Forget Wi-Fi, Wimax is here in Baltimore!!
If you are interested in this new found technology...here is the site: http://www.wimax.com/
info on this subject can be found here..http://www.wimax.com/education/wimax/what_is_wimax
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Think about how you access the Internet today.
There are basically three different options:
Broadband access - In your home, you have either a DSL or cable modem. At the office, your company may be using a T1 or a T3 line.
WiFi access - In your home, you may have set up a WiFi router that lets you surf the Web while you lounge with your laptop.
On the road, you can find WiFi hot spots in restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and libraries.
Dial-up access - If you are still using dial-up, chances are that either broadband access is not available, or you think that broadband access is too expensive.
The main problems with broadband access are that it is pretty expensive and it doesn't reach all areas. The main problem with WiFi access is that hot spots are very small, so coverage is sparse.
What if there were a new technology that solved all of these problems? This new technology would provide:
-The high speed of broadband service
-Wireless rather than wired access, so it would be a lot less expensive than cable or DSL and much easier to extend to suburban and rural areas
-Broad coverage like the cell phone network instead of small WiFi hotspots
This system is actually coming into being right now, and it is called WiMAX.
WiMAX is short for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, and it also goes by the IEEE name 802.16.
How WiFi Works
Broadband over Powerlines
WiMAX has the potential to do to broadband Internet access what cell phones have done to phone access.
In the same way that many people have given up their "land lines" in favor of cell phones, WiMAX could replace cable and DSL services, providing universal Internet access just about anywhere you go.
WiMAX will also be as painless as WiFi -- turning your computer on will automatically connect you to the closest available WiMAX antenna.
WiMAX Coverage and Speed
Intel Paves the Way
Intel will start making their Centrino laptop processors WiMAX enabled in the next two to three years. This will go a long way toward making WiMAX a success.
If everyone's laptop already has it (which is predicted by 2008), it will be much less risky for companies to set up WiMAX base stations.
Intel also announced that it would be partnering with a company called Clearwire to push WiMAX even further ahead.
Clearwire plans to send data from WiMAX base stations to small wireless modems. See Intel, Clearwire to Accelerate Deployment of WiMAX Networks Worldwide (Oct. 25, 2004).
WiMAX operates on the same general principles as WiFi -- it sends data from one computer to another via radio signals.
A computer (either a desktop or a laptop) equipped with WiMAX would receive data from the WiMAX transmitting station, probably using encrypted data keys to prevent unauthorized users from stealing access.
The fastest WiFi connection can transmit up to 54 megabits per second under optimal conditions. WiMAX should be able to handle up to 70 megabits per second.
Even once that 70 megabits is split up between several dozen businesses or a few hundred home users, it will provide at least the equivalent of cable-modem transfer rates to each user.
The biggest difference isn't speed; it's distance. WiMAX outdistances WiFi by miles. WiFi's range is about 100 feet (30 m). WiMAX will blanket a radius of 30 miles (50 km) with wireless access.
The increased range is due to the frequencies used and the power of the transmitter.
Of course, at that distance, terrain, weather and large buildings will act to reduce the maximum range in some circumstances, but the potential is there to cover huge tracts of land.
IEEE 802.16 Specifications
Range - 30-mile (50-km) radius from base station
Speed - 70 megabits per second
Line-of-sight not needed between user and base station
Frequency bands - 2 to 11 GHz and 10 to 66 GHz (licensed and unlicensed bands)
Defines both the MAC and PHY layers and allows multiple PHY-layer specifications (See How OSI Works)
WiMAX Could Boost Government Security
In an emergency, communication is crucial for government officials as they try to determine the cause of the problem, find out who may be injured and coordinate rescue efforts or cleanup operations.
A gas-line explosion or terrorist attack could sever the cables that connect leaders and officials with their vital information networks.
WiMAX could be used to set up a back-up (or even primary) communications system that would be difficult to destroy with a single, pinpoint attack.
A cluster of WiMAX transmitters would be set up in range of a key command center but as far from each other as possible.
Each transmitter would be in a bunker hardened against bombs and other attacks.
No single attack could destroy all of the transmitters, so the officials in the command center would remain in communication at all times.
WiMAX Cost
A citywide blanket coverage of wireless Internet access sounds great, but companies aren't going to go around setting up WiMAX base stations out of sheer kindness.
Who's going to pay for WiMAX?
It depends how it will be used.
There are two ways WiMAX can be implemented -- as a zone for wireless connections that single users go to when they want to connect to the Internet on a laptop (the non-line-of-sight "super WiFi" implementation), or as a line-of-sight hub used to connect hundreds of customers to a steady, always-on, high-speed wireless Internet connection.
