture.

3. Present the details of cyclical repetition of data.

The cyclical repetition of data blocks sent via broadcast is often called a broadcast disk according to
the project in Acharya (1995) or data carousel, e.g., according to the DAB/DVB standards (ETSI,
2002). Different patterns are possible

The sender repeats the three data blocks A, B, and C in a cycle. Using a flat disk, all blocks
are repeated one after another. Every block is transmitted for an equal amount of time,

the average waiting time for receiving a block is the same for A, B, and C.

Skewed disks favor one or more data blocks by repeating them once or several times. This
raises the probability of receiving a repeated block (here A) if the block was corrupted the
first time. Finally, multi-disks distribute blocks that are repeated more often than others
evenly over the cyclic pattern. This minimizes the delay if a user wants to access, e.g., block
A.

4. Comment on the IEEE 802.11 standard.

The IEEE 802.11 standard only covers the physical layer PHY and medium access layer
MAC like the other 802.x LANs do. The physical layer is subdivided into the physical layer
convergenc protocol (PLCP) and the physical medium dependent sublayer PMD). The
basic tasks of the MAC layer comprise medium access, fragmentation of user data, and
encryption.
The PLCP sublayer provides a carrier sense signal, called clear channel assessment (CCA),
and provides a common PHY service access point (SAP) independent of the transmission
technology. Finally, the PMD sublayer handles modulation
and encoding/decoding of signals.

5. Explain the infra red technology.

Infra red technology uses diffuse light reflected at walls, furniture etc. or directed light if a
line-of-sight (LOS) exists between sender and receiver. Senders can be simple light emitting
diodes (LEDs) or laser diodes. Photodiodes act as receivers.
advantages :

cheap senders and receivers which are integrated into nearly all mobile devices available today.
PDAs, laptops, notebooks, mobile phones etc. have an infra red data association (IrDA) interface.
Disadvantages:

low bandwidth compared to other LAN technologies. Typically, IrDA devices are internally
connected to a serial port limiting transfer rates to 115 kbit/s. Even 4 Mbit/s is not a particularly

high data rate. However, their main disadvantage is that infra red is quite easily shielded.

6. Give the concept of WiMAX.

WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a wireless communications

standard designed to provide 30 to 40 megabit-per-second data rates,[1] with the 2011 update
providing up to 1 Gbit/s[1] for fixed stations. The name "WiMAX" was created by the WiMAX
Forum, which was formed in June 2001 to promote conformity and interoperability of the
standard.
The bandwidth and range of WiMAX make it suitable for the following potential applications:

Providing portable mobile broadband connectivity across cities and countries through a variety of
devices.

Providing a wireless alternative to cable and digital subscriber line (DSL) for "last mile" broadband
access.

Providing data, telecommunications (VoIP) and IPTV services (triple play).

Providing a source of Internet connectivity as part of a business continuity plan.

Smart grids and metering

7. Explain the idea of WLL.

Wireless means transmitting signals using radio waves as the medium instead of wires. Wireless
technologies are used for tasks as simple as switching off the television or as complex as supplying the
sales force with information from an automated enterprise application while in the field.

Mobility: A wireless communications system allows users to access information beyond their
desk and conduct business from anywhere without having a wire connectivity.

Reachability: Wireless communications systems enable people to be better connected and reachable
without any limitation of any location.

Simplicity: Wireless communication system are easy and fast to deploy in comparison of cabled network.
Initial setup cost could be a bit high but other advantages overcome that high cost.

Maintainability: Being a wireless system, you do no need to spend too much to maintain a wireless
network setup.

Roaming Services: Using a wireless network system, you can provide service any where any time
including train, buses, aeroplanes etc.

