What is Bluetooth, WiFi and WiMAX?

Bluetooth, WiFi and WiMAX are wireless technologies which allow devices to inter-
connect and communicate with each other. Radio waves are electomagnetic waves
and have different frequencies. These technologies are radio frequencies. Similar to
the analogue radio, or FM radio. Bluetooth works on 2.45GHz frequency. WiFi works
in two frequency bands 2.4GHz and 5GHz. WiMAX works in two frequency bands, 2
- 11GHz and 10 - 66GHz. See chart below for a comparison of these technologies.

Bluetooth
Named after the Danish king, Harold Bluetooth,was the first to emerge, several devices like
mobile phones, headsets, keyboards, medical equipment and even cars now come with this
feature. Due to its low cost, manufacturers are willing to implement this technology in most
devices. It is designed for short range communications with a range of about 10m. As a
result, it consumes less power and are suited for very small battery powered devices and
portable devices. Problems associated when devices communicate via infrared or cables are
removed. Infrared requires a line of sight, bluetooth only needs to be in reasonable vicinity.
As cables are not required, it would be less cumbersome carrying a personal bluetooth device
and space would be less cluttered. As bluetooth devices automatically communicate with
each other, it requires very little from the user. Bluetooth allows for a wireless Personal Area
Network (PAN) with it's short range. See chart below for a comparison of these technologies.
Working
When you use computers, entertainment systems or telephones, the various pieces and parts
of the systems make up a community of electronic devices. These devices communicate with
each other using a variety of wires, cables, radio signals and infrared light beams, and an
even greater variety of connectors, plugs and protocols.

There are lots of different ways that electronic devices can connect to one another. For
example:

• Component cables
• Electrical wires
• Ethernet cables
• WiFi
• Infrared signals

The art of connecting things is becoming more and more complex every day. In this article,
we will look at a method of connecting devices, called Bluetooth, that can streamline the
process. A Bluetooth connection is wireless and automatic, and it has a number of interesting
features that can simplify our daily lives.

The Problem
When any two devices need to talk to each other, they have to agree on a number of points
before the conversation can begin. The first point of agreement is physical: Will they talk
over wires, or through some form of wireless signals? If they use wires, how many are
required -- one, two, eight, 25? Once the physical attributes are decided, several more
questions arise:

• How much data will be sent at a time? For instance, serial ports send data
1 bit at a time, while parallel ports send several bits at once.
• How will they speak to each other? All of the parties in an electronic
discussion need to know what the bits mean and whether the message
they receive is the same message that was sent. This means developing a
set of commands and responses known as a protocol.

Bluetooth offers a solution to the problem.

WiFi
WiFi or Wireless Fidelity, has a range of about 100m and allows for faster data transfer rate
between 10 - 54Mbps. There are three different wireless standards under WiFi, 802.11a,
802.11b and 802.11g. 802.11 being the wireless standard set by The Institue of Electrical and
Electronic Engineers (IEEE). WiFi is used to create wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN).
The most widely used standard is 802.11b and 802.11g is expexcted to grow rapidly. These
two standards are relatively inexpensive and can be found providing wireless connectivity in
airports, railway stations, cafes, bars, restaurants and other public areas. The main difference
between the two is the speed. 802.11b has data transfer rate of upto 11Mbps and 802.11g has
a rate of upto 54Mbps. 802.11g is a relatively new and has yet to be adopted widely. 802.11a
is more expensive and as a result it not available for public access. See chart below for a
comparison of these technologies.

Definition: Wi-Fi is the industry name for wireless LAN (WLAN) communication
technology related to the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless networking standards.
To some, the term Wi-Fi is synonymous with 802.11b, as 802.11b was the first
standard in that family to enjoy widespread popularity. Today, however, Wi-Fi
can refer to any of the established standards: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and
802.11n.

Working of wifi
A wireless network uses radio waves, just like cell phones, televisions and radios do. In fact,
communication across a wireless network is a lot like two-way radio communication. Here's
what happens:

1. A computer's wireless adapter translates data into a radio signal and

transmits it using an antenna.
2. A wireless router receives the signal and decodes it. The router sends the
information to the Internet using a physical, wired Ethernet connection.

