Baby Bluetooth (Wibree)Wibree, also called "Baby Bluetooth," is a low-power wireless local area network (WLAN) technology that facilitates interoperability among mobile and portable consumer devices such as pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless computer peripherals, entertainment devices and medical equipment. Originally conceived by Nokia and developed in conjunction with Broadcom, CSR and others, Wibree is similar to Bluetooth but

consumes a small fraction of the battery power. Wibree operates at a range of 5 to 10 meters (about 16.5 to 33 feet) with a data rate of up to 1 megabit per second (Mbps) in the 2.4-GHz radio-frequency (RF) band. Wibree may be deployed on a stand-alone chip or on a dual-mode chip along with conventional Bluetooth.

Bluetooth is a telecommunications industry specification that describes how mobile phones, computers and PDAs can be interconnected using short-range wireless connections. Bluetooth requires that a low-cost transceiver chip be included in each device. A technology called frequency-hopping spread spectrum allows devices to communicate even in areas with severe electromagnetic interference (EMI). Built-in encryption and authentication is provided.

StratelliteStratellite is a brand name trademark of Sanswire for a future emissions-free, high-altitude stratospheric airship that provides a stationary communications platform for various types of wireless signals usually carried by communications towers or satellites. The Stratellite is a concept that has undergone several years of research and development, and is not yet commercially available; Sanswire, with its partner TAO Technologies, anticipates its current testing sequence to include the launch of a Stratellite into the stratosphere.

Details

High-altitude airships, like the Stratellite, would hover lower than an orbiting satellite, but far above the jet stream and most weather, in the stratosphere approximately 13 mi (20 km) above the Earth. A single unit could then send broadband, mobile phone and digital television and radio signals to a large area. So far, this technology remains unproven, and is very far from commercialization. A working proto-type that can perform all these functions doesn't exist.

In comparison, lag times would be reduced by a factor of nearly 2000 for geostationary satellites, and 15 for low orbiting satellites but with a smaller coverage area. When compared to terrestrial communications towers, Stratellite coverage would be larger, with lag times being more a function of internal communications equipment rather than distance.

Estimated broadband coverage of 300,000 mi² (480,000 km²), roughly the size of Texas or France, is planned. Wireless signals could be transmitted to and from a 200 mi (320 km)

diameter, but terrain features and man-made structures could partially or locally interfere with the signal.

Since the Stratellite is designed for regular returns to the surface for maintenance (see below), some overlap and redundancy would be required to maintain continuous service. Sanswire Networks initially plans to deploy this technology over major metropolitan areas.

Proponents claim a high-altitude communications platform, like the Stratellite, could make terrestrial broadcast towers obsolete, reducing the cost and time required for hardware updates. An update made to a single unit would effectively cascade to an entire grid of virtual broadcast towers. It will be possible to bring broadband service to a wide area currently without terrestrial towers quickly and with relative ease.

The unmanned Stratellite would be powered by solar cells and propelled by electric motors.

According to corporate press releases, the Stratellite and related assets were shipped to TAO Technologies in Stuttgart, Germany for further evaluation and design revision. Sanswire then formed a new German corporation known as Sanswire-TAO GmbH.

Company details

Sanswire is not the first company to propose such a craft. Similar proposals have been made by Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) in Bedford, England, SkyLINK, Inc, in England, and SkyTower Inc., a subsidiary of AeroVironment Inc. in Monrovia, California, in the United States.

Specifications

General characteristics

Length: 245 ft in (75 m) Width: 145 ft in (44 m) Height: 87 ft in (26.5 m) Volume: 1.3 million ft3 (420,000 m3)

Performance

Service ceiling: 70,000 ft (21,000 m) Dual envelopes, made of Dyneema (sometimes called Spectra) Navigation: 6 onboard GPS units connected to the ship's engines Payload capacity: 3,000 lb (1,451 kg) Cruising altitude: 65,000 ft (20,000 m Lifting gas: Helium and Nitrogen Line-of-sight: 300,000 mile² (480,000 km²) Maximum duration aloft: 18 months

Broadband Global Area NetworkThe Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) is a global Satellite Internet Network with telephony using portable terminals. The terminals are normally used to connect a laptop computer to broadband Internet in remote locations, although as long as line-of-sight to the satellite exists, the terminal can be used anywhere. The value of BGAN terminals is that unlike other satellite Internet services which require bulky and heavy satellite dishes to connect, a BGAN terminal is about the size of a laptop and thus can be carried easily. The network is provided by Inmarsat and uses three geostationary satellites called I-4 to provide almost global coverage.

Details

Downlink speeds of high-end BGAN terminals are up to 492 kbit/s and upload speeds are also up to 492 kbit/s - Best Effort as BGAN Background IP (BIP) is a contended (shared) channel. As with all geosynchronous satellite connections, latency is an issue. Common latency is 1–1.5 seconds round trip for the Background IP service. It is slightly better for the Streaming services at 800 ms – 1 second. This latency is mainly due to the great distance that has to be traveled before a packet can reach the Internet, but is slightly exacerbated by the back-end technology as normal latency over a VSAT system is roughly 550ms. BGAN users frequently use PEP software or other TCP packet accelerators to improve performance.