New Services: Wireless communications systems provide new smart services like SMS and MMS.
PART C
(Answer one full question from each unit, Each question carries 15 mark)
Unit -1
III. (a) Explain the concept of internet working.
The standard signaling system

(7)

No. 7 (SS7) is used for this purpose. SS7 covers all aspects of control signaling for digital
networks (reliable routing and delivery of control messages,establishing and monitoring of calls).
Features of SS7 are number portability, free phone/toll/collect/credit calls, call forwarding, threeway calling etc. An

MSC also performs all functions needed for supplementary services such as call forwarding, multi-party
calls, reverse charging etc.

Home location register (HLR): The HLR is the most important database in a GSM system as it
stores all user-relevant information. This comprises static information, such as the mobile
subscriber ISDN number (MSISDN), subscribed services

mobile subscriber ISDN number (MSISDN), subscribed services (e.g., call forwarding, roaming
restrictions, GPRS), and the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI). Dynamic information is
also needed, e.g., the current location area (LA) of the MS, the mobile subscriber roaming number
(MSRN)

Visitor location register (VLR): The VLR associated to each MSC is a dynamic database which
stores all important information needed for the MS users currently in the LA that is associated to
the MSC (e.g., IMSI, MSISDN, HLR address). the mobile subscriber roaming number
(MSRN), the current VLR and MSC. As soon as an MS leaves its current LA, the information in
the HLR is updated. This information is necessary to localize a user in the worldwide GSM
network.

(b) List and explain any four location dependent services of mobile computing.

(8)

Follow-on services: The function of forwarding calls to the current user location is well known from the
good old telephone system. Wherever you are, just transmit your temporary phone number to your phone
and it redirects incoming calls.2 Using mobile computers, a follow-on service could offer, for instance,
the same desktop environment wherever you are in the world.
Location aware services: Imagine you wanted to print a document sitting in the lobby of a hotel using
your laptop. If you drop the document over the printer icon, where would you expect the document to be
printed? Certainly not by the printer in your office! However, without additional information about the
capabilities of your environment, this might be the only thing you can do. For instance, there could be a
service in the hotel announcing that a standard laser printer is available in the lobby or a color printer in a
hotel meeting room etc.

 Privacy: The two service classes listed above immediately raise the question of privacy. You might not
want video calls following you to dinner, but maybe you would want important e-mails to be forwarded.
There might be locations and/or times when you want to exclude certain services from reaching you and
you do not want to be disturbed.
Information services: While walking around in a city you could always use your wireless travel guide
to pull information from a service, e.g., Where is the nearest Mexican restaurant? However, a service
could also actively push information on your travel guide, e.g., the Mexican restaurant just around the
corner has a special taco offer.

OR
IV. (a)Mention the advantages and disadvantages of cellular systems with small cells.

(7)

Advantages:
Higher capacity: Implementing SDM allows frequency reuse. If one transmitter is far away from
another, i.e., outside the interference range, it can reuse the same frequencies. As most mobile phone
systems assign frequencies to certain users (or certain hopping patterns), this frequency is blocked
for other users.
Less transmission power: While power aspects are not a big problem for base stations, they are indeed
problematic for mobile stations. A receiver far away from a base station would need much more transmit
power than the current few Watts. But energy is a serious problem for mobile handheld devices.
Local interference only: Having long distances between sender and receiver results in even more
interference problems. With small cells, mobile stations and base stations only have to deal with local
interference.
Robustness: Cellular systems are decentralized and so, more robust against the failure of single
components. If one antenna fails, this only influences communication within a small area.
Disadvantages:
Infrastructure needed: Cellular systems need a complex infrastructure to connect all base stations.
This includes many antennas, switches for call forwarding, location registers to find a mobile station etc,
which makes the whole system quite expensive.
Handover needed: The mobile station has to perform a handover when changing from one cell to
another. Depending on the cell size and the speed of movement, this can happen quite often.

 Frequency planning: To avoid interference between transmitters using the same frequencies,
frequencies have to be distributed carefully. On the one hand, interference should be avoided, on the
other, only a limited number of frequencies is available.

