This blog post examines the structure and limitations of wireless internet, and why we continue to use it despite these issues.
We now live in an era where internet access is available anytime, anywhere. Computer engineers undoubtedly poured their blood, sweat, and tears into making this era possible. We utilize wireless internet on smartphones, laptops, and even in-car navigation systems. Behind this widespread adoption lie numerous technological innovations. For instance, as devices became smaller and battery life improved, users no longer needed to carry heavy equipment. Simultaneously, the emergence of diverse services and applications rapidly expanded the scope of wireless internet usage. However, we often don’t fully understand how this wireless internet is actually applied. That’s why I want to explain it in this blog post.
These internet-using devices connect to the internet constantly, without pause. A smartphone user typically only realizes a message has arrived and that the device connected to the internet when their device vibrates or beeps to notify them. But in reality, internet-using devices don’t wait passively like that. They adopt a method of connecting to the internet at set intervals to ensure they can receive any incoming message, thereby delivering messages to the user in real time. Thanks to this connection method, users can exchange information in real time, anytime and anywhere. This is one example demonstrating how crucial instant communication and rapid information sharing are in modern society. The time a smartphone spends connected to the internet while not in use is actually very long and meaningless compared to the time the user is actively using it. While prolonged internet connectivity is necessary, this inefficient approach constitutes the primary factor in smartphone power consumption.
Before explaining why such connectivity is required, let’s consider the sequence of wireless internet operations. The terminal device, which is the end-user device accessing the internet, constantly transmits a fixed frequency signal to the nearest Access Point (AP) from its location. The relay tower checks if the signal is normal. It then begins exchanging messages with the terminal device. These messages contain an identification number and permission to connect to the relay tower. 3G is commonly adopted as the communication network, and most smartphones in many countries connect via 3G. Once successfully connected to the relay tower, the smartphone sends multiple messages to the tower and waits for its replies. During this process, the user can receive various location-based services, such as location-based ads or local information. This demonstrates how a simple internet connection impacts multiple aspects of life beyond mere data transmission. If messaging applications like WhatsApp, TikTok, or Zalo are installed on the smartphone, they will check for new messages each time the device connects. If new messages are present, the app switches from periodic reception to full reception mode, waiting until messages are successfully received. Of course, a timeout is set in case of poor connectivity, and in such cases, it notifies the user of failed message reception. If the user manually composes and sends a message, the message content, including the destination and message text, is transmitted to the relay tower.
Now, let’s examine how photos or long messages are handled. Sending data exceeding 1MB at once, like a photo, is nearly impossible and would exceed the maximum transmission size (packet) allowed per send. The terminal and AP industries have predefined protocols (rules) establishing the size and structure of packets that can be sent at once. Therefore, for large-volume transfers like photos, the content is divided into portions that fit within a single packet and sent sequentially. Similarly, consider the case of failed photo uploads on WhatsApp, TikTok, or Zalo. Even with a stable internet connection where the message transmission process is visible, failures can sometimes occur. Wireless internet is highly unstable. If not all segmented packets arrive, the transmission is considered a failure. If a single packet fails, the destination device requests the segmented packet be retransmitted. However, as mentioned earlier, the server can also set a timeout. If the transmission isn’t completed within the specified time, it’s deemed a failure, and reception may be halted.
Despite being unstable, power-hungry, and inefficient, no new transmission method has yet emerged to replace this wireless internet system. However, we must seek ways to make the current system more efficient. For instance, developing new algorithms that consume less energy or researching technologies that reduce transmission errors could help overcome the limitations of wireless internet. Furthermore, since wireless internet services are already widely deployed, it will inevitably take time for a new system to establish its position. Nevertheless, current engineers have succeeded in advancing the existing methods to implement LTE transmission. LTE is one of the 4th generation wireless transmission technologies; the common terms 3G or 4G indicate that the respective generation technology is incorporated. However, due to differing transmission methods, smartphones equipped with both 3G and 4G are technically challenging to manufacture. Furthermore, for reasons of telecommunications service marketing, equipping only one of the two is the current paradigm. Of course, LTE is evaluated as having improved speed compared to 3G. This speed enhancement allows users to send and receive more data faster, enabling real-time content consumption like streaming services. Given such progress, it is anticipated that technology will eventually emerge to enhance stability and reduce power consumption. The advancement of wireless internet is a crucial driving force enabling us to live in a more connected world. We look forward to seeing the direction future technological progress will take.
