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Wi-Fight: New Insights on WiFi versus WiMax

It is not a secret that wireless Internet access is growing fast in urban and suburban worldwide. The basic standard for this technology is WiFi which is primarily used to create a LAN, allowing the users within the network to connect wirelessly cheap and easy. WiFi was created in Norway in 1991, and was originally designed for commercial cash register systems. Today, it provides wireless broadband access to any user with wireless connectivity technology.

The early devices use a technology called mesh, which connects hundreds or even thousand of wireless access points to create hops of radio signals throughout a community. Now WiFi technology uses cellular network architecture with less quantity of access points, minimizing the latency in order to support real time applications.

But while WiFi technology has proved largely successful in providing cheap wireless Internet service, WiMax, which was mainly created to provide “last-mile” broadband connection to homes and businesses.

Pros and Cons
WiMax has a much greater range than WiFi, although interpretations of this range vary. While engineers have stated that WiMax could have a range of up to 30 miles, field tests have resulted in a range radius of between four and eight miles. Still, this represents a range far greater than the WiFi radius.

WiMax also has some benefits over WiFi in terms of connection quality. When multiple users are connected to a WiFi access point, they are effectively in constant battle for connection, and users can experience varying levels of broadband width. WiMax technology, however, secures each user with a constant allotment of broadband access. Built into the WiMax technology is an algorithm that establishes a limit to the number of users per WiMax access point.

Moreover, the 2.5GHz spectrum assigned to mobile WiMax is licensed, so there aren’t the interference issues that the 2.4Ghz spectrum has for WiFi.

But WiMax has some disadvantages as well. A major consideration when comparing the Wi-Fi and WiMAX technologies is regulation. Wi-Fi technology is unlicensed, though regulated in the maximum allowable power. The WiMAX technology requires a license, which defines the frequency band, channel bandwidth, power limit, and geographic area. Licensed bands (like 2.3GHz, 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz) are usually very costly, and require large upfront investment.

WiMax service tends to cost more than WiFi service — 50 percent to 100 percent more — which makes it hard to use. Wi-Fi is a mature technology that is already embedded in many devices. Today, you can hardly find a new laptop that does not have a Wi-Fi client in it.

Mobile WiMAX is an emerging technology. Its client devices are planed to be produced in masses (802.16e), but will never reach the numbers of Wi-Fi. And since the Fixed WiMAX standard has been replaced by the Mobile one, the WiMax CPE price is high ($200 to $400) and it will stay in this range in the near future.

The proliferation of Wi-Fi devices makes the cost of a Wi-Fi base station much lower than that of the WiMax base station. In addition, since Mobile WiMAX is designed to compete against 3G, and because its mobility support it will include some very costly components that will increase significantly the cost of a WiMax based network. Wi-Fi base stations, on the other hand, do not require additional costly components, making the cost of Wi-Fi based network much more attractive compared to a WiMAX based network.

The allowed maximum transmission power in licensed bands is normally higher than in unlicensed bands. This implies that wider range and higher spectral efficiency can be achieved in principle. Yet, in practice the limiting factor in most cases is the client device, where the maximum power is limited by battery drain consideration. As a result, the client device transmit power is just as limited in the licensed band as in the unlicensed band.

Bandwidth allocation is often smaller in licensed band (3.5MHz to 7MHz) compared to unlicensed band (normally 20MHz). So, the maximum achievable throughput rates of licensed band are usually significantly lower than those unlicensed bands.

Standards in 2008
The ongoing debate is about Wimax 802.16e versus Broadband Wifi 802.11N. The differences are in the two attributes speed and range. The similarities are that they both use MIMO (Multiple IN Multiple Out), which is basically 40 Mhz as oppose to 802.11G 20 Mhz.

With regards to Speed, Broadband Wifi 802.11N is actually faster than Wimax 802.16e. For the Wimax Standard 802.16e, they are talking about 70 Mbps. So Wimax is actually slower than Broadband Wifi.
With regards to the Range of Broadband Wifi 802.11N its about 1000 to 1500 mts. in open spaces and less when it has to go through walls. That’s of course with the standard antennas that come with the router. They are sure to offer bigger antennas that will enhance the range soon.

On the other hand Wimax 802.16e is ready today with a range of 40 Miles. It is just an issue of having to either subscribe someone else’s antenna or buy your own.

Which one is the best?
As in many fields, there is no one technology that universally provides the best fit. It all depends on the specific application. If the application is providing broadband access for fixed or mobile users, then WiMAX is the more suitable technology since it was specifically designed for this type of application.

However, if the application is providing broadband access for fixed and nomadic users in limited zones, then Wi-Fi has similar performances as WiMAX. If the application is providing backhaul for security and surveillance cameras, then Wi-Fi is definitely the more suitable technology since in most cases only the unlicensed spectrum is available for this task. But in some applications WiMAX and Wi-Fi together can be successfully combined, to benefit from the advantages each technology has to offer.

As a matter of fact the more knowledgeable the users, the clearer the understanding that the two standards fulfill different needs and the more we see them both being used together in their correct applications. WiMAX mainly for broadband fixed wireless connectivity while Wi-Fi is used inside of buildings, and outdoors in campus environments or heavily transited areas like parks, city squares, tourist areas, airports, train, light rail, bus stations, truck stops, marinas, malls, industrial plants, and many more.

The ABP TEAM

Posted on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 9:15 am under ABP BLOG, VAR Partners, Wireless VoIP. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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