This blog post will look at the structure and limitations of wireless internet and why we continue to use it despite these limitations.
We are now in an era where we can use the internet anytime, anywhere. Computer engineers have undoubtedly worked hard to make this possible. We use wireless internet on our smartphones, laptops, and even on the navigation systems installed in our cars. Several technological innovations have contributed to the widespread use of wireless internet. For example, the miniaturization of devices and improvements in battery life have eliminated the need for users to carry heavy equipment, and the emergence of various services and applications has dramatically expanded the scope of wireless internet use. However, we are not very familiar with how this wireless internet is applied. In this blog post, I will explain this.
These devices use the Internet to connect to the Internet at any time. Smartphone users think that they have received a message and connected to the Internet when their device vibrates or notifies them with a voice message. However, devices that actually use the Internet do not wait in such a passive manner. They connect to the Internet at a set time so that they can receive messages at any time, and deliver messages to users in real time. This connection method allows users to send and receive information in real time anytime, anywhere. This is an example of how important instant communication and rapid information sharing are in modern society. The time that the smartphone is connected to the Internet during periods of no contact is actually very long and pointless compared to the time that the user actually uses it. Although it requires a long period of time to be connected to the Internet, the inefficiency of this approach is the main cause of smartphone power consumption.
So, before explaining why this connection is needed, let’s think about how wireless Internet works. Ultimately, the device, which is the device that uses the Internet, always transmits a set frequency to the Access Point (AP) closest to its location. The relay tower checks whether the signal is normal. After that, the device begins to send and receive signals from the relay tower. The message at this time contains an identification number and a relay tower connection authorization. 3G is commonly used as a communication network, and most smartphones in most countries connect to 3G. Once the smartphone successfully connects to the relay tower, it sends multiple messages to the relay tower and waits for a reply. In this process, the user can receive various services tailored to their location, such as location-based advertising or local information. This shows that a simple internet connection has an impact on many aspects of our lives beyond just data transmission. At this point, if a messenger application such as WhatsApp, TikTok, or Zalo is installed on a smartphone, it will perform the task of checking for new messages every time it is accessed. If there is a new message, the app will switch to the total reception mode from the regular reception setting and wait for the message to be received properly. Of course, a timeout is set in case of a poor connection, and in this case, the app will also notify the user that the message has failed to be received. If the user writes and sends a message directly, the message will be sent to the relay tower with the destination and message content.
This time, we will look at how photos and long messages are handled. It is almost impossible to send data that exceeds 1MB, such as photos, at once, and the amount of data that can be sent at once (packets) will be exceeded. The terminal and AP industries have set these protocols in advance, and the amount and structure of packets that can be sent at once have been set in advance. Therefore, when sending large files, such as photos, the contents are divided into packets that can be sent in order. Similarly, let’s take the example of when you try to send a photo on WhatsApp, TikTok, or Zalo but fail. Even though the message sending process is visible due to a smooth internet connection, sometimes you can see that it fails. Since wireless Internet is very unstable, if all of the divided packets do not arrive, it is considered a failure. If the transmission of a single packet fails, the destination sends a request to the device to retransmit the corresponding split packet, but as mentioned above, the server can also set a timeout, so if the transmission is not completed after the specified time, it is considered a failure and the transmission is stopped.
Although this is an unstable and inefficient wireless Internet with high power consumption, no new transmission method has been found to replace this system yet. However, we need to find ways to make the system we are currently using more efficient. For example, we can overcome the limitations of wireless Internet by developing new algorithms that consume less energy or researching technologies that can reduce transmission errors. In addition, wireless Internet services are already widely available, so it will take time for the new system to gain a foothold. However, current engineers have succeeded in implementing LTE transmission by improving the existing method. LTE is one of the fourth-generation wireless transmission methods, and the fact that it is commonly referred to as 3G or 4G indicates that it is equipped with the technology of that generation. However, due to the different transmission methods, it is technically difficult to produce smartphones that are equipped with both 3G and 4G. Also, for marketing reasons, the current paradigm is to equip only one of the two. Of course, LTE is considered to have improved in terms of speed compared to 3G. This speed improvement has enabled users to send and receive more data faster, which has made real-time content consumption, such as streaming services, possible. As such advancements are being made, it is expected that technology will be developed that will improve stability and reduce power consumption in the future. The development of wireless internet is an important driving force that allows us to live in a more connected world. It is exciting to see what direction technological advancements will take in the future.
