Definition of Wi-Fi and WiMAX

Although most of us, as end users, use Wi-Fi in our home and in the places we go to connect to Internet, there are also other ways to connect wirelessly to the network, such as WiMAX.

What is the difference between the two? Wi-Fi is a wireless connectivity system between electronic devices at short distance, while WiMAX is for long distances.

Wi-Fi was born in 1997, and allows connectivity up to a maximum of 100 meters. Anything beyond this distance will not receive a high quality signal and therefore will not be reliable.

This standard, certified by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) with the number 802.11, it was created by a group of companies, including Nokia, 3Com, Lucent or Symbol, among others.

The 802.11 standard has evolved over time, with several versions of the standard differing in the speed of transfer, obtained through the use of different frequencies and that are directed to different purposes.

The main of these versions used by the general public are:

• 802.11a of 1999, 54 megabits per second (Mbit / s), operating in the 5 GHz band.
• 802.11b, from the same year as the previous one, with a maximum speed of 11 Mbit / s, operating in the 2.4 GHz band.
• 802.11g 2003, which evolves from the b standard, and which operates in the 2.4 GHz band but with a speed of 54 Mbit / s.
• 802.11n 2009, which uses the two frequencies assigned to Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz) to get to work at 600 Mbit / s.

In addition to these, there are also versions identified with the letters c, d, f among others, which serve for the internationalization of connectivity over the use of local frequencies, or for the harmonization of networks different.

Thus, we see that the Wi-Fi standard is much more extensive than the simple domestic use that we give it, or in business (for example, the connection in an office or in a public place such as a bar or restaurant).

The certification of products compatible with the different versions is carried out by the Wi-Fi Alliance, an organization made up of companies.

Among those that are part of the organization, we have some well-known multinationals such as Apple, Cisco, Dell, Intel, LG, Qualcomm, Nokia, Microsoft, or Sony among others.

If Wi-Fi is a short-range wireless communication standard, WiMAX is for the long haul. scope, so that it has been used to cover some large territorial spaces, such as Lapland.

The WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) operates on the 2.5 and 5.8 GHz frequencies, and has a range of up to 50 kilometers.

It is a standard defined by the rule IEEE 802.16MAN, and it is highly useful for the coverage of spaces in which the geography prevents or greatly limits the laying of cable, or it does not pay off economically, since passing cable is very expensive in comparison at the cost of installing antennas.

The communication of the antenna with the rest of the network can be carried out by cable or by microwave.

If the Wi-Fi Alliance is the entity that regulates Wi-Fi, the WiMAX Forum is the entity in charge of regulating the WiMAX standard.

Due to various circumstances that would give for a monograph, WiMAX has not been so lucky commercially like the rest of the connection modalities, with great ignorance among the public general.

In order to connect, we need an antenna and a special modem.

Photos: Fotolia - maxsim / wavebreak3

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