(b) Explain SDMA and FDMA.

(8)

Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) is used for allocating a separated space to users in wireless
networks. A typical application involves assigning an optimal base station to a mobile phone user. The
mobile phone may receive several base stations with different quality. A MAC algorithm could now
decide which base station is best, taking into account which frequencies (FDM), time slots (TDM) or
code (CDM) are still available (depending on the technology). Typically, SDMA is never used in
isolation but always in combination with one or more other schemes. The basis for the SDMA algorithm
is formed by cells and sectorized antennas which constitute the infrastructure implementing space
division multiplexing (SDM)
Channels can be assigned to the same frequency at all times, i.e., pure FDMA, or change frequencies
according to a certain pattern, i.e., FDMA combined with TDMA. The latter example is the common
practice for many wireless systems to circumvent narrowband interference at certain frequencies, known
as frequency hopping. Sender and receiver have to agree on a hopping pattern, otherwise the receiver
could not tune to the right frequency. Hopping patterns are typically fixed, at least for a longer period.

Unit II
V. (a) Draw a simplified overview of a DAB sender.

(7)

(b) Explain the handovers of GSM.

(8)

Intra-cell handover: Within a cell, narrow-band interference could make transmission at a

certain frequency impossible. The BSC could then decide to change the carrier frequency
(scenario 1).
Inter-cell, intra-BSC handover: This is a typical handover scenario. The mobile station
moves from one cell to another, but stays within the control of the same BSC. The BSC then
performs a handover, assigns a new radio channel in the new cell and releases the old one
(scenario 2).
Inter-BSC, intra-MSC handover: As a BSC only controls a limited number of cells; GSM
also has to perform handovers between cells controlled by different BSCs. This handover then
has to be controlled by the MSC (scenario 3).

Inter MSC handover: A handover could be required between two cells belonging to different MSCs.
Now both MSCs perform the handover together

OR
VI. (a) Give the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of GEO and LEO.

(8)

GEO:
If a satellite should appear fixed in the sky, it requires a period of 24 hours. Using the equation for the
distance between earth and satellite r = (gR

f)2)1/3 and the period of 24 hours f = 1/24h, the

resulting distance is 35,786 km. The orbit must have an inclination of 0 degrees.

 Advantages: Three GEO satellites are enough for a complete coverage of almost any spot on earth.
Senders and receivers can use fixed antenna positions, no adjusting is needed. GEOs are ideal for TV and
radio broadcasting. Lifetime expectations for GEOs are rather high, at about 15 years. GEOs typically
do not need a handover due to the large footprint. GEOs do not exhibit any Doppler shift because the
relative movement is zero.
Disadvantages: Northern or southern regions of the earth have more problems receiving these satellites
due to the low elevation above a latitude of 60, i.e., larger antennas are needed in this case. Shading of
the signals in cities due to high buildings and the low elevation further away from the equator limit
transmission quality. The transmit power needed is relatively high (some 10 W) which causes problems
for battery powered devices.
LEO:
As LEOs circulate on a lower orbit, it is obvious that they exhibit a much shorter period (the typical
duration of LEO periods are 95 to 120 minutes). Additionally, LEO systems try to ensure a high elevation
for every spot on earth to provide a high quality communication link.
Advantages: Using advanced compression schemes, transmission rates of about 2,400 bit/s can be
enough for voice communication. LEOs even provide this bandwidth for mobile terminals with omnidirectional antennas using low transmit power in the range of 1W.LEOs can provide a much higher
elevation in polar regions and so better global coverage.
Disadvantages: The biggest problem of the LEO concept is the need for many satellites if global
coverage is to be reached. Several concepts involve 50200 or even more satellites in orbit. The short
time of visibility with a high elevation requires additional mechanisms for connection handover
between different satellites.

(b) List and explain the component of radio subsystem in GSM system architecture.

