Data Over Wireless Networks: Bluetooth, WAP and Wireless LANs (Standards & Protocols)

The subtitle of the book lists three specific technologies and these are each described in one chapter of the book, the other chapters covering AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service) and D-AMPS (Digital AMPS)--both of which are used in the US; GSM; CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access); LMDS (Local Multipoint Distribution Service) and MMDS (Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service). There are also two introductory chapters with some background information.

Overall, the book is reasonable easy to read, with quite a light style. The main chapters are stand-alone and can be read individually. However, reading the book gives no real feeling for how these technologies might be used together (or not, as the case may be). Although every chapter does contain an introduction with some example uses, the book simply gives information about the function and mechanisms specific to the technology with no real discussion or analysis. In addition, the book contains some minor technical errors and seems to have been poorly proof read, as it has a number of typing errors.

The book also seems to have a somewhat confused level of detail. For example, there is a nine-page table in the main text giving the frequency allocations for AMPS but there is no description of the network architecture used for GSM. Also, there are only three pages giving some very simple information about the third generation technologies such as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System). There is no mention at all of GPRS (General Packet Radio System) which, at the time of writing seemed likely to be offered in parts of Europe in the near future.