BGAN terminals are made by multiple manufacturers. They all have similar capabilities. The main two that apply to basic BGAN usage are the Standard Background IP (Internet) and Telephone Voice. Data costs from the many ISPs that offer BGAN service averages about US$7.50 per Background Megabyte. Voice calling is on average US$1 per min and varies slightly based on the destination of the call (Land lines, Cell phones, other Satellite phones which are the most expensive).

BGAN is currently the fastest global data link available via a portable terminal. It can be easily set up by anyone, and has excellent voice calling quality. It works on the L band, avoiding rain fade and other issues of traditional larger satellite systems.

Signal acquisition

The actual process of connecting a BGAN terminal to the satellite is fairly straight forward. The terminal needs a line-of-sight to the geostationary satellite so a user would normally be outside, and have a general idea of what direction the satellite would be (with a compass if necessary). Turning the terminal slowly by hand, it will give some indication when the satellite is found. Then usually with the touch of one button, the terminal auto-negotiates with the satellite and connects. The average pointing time for a BGAN unit is 2 minutes, under a minute with an experienced user and a good signal. BGAN is being used in the world today for disaster response, telemedicine, business continuity, military use, and recreational use.

Terminals

Terminal manufactures are Thrane & Thrane, EMS Technologies, Hughes Network Systems, and Addvalue. Terminal cost is between US$1800 and US$5000 varying based on class and capabilities of the various systems. Depending on terminal type users can connect their computers via USB, Bluetooth, WiFi, or Ethernet connection(s). This allows them to access the Internet, check e-mail, download files, or any other Internet activity they might do at a home or office. Many come equipped with a regular RJ11 Phone Jack for making PSTN calls, using an ordinary telephone handset, and many terminals have an ISDN connection to do ISDN phone calls. Some BGAN terminals have both so users can make either type of phone call. Users can also send faxes or SMS text messages. Most BGAN terminals can support a router or switch device so users can plug in multiple computers or even VOIP phones and set up a mobile office.

Coverage and availability

The BGAN service is accessible globally, excluding the poles.

Variants

BGAN terminals are allowed to be used on the open ocean on a moving vessel. But because the vessel will be moving there is great chances to lose the signal and then the connection. Inmarsat informed DPs that the Core network is not blocking these connections.

Inmarsat has created the FleetBroadband service that uses the I4 satellites for maritime communication.

Standard BGAN terminals cannot be used on moving aircraft due to doppler shift effects. An alternative service using more intelligent terminals to talk to the I4 satellites, named SwiftBroadband, has been developed for aircraft use.

News coverage

Sky News correspondent Alex Crawford used BGAN equipment to provide live coverage, from a moving truck, of the news network's coverage of the liberation of Tripoli, Libya, in August 2011. This was done by the producer continously readjusting the disk to track the bgan satellite. Normal BGAN use by the media is restricted to fixed positions.

BluejackingBluejacking is the sending of unsolicited messages over Bluetooth to Bluetooth-enabled devices such as mobile phones, PDAs or laptop computers, sending a vCard which typically contains a message in the name field (i.e., for bluedating or bluechat) to another bluetooth enabled device via the OBEX protocol.

Bluetooth has a very limited range, usually around 10 metres (32.8 ft) on mobile phones, but laptops can reach up to 100 metres (328 ft) with powerful (Class 1) transmitters.

Origins

Bluejacking was reportedly first carried out by a Malaysian IT consultant who used his phone to advertise Sony Ericsson. He also invented the name, which purports to be an amalgam of Bluetooth and ajack, his username on Esato, a Sony Ericsson fan online forum. Jacking is, however, an extremely common shortening of hijack, the act of taking over something.

Usage

Bluejacking is usually harmless, but because bluejacked people generally don't know what has happened, they may think that their phone is malfunctioning. Usually, a bluejacker will only send a text message, but with modern phones it's possible to send images or sounds as well. Bluejacking has been used in guerrilla marketing campaigns to promote advergames.

With the increase in the availability of Bluetooth enabled devices, it is often reported that devices have become vulnerable to virus attacks and even complete take over of devices through a trojan horse program although most of these reports are easily debunked.

Bluejacking is also confused with Bluesnarfing which is the way in which mobile phones are illegally hacked via Bluetooth.

Bluejacking tools and software

Many tools have been developed for bluejacking. Most of the development happened in the 2000 to 2004, where multiple new bluetooth vulnerabilities were discovered. Most of these tools are developed by individual developers and have very specific functions. While there are many tools to assist someone in bluejacking, only a few hidden tools are available for the more sinister bluesnarfing or bluebugging. These are usually internal trade secrets which the experts guard earnestly.

One example is bluesniff, which seeks out hidden bluetooth devices. One of the most commonly used bluetooth software is bloover, which is in version 2 now. It allows users to seek then send unsolicited messages to unwary bluetooth devices.

Given the fact that most Bluetooth devices present a confirmation dialog when a remote device tries to connect, it is possible to achieve another form of Bluejacking by setting the unsolicited message as the friendly name of the Bluejacking device. For example a Bluetooth device can be renamed as "You're being watched!" and then when connecting to another Bluetooth device it will provide this name and so the user will see it.