Your Personal Tracking Service ... part 1

What a glorious invention. We are coming from Alexander Graham Bell's 1876  invention of the simple  telephone all the way to the iPhone, AnDroid, and Blackberry cell phones of today. Can you imagine what it would be like not to have cell phones  to communicate and stay in touch all the time? Can you? The transition has been explosive and is seen when you compare the early invention to where it is now.

  

Over the last few years, our social skills and social behaviors have made a dramatic shift. Many things attribute to this, but none more than the cell phones and the smart phones that we tote today. We dare not venture out without one or the blood may stop flowing in the body.

These devices have become  essential accessories to the human psyche. They provide convenience and a comfort of knowing that you can reach one of your million contacts in seconds. So convenient that i'd dare say 70 percent of your socialization occurs on cell phones. Its mighty hard to put it away even when we are driving, meeting with a long time friend, meeting your boss, or that random chat with Miss Tiny. The cell  phone has become so symbolic and person integrated that we feel empty if our phone battery gives out on us. Lets not imagine the panic attack faced when you arrive at work and just can't seem to find your precious on your person. Someone please call the ambulance!

You might be asking by now, how does this fit into simple networking? Well... firstly let me say that we form the 'human network'. Cisco Systems may try to lay claim to that phrase but our socializing among each other is a huge way of networking... More symbolically, the cell phones and some hand held devices that we use daily form part of a much larger global network that we use almost transparently. Have you ever wondered how your phone gets your voice from Jamaica to your cousin who's  in Germany?  "Sie denken jetzt". What about how your voice moves across Jamaica?

This thought now brings us to an interesting prospect of how our coveted cell phones transmit  and receive voice calls as well as data, and in essence explains the simple networking of the cell phone. There are many things to take into consideration on this so lets get right into brushing the surface..

How does the cellular network work??

For starters, the cell phone is always transmitting and receiving RF signals while its on. These signals are sent and received by a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) that sends downward RF signals that range between 500 meters and  30 Kilometers based on its output power.  Control Channel (CC) signals are used by the base stations to continuously talk with the cellular phone. While Voice  Channels (VC) signals are used for actual cellular calls and data transmission.

These BTS', otherwise known as cell sites, are positioned in strategic locations across Jamaica or wherever in the world the cellular network exists. Some BTS are more of a health risk to its users than a convenience due to the high levels of radiation they propagate. In Jamaica there have been instances of communities complaining about the phone companies putting up cell sites (BTS) very close to homes and sometimes without the relevant authorities sanctioning it. 'Jamaica, No Problem Mon". The Sun also provides radiation, so that's OK.. Right?.

a BTS with it's power unit(see antennas at the top) 

BTS are strategically designed and positioned to have overlapping RF signal ranges. This is a top layer feature that allows cell phones to roam, so that when you're driving from Kingston to Montego Bay your boss is able to keep you on hold while he tees off on the green without the connection failing. The connection does fail sometime though, due to a lack of coverage or mistakenly pressing the wrong key on your phone! Prepare for a callback after the 18th hole.

Each BTS is connected to a Base Station Controller (BSC), or Control Switch.  These control switches are the brains behind each BTS. The BSC controls signalling power, RF frequency and channels, and the handing off of your device to different BTS zones. Several BTS may be controlled by a single BSC at any one time, and this is the reason that most times roaming is seamless as you move from one RF coverage area to another. There is a limit to the number of subscribers or cell phones that can be connected to a single BTS. Have you ever been to a fun and crowded event and noticed that you can't call your boss to say you are sick. This happens due to over-subscription. Over subscription happens when a BTS is unable to accept another subscriber (cell phone) because it has reached its limit. If you need to call in sick.. do it before you get to the party.

Each BSC is in turn connected to an Mobile Switching Center (MSC). The MSC is the main switch that controls most of the stuff that you do on your phone. It  works in conjunction with several cellular services, like for instance the HLR (Home Location Register). The HLR is a central database that stores all your cell phone details. We won't go too far down that rabbit hole so back to the MSC... The MSC is responsible for most of the control work and mapping across the entire geographic area  covered by the cell company. En-Prise Roaming.

And with that comes your location.. location….location. All the time you are a blimp on a  big map. I know where you were last night! And where you are now. Locations services like GPS (Global Positioning System) provide better tracking services and is often used in conjunction with the cellular transmissions for a more accurate mapping of your location. Accurate within 3 meters! Dat mean say it mark yuh close! Man on... man on! 

These days almost every child has a cell phone and the tracking service makes a parent a little more comfortable that they can locate their child in an emergency. Yes kids, you can be tracked so if you're going to be at the games room you should leave your phone under a rock at school. 

There are some guys that keep running into their girlfriends. She said she was in Montego Bay yet she turned up at the same private house party you are at 20 minutes later, and you're certain you never told a soul about where you were going... coincidence maybe. Think again!


There have also been instances where emergency services have found lost or isolated persons through the location services of the cell phone. This is definitely a major benefit and can be far reaching if applied correctly.

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