Short-Range Wireless Communication: Fundamentals of RF System Design and Application (Demystified) [Paperback]

Alan Bensky (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1878707531 | ISBN-13: 978-1878707536 | Publication Date: January 15, 2000 | Edition: 1st

Alan Bensky is an electronics engineering graduate of Union College in New York. He earned his master's degree from the Technion in Haifa, Israel. He has spent several years developing short-range radio equipment for security systems and other uses. He is currently an independent contractor specializing in wireless development projects and he also advises companies on design tasks and issues involving U. S. and European communication standards.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Wireless communications is perhaps best known by its "long-range" applications, such as cellular and satellite communications. Perhaps the greatest growth ahead for wireless markets, however, lies in "short-range" applications, such as in RF identification (RFID), wireless local-area networks (WLANs), and Bluetooth personal wireless connectivity. Short-range Wireless Communication is an excellent introduction to some of these short-range wireless technologies, especially for engineering managers and marketing professionals who may not be well-versed in the terminology and technology of wireless communications.

The opening chapter offers a brief historical perspective on wireless communications, along with an introduction to generic wireless communications systems. Chapter 2 introduces the concept of radio propagation. Chapter 3 highlights antennas and transmission lines.

Chapter 4 reviews communication protocols and modulation. Chapter 5 covers transmitters (Txs), using a simple block diagram to discuss the roles of different components, such as the modulation source and the amplifier, while Chapter 6 details receivers (Rxs), with a short section on software-defined radios.

Chapter 7 unveils radio-system design, with a step-by-step discussion on key system parameters, such as operating range, sensitivity, noise figure, and bandwidth, as well as how to calculate performance when provided with different values of these parameters. Chapter 8 covers system implementation, using module and integrated-circuit (IC) products from a variety of manufacturers as examples. Chapter 9 reviews regulations and wireless standards.

Chapter 10 is a brief 27-page introduction to information theory, with coverage of probability-density functions (PDFs). Chapter 11 details new developments in short-range radios, including brief treatments of ultra-wideband radios and Bluetooth technology.

Short-range Wireless Communications is accompanied by a compact-disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) that contains MathCAD worksheets on 12 topics covered in the text (such as patch-antenna design).

--Microwaves & RF, January 2001

Short-range RF communication is undergoing a revolution-as a replacement for wiring in homes and offices. Designers in this field can find the detailed technical information and design guidelines they need in this book. It serves as a gateway to understanding the basics of all forms of RF communication, including satellite and cellular systems, with an emphasis on short- or low-range power wireless applications.

In addition, the included CD-ROM contains Mathcad engineering worksheets integrated with the text and a complete searchable eBook version with hyperlinked references and bookmarks. A web site covering new short-range RF developments at www.shortrangewireless.net also provides supplemental material and a reader forum.

--Poptronics Magazine, May 2001

This book covers practically all aspects of radio communications including wave propagation, antennas, transmitters, receivers, design principles, telecommunication regulations and information theory.
-Microwave Journal, April 2002

Armed with the knowledge acquired from this book, the reader can more easily learn the details of specialized radio communications systems (PCS) and wireless local area networks (WLAN). -Microwave Journal, April 2002

About the Author

Alan Bensky, MScEE, an electronics engineering consultant with over 25 years of experience in analog and digital design, management, and marketing. Specializing in wireless circuits and systems, Bensky has carried out projects for varied military and consumer applications. He is the author of Short-range Wireless Communication, Second Edition, published by Elsevier, 2004, and has written several articles in international and local publications. He has taught courses and gives lectures on radio engineering topics. Bensky is a senior member of IEEE.

Product Details

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: Newnes; 1st edition (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878707531
• ISBN-13: 978-1878707536
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,438,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Introductory Text, August 22, 2005

By 

Kirt Blattenberger "www.rfcafe.com" (Erie, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Short-Range Wireless Communication: Fundamentals of RF System Design and Application (Demystified) (Paperback)

I read the book from cover-to-cover and found it to be very well-written with a good assortment of pertinent topics. The field is so diverse that no single text of reasonable size could possibly hit on every aspect of wireless communication, but Mr. Bensky does an excellent job of presenting what would be of interest to the engineer either just out of college or switching focus into the realm of WLAN, Bluetooth, RFID, etc.

Beginning with the basics of transmission lines and the Smith Chart, the book progresses naturally through modulation techniques, transmitter and receiver fundamentals, and on through system design and regulatory requirements. This book is definitely one that a newbie would appreciate. Oh, and the CD with my book worked just fine (one reviewer claimed to have problems with it).

In my own effort at publishing the RF Cafe website, I seek out sources of information at all levels of complexity to provide accessible resources for visitors to the site. Mostly I focus on entry-level content for pages I create and provide hyperlinks to sites with all the in-depth material. The content of "Short-range Wireless Communication" represents precisely the type of content I would include on RF Cafe, so that explains why I think highly of the book ;-).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars CD-ROM is absolutely useless, January 8, 2004

By 

atlantic1 "atlantic1" (Palm Bay, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Short-Range Wireless Communication: Fundamentals of RF System Design and Application (Demystified) (Paperback)

This book is clearly written and is a good introduction to the field of wireless communication. I am giving it only 3 stars because the CD-ROM does not work as advertised (it boasts an e-book version of the book, which cannot be unlocked because www.llh-publishing.com seems to have gone bankrupt and does not recognize the unlocking code; also, an errata for one of the worksheets is supposedly available at www.shortrangewireless.net, which nowadays contains no information related to this book). $39.95 (reduced price at Amazon as I'm writing this) is too big of a price for what you get (one softcover book and one plastic coaster). If you're not concerned about the CD-ROM you should be in good shape, but consider paying a lower price.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to a neglected field, July 14, 2001

By 

Farron Dacus (AZ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Short-Range Wireless Communication: Fundamentals of RF System Design and Application (Demystified) (Paperback)

Short range wireless or "MicroRadio" is a field we are all familiar with. Garage door openers and keyless entry systems are common examples, and the field is now moving into the realm of sophisticated two way links, such as Bluetooth. Though many tens of millions of these links are sold per year, I believe this to be the first book devoted to the subject. It provides an excellent overview of the world wide regulations governing operation, which is particularly helpful for the convoluted European rules. The light mathematical introduction to communications systems and electronics is a good start, though serious practitioners will need more advanced references for detailed product development.