Wireless Broadband
For wireless you can have either pure data applications of wireless local area networks (WLANs) or data, voice, and video converged in broadband wireless.
Wireless Local Area Networks
Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) provide the final few meters of internet connectivity between a wired network and the user's mobile device. WLANs are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. Currently the predominant standard, it is supported by vendors such as Cisco, Lucent, Apple, etc. WLAN configurations can be simple peer-to-peer connections between a set of PCs or they can be complex infrastructure networks that encompass a building.
A typical WLAN infrastructure configuration comprises Access points and Wireless Client Adapter. Access points receive and transmit data between the WLAN and the wired network. The access point connects to LAN via an Ethernet cable. A single access point can have coverage between 20 to 100 meters depending upon the obstacles in the area and can support about 20 users on average. To support wireless connectivity for all users, a building may require multiple access points. The Wireless Client Adapter connects users via access point to the LAN. The wireless adapter can be a PC card in a laptop, an ISA or PCI adapter in a desktop computer, or can be fully integrated within a handheld device.
Broadband Wireless
Unlike WLANs, Broadband Wireless facilitates simultaneous delivery of voice, data and video. Broadband wireless requires clear line of sight between transmitter and receiver. Broadband wireless can be in the form of Local multi-point distribution service (LMDS) or Multi-channel multi-point distribution service (MMDS). |
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