Under the "super WiFi" plan, cities might pay to have WiMAX base stations set up in key areas for business and commerce and then allow people to use them for free.
They already do this with WiFi, but instead of putting in a bunch of WiFi hot spots that cover a few hundred square yards, a city could pay for one WiMAX base station and cover an entire financial district.
This could provide a strong draw when city leaders try to attract businesses to their area.
Some companies might set up WiMAX transmitters and then make people pay for access.
Again, this is similar to strategies used for WiFi, but a much wider area would be covered.
Instead of hopping from one hot spot to another, WiMAX-enabled users could have Internet access anywhere within 30 miles of the WiMAX base station.
These companies might offer unlimited access for a monthly fee or a "pay as you go" plan that charges on a per-minute or per-hour basis.
The high-speed wireless hub plan has the potential to be far more revolutionary.
If you have high-speed Internet access now, it probably works something like this: The cable (or phone) company has a line that runs into your home.
That line goes to a cable modem, and another line runs from the modem to your computer.
If you have a home network, first it goes to a router and then on to the other computers on the network. You pay the cable company a monthly fee, which reflects in part the expense of running cable lines to every single home in the neighborhood.
Here's what would happen if you got WiMAX.
An Internet service provider sets up a WiMAX base station 10 miles from your home.
You would buy a WiMAX-enabled computer or upgrade your old computer to add WiMAX capability.
You would receive a special encryption code that would give you access to the base station. The base station would beam data from the Internet to your computer (at speeds potentially higher than today's cable modems), for which you would pay the provider a monthly fee.
The cost for this service could be much lower than current high-speed Internet-subscription fees because the provider never had to run cables.
If you have a home network, things wouldn't change much.
The WiMAX base station would send data to a WiMAX-enabled router, which would then send the data to the different computers on your network.
You could even combine WiFi with WiMAX by having the router send the data to the computers via WiFi.
WiMAX doesn't just pose a threat to providers of DSL and cable-modem service.
The WiMAX protocol is designed to accommodate several different methods of data transmission, one of which is Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP allows people to make local, long-distance and even international calls through a broadband Internet connection, bypassing phone companies entirely.
If WiMAX-compatible computers become very common, the use of VoIP could increase dramatically.
Almost anyone with a laptop could make VoIP calls.
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pretty crazy huh??? i got this athttp://computer.howstuffworks.com/wimax.htm
info on this subject can be found here..http://www.wimax.com/education/wimax/what_is_wimax
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Think about how you access the Internet today.
There are basically three different options:
Broadband access - In your home, you have either a DSL or cable modem. At the office, your company may be using a T1 or a T3 line.
WiFi access - In your home, you may have set up a WiFi router that lets you surf the Web while you lounge with your laptop.
On the road, you can find WiFi hot spots in restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and libraries.
Dial-up access - If you are still using dial-up, chances are that either broadband access is not available, or you think that broadband access is too expensive.
The main problems with broadband access are that it is pretty expensive and it doesn't reach all areas. The main problem with WiFi access is that hot spots are very small, so coverage is sparse.
What if there were a new technology that solved all of these problems? This new technology would provide:
-The high speed of broadband service
-Wireless rather than wired access, so it would be a lot less expensive than cable or DSL and much easier to extend to suburban and rural areas
-Broad coverage like the cell phone network instead of small WiFi hotspots
This system is actually coming into being right now, and it is called WiMAX.
WiMAX is short for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, and it also goes by the IEEE name 802.16.
How WiFi Works
Broadband over Powerlines
WiMAX has the potential to do to broadband Internet access what cell phones have done to phone access.
In the same way that many people have given up their "land lines" in favor of cell phones, WiMAX could replace cable and DSL services, providing universal Internet access just about anywhere you go.
WiMAX will also be as painless as WiFi -- turning your computer on will automatically connect you to the closest available WiMAX antenna.
WiMAX Coverage and Speed
Intel Paves the Way
Intel will start making their Centrino laptop processors WiMAX enabled in the next two to three years. This will go a long way toward making WiMAX a success.
If everyone's laptop already has it (which is predicted by 2008), it will be much less risky for companies to set up WiMAX base stations.
Intel also announced that it would be partnering with a company called Clearwire to push WiMAX even further ahead.
Clearwire plans to send data from WiMAX base stations to small wireless modems. See Intel, Clearwire to Accelerate Deployment of WiMAX Networks Worldwide (Oct. 25, 2004).
WiMAX operates on the same general principles as WiFi -- it sends data from one computer to another via radio signals.
A computer (either a desktop or a laptop) equipped with WiMAX would receive data from the WiMAX transmitting station, probably using encrypted data keys to prevent unauthorized users from stealing access.