(7)

The first and last three bits of a normal burst (tail) are all set to 0 and can be used to enhance the receiver
performance. The training sequence in the middle of a slot is used to adapt the parameters of the receiver
to the current path propagation characteristics and to select the strongest signal in case of multi-path
propagation. A flag S indicates whether the data field contains user or network control data.
Apart from the normal burst, ETSI (1993a) defines four more bursts for data transmission: a
frequency correction burst allows the MS to correct the local oscillator to avoid interference
with neighboring channels, a synchronization burst with an extended training sequence
synchronizes the MS with the BTS in time, an access burst is used for the initial connection
setup between MS and BTS, and finally a dummy burst is used if no data is available for a slot.

Unit III
VII. (a) Give the concept and application of Bluetooth technology.

(8)

Bluetooth fulfills these criteria so the WPAN group cooperated with the Bluetooth consortium. IEEE
founded its own group for WPANs, IEEE 802.15, A POS has been defined as a radius of 10 m around a
person in which the person or devices of this person communicate with other devices
Connection of peripheral devices: Today, most devices are connected to a desktop computer via wires
(e.g., keyboard, mouse, joystick, headset, speakers).
This type of connection has several disadvantages: each device has its own type of cable,
different plugs are needed, wires block office space. In a wireless network, no wires are needed

for data transmission. However, batteries now have to replace the power supply, as the wires not
only transfer data but also supply the peripheral devices with power.
Support of ad-hoc networking: Imagine several people coming together, discussing issues,
exchanging data (schedules, sales figures etc.). For instance, students might join a lecture, with the
teacher distributing data to their personal digital assistants (PDAs). Wireless networks can support
this Type of interaction; small devices might not have WLAN adapters following the IEEE 802.11
standard, but cheaper Bluetooth chips built in.

(b) Present the networking concept of Bluetooth technology.

(7)

A master Bluetooth device can communicate with a maximum of seven devices in a piconet (an ad-hoc
computer network using Bluetooth technology), though not all devices reach this maximum. The devices
can switch roles, by agreement, and the slave can become the master (for example, a headset initiating a
connection to a phone will necessarily begin as master, as initiator of the connection; but may
subsequently prefer to be slave).
The Bluetooth Core Specification provides for the connection of two or more piconets to form
a scatternet, in which certain devices simultaneously play the master role in one piconet and the slave role
in another.
At any given time, data can be transferred between the master and one other device (except for the littleused broadcast mode.) The master chooses which slave device to address; typically, it switches rapidly
from one device to another in a round-robin fashion. Since it is the master that chooses which slave to
address, whereas a slave is (in theory) supposed to listen in each receive slot, being a master is a lighter
burden than being a slave. Being a master of seven slaves is possible; being a slave of more than one
master is difficult. The specification is vague as to required behavior in scatternets.
Many USB Bluetooth adapters or "dongles" are available, some of which also include an IrDA adapter
Bluetooth is a standard wire-replacement communications protocol primarily designed for low-power
consumption, with a short range based on low-costtransceiver microchips in each device. Because the
devices use a radio (broadcast) communications system, they do not have to be in visual line of sight of
each other, however a quasi optical wireless path must be viable. Range is power-class-dependent, but
effective ranges vary in practice; see the table on the right.

OR
VIII. (a) Explain infrastructure and ad-hoc networks in detail.

(10)

the design of infrastructure-based wireless networks is simpler because most of the network functionality
lies within the access point, whereas the wireless clients can remain quite simple. This structure is
reminiscent of switched Ethernet or other star-based networks, where a central element (e.g., a switch)
controls network flow. This type of network can use different access schemes with or without collision.
Collisions may occur if medium access of the wireless nodes and the access point is not coordinated.
However, if only the access point controls medium access, no collisions are possible.

The two basic variants of wireless networks, infrastructure-based and ad-hoc, do not always come in their
pure form. There are networks that rely on access points and infrastructure for basic services (e.g.,

authentication of access, control of medium access for data with associated quality of service,
management functions), but that also allow for direct communication between the wireless nodes.

