Healthcare Wireless and Device Connectivity

802.11n and the next generation of RF Technologies

Years ago, I wrote an article on phased array antenna technology for the use in WIFI panel arrays. This was essentially a description of today's modern radar in aircraft and naval vessels and how this could be applied to the enterprise WLAN market. This bascially as described is a multiple of antennas coupled to a common source to produce a directive radiation pattern. It now seems that a WLAN company is taking this to the software level to steer the energy toward listening in an antenna element. Also another company with this as described is looking at real QoS, to ensure packet to packet QoS. Actually both companies are looking to QoS at the packet to packet level  This is a huge step to ensure the fundamental requirements of a medical grade network or life critical network for the WLAN space. While the convergence of the macro market takes place with this space, the basic planning for all the foremost wireless applications both macro and internal needs to be front and center.

www.arubanetworks.com

www.ruckuswireless.com

 

802.11n and WIMAX

With 802.11n around the corner and the final standard becoming approved pending September; it is predicted that there will be huge opportunity in healthcare to forklift out 802.11a/b/g AP(s).  This will not occur overnight, but the added benefits of MIMO dealing with multi-path and the increased bandwidth and capacity should have great value for this vertical market. WIMAX deployments in in-building will be SISO. Not quite sure how MIMO for 802.11n will be supported by a DAS.

802.11n DRAFT pending approval September 11

This has huge implications to wired/wirless networking in general. First it provides backwards compatibility with 802.11a/g, (also legacy b), but will require an AP not firmware refresh, but a forklift upgrade.  This will allow competitive entrants like Aruba, Meru, and Ruckus Wireless to provide the best wireless networking technology to displace the legacy wireless APs (802.11a/b/g), but potentially the wired side in that the past wireless and wired network is becoming legacy in nature. Unless you have fiber to the desktop, up to the speeds and feeds of 802.11n should be adequate.  Not that all wired ports are going away; but realistically over 40% of wired ports simply are not being used today. If I am wrong, then run www.statseeker.com. Overall to what has been stated, this will allow tremendous immediate cost savings to the enterprise market to reduce port counts, eliminate switches, and finally allow the elimination of the management overhead.  However the end customer needs to carefully look at this.  All of what has been discussed will potentially save the enterprise customer huge costs going forward to support the enterprise future wireless environment. The threshold to counter the previous legacy converged  marketing message has been it seems solidified with the final roll-out and final pending approval of 802.11n.

www.statseeker.com

Integra Systems RTLS White Paper on AwarePoint

The "just add water" story WF-Fi marketers publicizes loses steam in real-world applications. Although many Wi-Fi RTLS vendors tout the plug and play attributes of using their existing infrastructure, the leading manufacture of WLANS has a deployment guidelines document that for Wi-Fi RTLS that is over 200 pages in length.  Go to FUD Busters on www.awarepoint.com  to download this white paper.

www.awarepoint.com

Strategic Planning for Wireless Technologies

We have found that it is crucial that a strategic business plan be created so that that the right wireless and mobility technologies will be deployed to meet the mission critical business objectives. It has been our experience in the past that this has tended to be sometimes  a "boil the ocean" adventure or a simple  "ad hoc" experience. Many times organizations do not get all the stakeholders together and allow the external marketing hype of the technology companies to prevail without due diligence. This creates roadblocks to gravitate toward a sound technology decision. Often this lends to decisions that may be it seems to right, but are short term, and do not look to the longer term of the evolving technology landscape. There must be an understanding of the differences of the technology, the go to market life cycle of a medical device, the different wireless technologies, what actually "works" in the wireless landscape, and the goals of the enterprise IT organization or company.  Often there is a disconnect of how fast to move in this market and how to measure the impact of this investment. That is one area where our experience over the past twenty years can help.  We can create the right business model that will allow short term and long term business and productivity improvements with the right ROI. We also can provide the "red filter" to discern the wireless marketing hype to a reality of what is needed to accomplish the day to day business objectives.

802.11n and what this means to the macro cellular environment

With the innovations in multi-mode devices such as the I-Phone, just by the huge applications being offered, by default this places huge challenges for ATT for handling such new great innovations such as www.airstriptech.com. While it is felt that this device will provide provide access to these innovative applications outside of the building environment, the applications will only drive further the requirement for a DAS.  It is no longer just the voice side. Also, the desire to download PAC images for consult;  it looks like a perfect storm for 802.11n. (off-load from the macro network to the private WLAN).

802.11n Approval

It seems that that finally 802.11n will be approved  by the IEEE standards board meeting on September 11, 2009. This is a huge cross the chasm change for the wireless networking industry at large.  Now for the first time end clients can look to displace the wired ethernet port and right size their network. This allows major cost savings in wired port downsizing as well as potentially displacing L2/L3 switches. Now clients in all vertical markets are /can allow to look to displace the "wired" network with the wireless network. This will allow new and current entrants to disrupt the status quo to meet all the bandwidth and application requirements; even in life critical/mission critical environments. This is another nail in the coffin needing proprietary networks for medical applications.   This market  influence to change the acquisition dynamics is not unlike Google and their upsetting the balance in the search engine and application free code source model. This same business model it seems it is following more a forward next generation technology availability at a lower cost model with adherence to the defacto marketing standard and the standards of IEEE. This should provide a baseline of networking application design that is not present in todays medical devicde connectivity model. This as overall should additionally erase any concern regarding the draft 2.0 standard and allow commoditization of wireless and algorithim develolpment for the medical device marketplace.  The overall impact will be a huge business improvement model  in positive patient care that will  take advantage of technology drivers in other vertical markets.

 

  

 

Wi-Fi Pacemaker Reuters Article

I could not help read this article by Ben Gruber on Monday August 10 and make a comment.  It alludes to the fact (actually states), that the wireless pacemaker made by St. Jude Medical of which was approved in July uses Wi-Fi.  This is incorrect.  The actual Merlin Home Monitoring System uses the Medical Implant Communication Service (MICS), at 402-405 MHz. The FCC pentioned this in 1988, and was allocated in 1999.  Spending a few years in cardiac pacing, this is a huge advantage for patients and followup that is desired. Saves trips to the office to have the interrogation of the device and to validate battery longevity.

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Download ConnectivityStatsSheet

 

 

Inaugural Medical Device Connectivity Conference and Exhibition

This is the final brochure (actually updated URL which will provide any last minute changes) of the Inaugural Medical Device Connectivity Conference and Exhibition. Integra Systems will speaking on September 11, (Day Two) at 830A.M. Track A "Infrastructure"  Converged Medical Device and Enterprise Networks: Challenges and Best Practices. In addition, we will host a Post Conference Workshop that same day from 2:00-6:00P.M.  The title of this workshop is "Distributed Antenna Systems in Hospitals: Best Practices."

  

 

http://www.tcbi.org/files/brochures/MDC_2009_Brochure.pdf

AAMI Article on DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems)

Integra Systems, Inc. along with www.interface.cc, has been selected to author a design and technology overview article on DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems), for healthcare. The article will be an engineering perspective based upon the collective years of domain experience with the landscape of solution offerings. This copyrighted article will be a publication of www.aami.org and should be coming out in the next circulation of IT Horizons.