The wireless Internet is defined by access to the Internet on any wireless or mobile device. The wireless Internet encapsulates a variety of wireless Internet access alternatives including wide-area networks (WANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), and wireless personal area networks (PANs).
Wide area networks - WANs
Wide-area networks (WANs) are essentially the cellular networks maintained by major carriers, including in the U.S. Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS, and Cingular Wireless. Wireless internet access over wide-area networks is still slow and is conducted mostly through what are currently known as 2G or 2.5G wireless networks. Data speeds are slow (averages run between 20 and 60 Kbps), but coverage is nearly ubiquitous. 3G, the next generation of wireless wide-area networks, promise greater data speeds (up to 384 Kbps) with the same level of nearly ubiquitous coverage as current wireless networks.
Wireless local area networks - WLANs
Wireless local area networks (WLANs) are smaller-scale wireless networks with a typical radius of several hundred feet. The most prevalent form of Wireless Local Area Network technology is called WiFi, which includes a host of standards including 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. Wireless Internet via WiFi offers blazing fast data speeds (11Mbps at the low end with 802.11b and 54 Mbps at the high end for 802.11a and 802.11g). While WiFi technology does not offer the degree of ubiquity as wide area networks, the WLAN's data speeds and relatively cheap costs have spurred it ahead in the popular market as a wireless internet solution.
Hotspots & Hotzones
Hotspots are specific locations in which a WiFi access point provides public wireless broadband service through a wireless local area network (WLAN). Hotspots usually have a short range of access, limited to one or two access points. Hotspots are often located in heavily populated venues, such as coffee shops, airports, hotels, train stations, libraries, and convention centers.
Hotzones are hotspots with a wider level of coverage, such as the downtown area of a major city. Unlike hotspots, hotzones are not limited to one or two access points and often use wider-area WiFi solutions, such as those from Vivato or BelAir Networks. Many hotzones are subsidized by the municipalities where they are located, meaning that access can be either free or cheaper than commercial hotspots.
Personal area networks - PANs
Personal area networks (PANs) are short-range wireless networks that connect wireless devices to one another. The most dominant form of Personal Area Network technology is Bluetooth, which links wireless devices at very short distances. Bluetooth allows for fast data speeds (between 1Mbps and 2Mbps), but is designed only for peer-to-peer data transfer. A new emerging form of PAN technology, called ZigBee, offers slower data speeds (250Kbps) than Bluetooth, but is both cheaper than Bluetooth and requires far less energy to power.
FierceWireless will keep you informed about the latest developments in the wireless Internet industry including news on wide area networks, wireless local area networks, and personal area networks. Sign up today and benefit!
more Wireless Industry News
