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AXIS 5800 Mobile FAQs
AXIS 5800 is discontinued and the
information about this product is for reference only.
Q: How many
end-user devices support Bluetooth™ Wireless Technology today?
A: A fast growing
number. Ericsson has released mobile phones with support for Bluetooth™
printing and synchronization. Several vendors (e.g. Motorola, IBM,
Toshiba, Xircom, 3COM) have released Bluetooth PC cards for laptop
computers. PDA vendors are planning to release Bluetooth capable devices
in the near future. For an up-to-date list, please check the official
Bluetooth Qualified Product List on the official Bluetooth web site at www.bluetooth.com
Q: Can
Bluetooth coexist with other wireless LAN techniques such as 802.11b?
A: Yes, but since
both Bluetooth and 802.11b operate in the same frequency band (the 2.4GHz
ISM band), some interference such as performance loss and range
limitations is to be expected. Bluetooth uses the complete ISM band (2.402
to 2.480 GHz) divided into 79 1-MHz channels, while 802.11b units
typically uses fewer (wider) channels and only operates on parts of the
ISM band. Therefore, in a situation with relatively few Bluetooth and
802.11b units operating in close proximity, the interference will be
limited. The level of interference will increase as more 802.11b units are
added. Early investigations show the Bluetooth performance loss due to
802.11b interference will range from zero to 30% when the units are placed
very close to one another.
Q: What is the
maximum throughput I can expect from a Bluetooth network?
A: The Bluetooth
baseband (radio level) throughput is 1Mb/s. Due to various overheads, this
is reduced to a maximum of about 723 kbps on the HCI application level.
Not all Bluetooth hardware today supports this high-speed mode, so further
throughput limitations may apply.
Q: What are
the range limitations for Bluetooth communication?
A: It depends on
the power class of the radio transmitter, antenna characteristics,
receiver sensitivity and environment. Generally, for low power units
(class 2), the maximum range is limited to about 10 meters between units.
This may be further limited if there are solid objects, such as walls,
between the units. For high power (class 1) units the range can be up to
100 meters in ideal situations. AXIS 5800 Mobile uses a low power (class
2) radio.
Q: What is the
throughput for AXIS 5800 Mobile and how does that affect pages printed per
minute?
A: AXIS 5800 has
a theoretical throughput of 460 kbps using Bluetooth Wireless Technology. The actual printing speed depends on the type of printer that is being used. Axis investigations
show that when printing to a standard Laser printer the total time from
when the user starts the print job, to when the printout is ready, will
not be longer than for normal network printing. The time spent
transporting the printing data wirelessly could, in some cases, be slower
compared to high-speed wired Ethernet networks. This is, however, not
normally where the bottleneck is. The most time spent is in the mechanisms
of the printer, generating the printout.
Q:
What is AXIS Wireless Printing Utility?
A: Axis
is promoting the need for ease of use when printing wirelessly in order
for the technology to be perceived as pervasive. AXIS Wireless Printing
Utility is a software suite that enables printing over Bluetooth in a
simple and intuitive way:
- User selects File | Print in any Windows application
- The vicinity is scanned and available printers are displayed for
the user to pick from.
- Job is printed at the printer.
Q: Is the AXIS
wireless printing solution standardized?
A: No. At Axis
Communications AB we have developed our own wireless printing protocol.
Our proprietary solution is similar to the standard suggested by the
Bluetooth SIG. As soon as the standard is approved coming Axis products
with Bluetooth ä Wireless Technology will support the official standard.
Q: Can I
upgrade my AXIS 5800 Mobile when the Bluetooth printing standard has been
approved?
A: Yes, you will
be able to upgrade your software by downloading new versions from the Axis
Web site.
Q: Can someone
listen into a wireless transmission and get unauthorized access to the
network?
A: Yes and No. It
is possible to listen to wireless transmission between a laptop and an
AXIS 5800 Mobile print server but it is not possible to listen to network
transmission or get access to the network.
Q: Can several
users print at the same time?
A: AXIS 5800
Mobile can receive information from one user a time. This is due to the
fact that the current version supports Point-to-Point transmission. Future
versions will support Point to Multi-point transmission. If the printer is
busy with a print job, it cannot send information back to the next user
that it is available for wireless printouts. But the software suite AXIS
Wireless Printing Utility will keep sending information until the printer
is free.
