IrDA
Logo of the Infrared Data Association | |
| Developed by | Infrared Data Association |
|---|---|
| Introduced | June 1994 |
| Industry | Personal area networks |
| In practice between 5 cm (2.0 in) and 60 cm (24 in) | |
| Website | irda.org |
IrDA is a wireless standard designed for data transmission using infrared (IR). Infrared ports for this purpose have been implemented in portable electronic devices such as mobile telephones, laptops, cameras, printers, and medical devices. The main characteristics of this kind of wireless optical communication are short-range bidirectional data transfer, at serial cable speeds, with a line-of-sight using point-and-shoot principles. IrDA has been made dormant by newer improved technologies like Bluetooth. It was popular on PDAs, laptops and some desktops from the late 1990s through the early 2000s. The IrDA specifications include mandatory layers such as IrPHY, IrLAP, and IrLMP.