(b) List the advantages of WLAN.

(5)

Advantages of WLAN:

User mobility

Voice and data services

Scalable architecture

Availability of all HiPath VoIP network services

Access to central applications

Handover between access points

Robust model for industry

Economical access points

Plug-and-Play architecture

Robust controller

Security on the level of fixed networks

Small Enterprise option with own controller

Branch Office option for small branches where remote controller is used

Unit IV
IX. (a) Present the concept of Wi-Fi.

(8)

Wi-Fi, also spelled Wifi or WiFi, is a local area wireless technology that allows an electronic device to
exchange data or connect to the internet using 2.4 GHzUHF and 5 GHz SHF radio waves. The name is a
trademark name, and is a play on the audiophile term Hi-Fi. The Wi-Fi Alliance defines Wi-Fi as any
"wireless local area network (WLAN) products that are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers' (IEEE) 802.11 standards".[1] However, since most modern WLANs are based on these
standards, the term "Wi-Fi" is used in general English as a synonym for "WLAN". Only Wi-Fi products

that complete Wi-Fi Alliance interoperability certification testing successfully may use the "Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED" trademark
Many devices can use Wi-Fi, e.g., personal computers, video-game consoles, smartphones, digital
cameras, tablet computers and digital audio players. These can connect to a network resource such as the
Internet via a wireless network access point. Such an access point (or hotspot) has a range of about 20
meters (66 feet) indoors and a greater range outdoors. Hotspot coverage can comprise an area as small as
a single room with walls that block radio waves, or as large as many square kilometres achieved by using
multiple overlapping access points.

Depiction of a device sending information wirelessly to another device, both connected to the local
network, in order to print a document.
Wi-Fi can be less secure than wired connections (such as Ethernet) because an intruder does not need a
physical connection. Web pages that use SSL are secure but unencrypted internet access can easily be
detected by intruders. Because of this, Wi-Fi has adopted various encryption technologies. The early
encryption WEP proved easy to break. Higher quality protocols (WPA, WPA2) were added later. An
optional feature added in 2007, called Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), had a serious flaw that allowed an
attacker to recover the router's password.[2] The Wi-Fi Alliance has since updated its test plan and
certification program to ensure all newly certified devices resist attacks.

(b) Mention the advantages and disadvantages of WAP.

(7)

Advantages of using WAP

The conditions of the mobile network are harsh. Hence, given these harsh conditions, it is essential to
select an appropriate application environment and design the application for the mobile user and the
challenges provided by the mobile network.

The mobile network in comparison provides resources of 9.6kbps for a user. The challenges for
developing an application for the mobile environment are mainly these obvious differences between the
Mobile network and the Wired environment.
Disadvantages of WAP
he main limitations of WAP today are related to the devices used and the mobile networks. The limiting
factors of the device means that large amounts of data, especially graphics and animations are not
recommended. Although, WAP supports images today only black and white images are possible. Colour
Images and Animations will be supported in future releases of WAP.

OR
X. Explain Virtual Private Network in detail.

Four Categories:

Trusted VPN

Secure VPN

Hybrid VPN

Provider-provisioned VPN

From the users perspective, it appears as a network consisting of dedicated network links
These links appear as if they are reserved for the VPN clientele
Because of encryption, the network appears to be private

(15)

Must emulate a point-to-point link

Done by encapsulating the data that would facilitate allow it to travel the Internet to reach
the end point

Must emulate a private link

Done by encrypting the data in the data packets

Tunnel

The portion of the network where the data is encapsulated

Connection

The portion of the network where the data is encrypted

Provide users with secured remote access over the Internet to corporate resources
Connect two computer networks securely over the Internet

Example: Connect a branch office network to the network in the head office

Secure part of a corporate network for security and confidentiality purpose