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Wireless Introduction

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Before we begin a real thoery of WiMax, let's spend few minutes to understand background concepts on which WiMax has evolved.

Wireless means transmitting signals using radio waves as the medium instead of wires. Wireless technologies are used for tasks as simple as switching off the television or as complex as supplying the sales force with information from an automated enterprise application while in the field. Now cordless keyboards and mice, PDAs, pagers and digital and cellular phones have become part of our daily life.

Some of the inherent characteristics of wireless communications systems which make it attractive for users, are given below:

Wireless Network Topologies:

There are basically three ways to setup a wireless network.

Wireless Technologies:

Wireless technologies can be classified in different ways depending on their range. Each wireless technology is designed to serve a specific usage segment. The requirements for each usage segment are based on a variety of variables, including Bandwidth needs, Distance needs and Power.

Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN):

This network enables you to access the Internet via a wireless wide area network (WWAN) access card and a PDA or laptop.

These networks provide a very fast data speed compared with the data rates of mobile telecommunications technology, and their range is also extensive. Cellular and mobile networks based on CDMA and GSM are good examples of WWAN.

Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN):

These networks are very similar to WWAN except thier range is very limited.

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN):

This network enables you to access the Internet in localized hotspots via a wireless local area network (WLAN) access card and a PDA or laptop.

It is a type of local area network that uses high-frequency radio waves rather than wires to communicate between nodes.

These networks provide a very fast data speed compared with the data rates of mobile telecommunications technology, and their range is very limited. Wi-Fi is the most widespread and popular example of WLAN technology.

Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN):

This network enables you to access the Internet and multimedia streaming services via a wireless region area network (WRAN).

These networks provide a very fast data speed compared with the data rates of mobile telecommunication technology as well as other wireless network, and their range is also extensive.

Issues with Wireless Networks:

There are following three major issues with Wireless Networks.

Wireless Broadband Access (WBA):

Broadband wireless is a technology that promises high-speed connection over the air. It uses radio waves to transmit and receive data directly to and from the potential users whenever they want it. Technologies such as 3G, Wi-Fi, WiMAX and UWB work together to meet unique customer needs.

BWA is a point-to-multipoint system which is made up of base station and subscriber equipment. Instead of using the physical connection between the base station and the subscriber, the base station uses an outdoor antenna to send and receive high-speed data and voice-to-subscriber equipment.

BWA offers an effective, complementary solution to wireline broadband, which has become globally recognized by a high percentage of the population.

What is Wi-Fi ?

Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity. Wi-Fi is based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards and is primarily a local area networking (LAN) technology designed to provide in-building broadband coverage.

For more detail on Wi-Fi, please look into our Wi-Fi Tutorial.

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