Q: How far
away can I be when I print and can I go away after I have sent the
printout to the printer?
A: That depends
on the surroundings where the printer is located. If there are no
obstacles like walls or doors the maximum distance is 10 meters (30 feet)
As long as print data is being sent to the printer you need to be within
the maximum distance. As soon as the printer has received the data you can
walk away since the data is then stored in the printer. AXIS Wireless
Printing Utility software will inform the user when the printer has
received the print data.
Q: What
PC-Cards with Bluetooth Wireless Technology are you supporting?
A: For the wireless
functionality, software called AXIS
Wireless Printing Utility must be installed on the laptop. The
application is supplied with the AXIS 5800 Mobile and supports the
following operating systems:
- Windows 95b or later
-
Windows 98
-
Windows ME (Millennium Edition)
-
Windows
NT 4
-
Windows
2000
AXIS Wireless
Printing Utility works with PC cards equipped with a “PC Card driver”
called Bluetooth Software Suite
version 1.07 or later. The software is delivered by respective PC card
vendor. Bluetooth PC Cards from the following vendors support this:
Q: Is the AXIS
5800 Mobile compliant with the Bluetooth Wireless Technology standard?
A: Yes. The AXIS
5800 Mobile is Bluetooth compliant and also certified for usage in the
following Regions/Countries: European Community (EC), United States,
Canada, Singapore, Korea and Japan.
Q: How many
units can participate in a Bluetooth network?
A: It's basically
unlimited. The Bluetooth 'piconet' is the smallest unit in a Bluetooth
network. When more than one units are present in a piconet, one is the
master and all other units are slaves, managed by the master. Since the
Bluetooth standard specifies seven as the maximum number of slaves to each
master, the maximum number of units participating in a Bluetooth piconet
is eight (seven slaves and one master). But the master can also
communicate with other piconets, enabling piconet-to-piconet communication
(this feature is called scatternet). The smallest possible number of units
in a Bluetooth network (piconet) is thus one single unit. On the other
hand, when using scatternet, a Bluetooth network can dynamically grow to
any size! To effectively handle very large dynamical networks, efficient
routing protocols will of course have to be devised. The Bluetooth SIG is
currently investigating this.
Q: What are
the rules to become master in a piconet?
A: Normally a
piconet first forms when two isolated units (i.e. none are participating
in any previous piconets) try to establish communication with each other.
The unit that first takes the initiative and tries to establish
communication will be the master by default. Any piconet slave can
subsequently request to be master (this feature is called master-slave
switch).
Q: What are
the main practical differences between the master and slave roles in a
piconet?
A: You have to be
master to communicate with more than one Bluetooth unit
simultaneously.
An example: A
Bluetooth Print Server is contacted by a laptop computer with a print job.
The Print Server accepts the link and then becomes slave by default. If
the Print Server is to serve other incoming print requests while printing,
it must become master. To achieve this, it issues a master-slave switch
request to the laptop computer.
Q: How are new
units added to the piconet?
A:
When a unit makes an inquiry scan for other units, it will find the
piconet master and/or isolated units in discoverable mode. When the new
unit tries to establish communication with the existing master or isolated
units, the link is only accepted if the existing units can handle one more
communication link, in which case the piconet has been expanded with one
more unit. In this case the new unit also becomes master by default. It is
also possible for the existing master to initiate communication with any
new units it finds by making an inquiry scan. In this case any new unit
will assume a slave role.
Q: Will
appliances such as microwave ovens interfere with Bluetooth?
A: Yes, microwave
ovens emit radio emissions on the same frequencies as Bluetooth Wireless
Technology. But the level of interference depends on the type of microwave
oven and on the distance between Bluetooth units and the oven. Generally,
it is recommended to keep a distance of at least 10 meters between any
Bluetooth unit and a microwave oven.
Q: How about
the future of Bluetooth Wireless Technology? What's around the corner?
A: The Bluetooth
2.0 specification is in the works, but it's still a couple of years in the
future. Among other things it will feature higher bandwidth (throughput),
probably up to 10Mb/s. Bluetooth routing protocols and the next standard
Bluetooth 3.0 are also something that is under investigation.
Q: Where can I
find more information about Bluetooth Wireless Technology and listed
products?
A: The official
Bluetooth SIG website (www.bluetooth.com)
should contain most things you may need.
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