The fastest WiFi connection can transmit up to 54 megabits per second under optimal conditions. WiMAX should be able to handle up to 70 megabits per second.
Even once that 70 megabits is split up between several dozen businesses or a few hundred home users, it will provide at least the equivalent of cable-modem transfer rates to each user.
The biggest difference isn't speed; it's distance. WiMAX outdistances WiFi by miles. WiFi's range is about 100 feet (30 m). WiMAX will blanket a radius of 30 miles (50 km) with wireless access.
The increased range is due to the frequencies used and the power of the transmitter.
Of course, at that distance, terrain, weather and large buildings will act to reduce the maximum range in some circumstances, but the potential is there to cover huge tracts of land.
IEEE 802.16 Specifications
Range - 30-mile (50-km) radius from base station
Speed - 70 megabits per second
Line-of-sight not needed between user and base station
Frequency bands - 2 to 11 GHz and 10 to 66 GHz (licensed and unlicensed bands)
Defines both the MAC and PHY layers and allows multiple PHY-layer specifications (See How OSI Works)
WiMAX Could Boost Government Security
In an emergency, communication is crucial for government officials as they try to determine the cause of the problem, find out who may be injured and coordinate rescue efforts or cleanup operations.
A gas-line explosion or terrorist attack could sever the cables that connect leaders and officials with their vital information networks.
WiMAX could be used to set up a back-up (or even primary) communications system that would be difficult to destroy with a single, pinpoint attack.
A cluster of WiMAX transmitters would be set up in range of a key command center but as far from each other as possible.
Each transmitter would be in a bunker hardened against bombs and other attacks.
No single attack could destroy all of the transmitters, so the officials in the command center would remain in communication at all times.
WiMAX Cost
A citywide blanket coverage of wireless Internet access sounds great, but companies aren't going to go around setting up WiMAX base stations out of sheer kindness.
Who's going to pay for WiMAX?
It depends how it will be used.
There are two ways WiMAX can be implemented -- as a zone for wireless connections that single users go to when they want to connect to the Internet on a laptop (the non-line-of-sight "super WiFi" implementation), or as a line-of-sight hub used to connect hundreds of customers to a steady, always-on, high-speed wireless Internet connection.
Under the "super WiFi" plan, cities might pay to have WiMAX base stations set up in key areas for business and commerce and then allow people to use them for free.
They already do this with WiFi, but instead of putting in a bunch of WiFi hot spots that cover a few hundred square yards, a city could pay for one WiMAX base station and cover an entire financial district.
This could provide a strong draw when city leaders try to attract businesses to their area.
Some companies might set up WiMAX transmitters and then make people pay for access.
Again, this is similar to strategies used for WiFi, but a much wider area would be covered.
Instead of hopping from one hot spot to another, WiMAX-enabled users could have Internet access anywhere within 30 miles of the WiMAX base station.
These companies might offer unlimited access for a monthly fee or a "pay as you go" plan that charges on a per-minute or per-hour basis.
The high-speed wireless hub plan has the potential to be far more revolutionary.
If you have high-speed Internet access now, it probably works something like this: The cable (or phone) company has a line that runs into your home.
That line goes to a cable modem, and another line runs from the modem to your computer.
If you have a home network, first it goes to a router and then on to the other computers on the network. You pay the cable company a monthly fee, which reflects in part the expense of running cable lines to every single home in the neighborhood.
Here's what would happen if you got WiMAX.
An Internet service provider sets up a WiMAX base station 10 miles from your home.
You would buy a WiMAX-enabled computer or upgrade your old computer to add WiMAX capability.
You would receive a special encryption code that would give you access to the base station. The base station would beam data from the Internet to your computer (at speeds potentially higher than today's cable modems), for which you would pay the provider a monthly fee.
The cost for this service could be much lower than current high-speed Internet-subscription fees because the provider never had to run cables.
If you have a home network, things wouldn't change much.
The WiMAX base station would send data to a WiMAX-enabled router, which would then send the data to the different computers on your network.
You could even combine WiFi with WiMAX by having the router send the data to the computers via WiFi.
WiMAX doesn't just pose a threat to providers of DSL and cable-modem service.
The WiMAX protocol is designed to accommodate several different methods of data transmission, one of which is Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP allows people to make local, long-distance and even international calls through a broadband Internet connection, bypassing phone companies entirely.
If WiMAX-compatible computers become very common, the use of VoIP could increase dramatically.
Almost anyone with a laptop could make VoIP calls.
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pretty crazy huh??? i got this athttp://computer.howstuffworks.com/wimax.htm
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