Chapter Summary

Wireless PANs are meant to provide wireless network connections in small areas, such as within a room. Devices equipped with Bluetooth or IrDA significantly reduce cables, which increases the flexibility of applications? such as hands-free operation of cell phones, listening to streaming audio players, and synchronizing a PDA to a computer. Many of the types of applications fall within both home and enterprise.

Bluetooth and IrDA are the primary technologies that wireless PANs implement. The 802.15 group elected the use of Bluetooth as the basis for the 802.15.1 standard for wireless PANs. Because of limited range and performance of Bluetooth, it's not likely that wireless PANs will replace 802.11 wireless LANs.