‘Global Navigation Satellite System,’ or ‘GNSS’ is a generic term used for a constellation of satellites with worldwide coverage that function to send positioning and timing signals to receivers located on Earth. It is this technology that allows us to perform simple applications from determining location and finding addresses to more sensitive asset tracking and military operations. [ + ]

Engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas are developing an emergency communications network that will maintain operation during natural disasters and provide critical warnings and geographic information to people affected by the disasters. [ + ]

Microwaves have become part of our everyday life and are in wide use from ovens to message carrying. This article takes a broad look at these useful waves and how they can be used for WAN networking. [ + ]

This year’s CeBIT theme is ‘Stay ahead of the game’, showcasing the latest in IT, unified communications, wireless networking and more. [ + ]

Eleven point-to-point MiMOMax UHF narrowband IP links were deployed at a New Zealand oil refinery, Refining NZ. [ + ]

Releasing a product with bugs is potentially very expensive, especially considering the cost of field upgrades, recalls and repairs. Less quantifiable, but at least equally important, is the damage done to reputation and consequent loss of customer goodwill.

It’s no secret that wireless communications standards continue evolving to provide ever-increasing data throughput capabilities. The boost in data rates is largely accomplished through enhancements in the physical layers of the protocols. These enhancements often take years to develop - allowing us to envision both the communications systems of tomorrow and the changes in RF test needs. Today, two main wireless standards are IEEE 802.11ac in wireless-local-area-network (WLAN) products and 3GPP LTE Advanced in cellular communications. [ + ]

While radio played a major role in alleviating some of Queensland’s worst disasters of 2011 - the floods and Cyclone Yasi - the technology found itself stretched to the limit on occasions.

In my 19 years within the two-way radio industry I have seen many changes and developments. I have seen the transition of radios using crystals, diode matrix boards, EPROMs and DSPs for programming and frequency changes, along with the introduction of data with MDTs, GPS and telemetry within the two-way radio medium.

TestAdvance, along with partners Technicas Competitivas and LSE, provided a Radio over IP system to help alleviate issues with interoperability on an existing network. [ + ]

New UWB technology, being researched in Europe, may be able to transmit data at speeds of up to 1 Gbps and determine the location of a person/object to within 50 cm.

The size of embedded software is increasing every year. In fact, embedded systems contain significantly more software than only a couple of years ago. This expansion has resulted in new types of problems.

Despite recent floods in Australia, fresh water supplies are becoming dangerously low in many areas of the world, and the use of technology to better monitor, control and safeguard water flow helps protect this threatened and valuable resource.

One of the world’s largest community safety and emergency service organisations, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) in Victoria, has selected Tait Radio Communications to replace its 10,000 handheld and vehicle-mounted radios.

The Lachesis vital signs monitor, developed by researchers at UniQuest’s commercialisation collaboration partner, the University of Technology Sydney, has received $70,000 in grants to help take the invention to the global market.