Consider the following communication technologies:
- 1.Closed-circuit Television
- 2.Radio Frequency Identification
- 3.Wireless Local Area Network
Which of the above are considered Short-Range devices/technologies?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three are treated as short-range devices. The ITU (the UN body for radio spectrum) defines them as low-power radio transmitters with little chance of interfering with other radio equipment, and its list of SRD uses includes cordless video cameras for monitoring, RFID systems and wireless local area networks.
- ✓ 1. Under 'voice and video' the ITU lists non-professional cordless cameras used for controlling or monitoring, which is how wireless CCTV works. A CCTV set-up wired by cable is not a radio device at all.
- ✓ 2. An RFID system carries data between tags and readers over short radio links; the ITU lists RF identification systems among short-range device applications.
- ✓ 3. Broadband radio local area networks (RLANs), the Wi-Fi kind, replace cables inside a building; the ITU lists them as a short-range device application.
Remember · Short-range devices are low-power, low-interference radios: RFID, Wi-Fi/WLAN, cordless cameras, remote controls, alarms, radio microphones.
Sources
- ITU-R Report SM.2153-9, Technical and operating parameters and spectrum use for short-range radiocommunication devices ↗ “the term short-range radio device is intended to cover radio transmitters which provide either unidirectional or bidirectional communication and which have low capability of causing interference to other radio equipment. … With video applications, non-professional cordless cameras are meant mainly to be used for controlling or monitoring purposes. … The object of any RF identification (RFID) system is to carry data in suitable transponders, generally known as tags … Broadband radio local area networks (RLANs) were conceived in order to replace physical cables for the connection of data networks within a building”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·