The process also works in reverse, with the router receiving information from the
Internet, translating it into a radio signal and sending it to the computer's
wireless adapter.

The radios used for WiFi communication are very similar to the radios used for walkie-
talkies, cell phones and other devices. They can transmit and receive radio waves, and they
can convert 1s and 0s into radio waves and convert the radio waves back into 1s and 0s.
WiMAX
WiMAX is Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. The IEEE standard for
WiMAX is 802.16 and falls under the category of wireless Metropolitan Area Network
(WMAN). WiMAX operates on two frequency bands, 2 - 11GHz and 10 - 66GHz and has a
range of about 50km with speeds of upto 80Mbps. This enables smaller wireless LANs to be
interconnected by WiMAX creating a large wireless MAN. Networking between cities can be
achieved without the need for expensive cabling. It is also able to provide high speed wireless
broadband access to users. As it can operate in two frequency bands WiMAX can work by
line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight. At the 2 - 11GHz frequency range it works by non-line-
of-sight, where a computer inside a building communicates with a tower/antenna outside the
building. Short frequency transmissions are not easily disrupted by physical obstructions.
Higher frequency transmissions are used for non-line-of-sight service. This enables to
towers/antennae to communicate with each other over a greater distance. Due to
infrastructure and costs involved it would be more suited to provide the backbone services for
ISPs and large corporations providing wireless networking and internet access. See chart
below for a comparison of these technologies.

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.
OR
WiMAX is a wireless digital communications system, also known as IEEE
802.16, that is intended for wireless "metropolitan area networks". WiMAX can
provide broadband wireless access (BWA) up to 30 miles (50 km) for fixed
stations, and 3 - 10 miles (5 - 15 km) for mobile stations. In contrast, the
WiFi/802.11 wireless local area network standard is limited in most cases to only
100 - 300 feet (30 - 100m).

With WiMAX, WiFi-like data rates are easily supported, but the issue of
interference is lessened. WiMAX operates on both licensed and non-licensed
frequencies, providing a regulated environment and viable economic model for
wireless carriers.

WiMAX can be used for wireless networking in much the same way as the more
common WiFi protocol. WiMAX is a second-generation protocol that allows for
more efficient bandwidth use, interference avoidance, and is intended to allow
higher data rates over longer distances.

The IEEE 802.16 standard defines the technical features of the communications
protocol. The WiMAX Forum offers a means of testing manufacturer's equipment
for compatibility, as well as an industry group dedicated to fostering the
development and commercialization of the technology.

WiMax.com provides a focal point for consumers, service providers,

manufacturers, analysts, and researchers who are interested in WiMAX
technology, services, and products. Soon, WiMAX will be a very well recognized
term to describe wireless Internet access throughout the world

Wireless Technology Comparison Chart

Bluetooth WiFi (a) WiFi (b) WiFi (g) WiMAX
Standard 802.15 802.11a 802.11b 802.11g 802.16
Frequency (GHz) 2.45 5 2.4 2.4 2 - 66
Speed (Mbps) 0.72 54 11 54 80
Range 10m 50m 100m 100m 50km
Advantages Low Cost Speed Low Cost Speed Speed, Range
Disadvantages Range Cost Speed Cost, Range Cost
What is a Local Area Network?

A Local Area Network (LAN) is a high-speed communications system

designed to link computers and other data processing devices together
within a small geographic area, such as a workgroup, department, or
building.

Local Area Networks implement shared access technology. This means

that all of the devices attached to the LAN share a single communications
medium, usually a coaxial, twisted-pair, or fiber-optic cable.

A physical connection to the network is made by putting a network

interface card (NIC) inside the computer and connecting it to the network
cable. Once the physical connection is in place, the network software
manages communications between stations on the network.

To send messages to and from computers, the network software puts the
message information in a packet. (If the message to be sent is too big to fit
into one packet, it will be sent in a series of packets.) In addition to the
message data, the packet contains a header and a trailer that carry special
information to the destination. One piece of information in the header is the
address of the destination.

The NIC transmits the packet onto the LAN as a stream of data represented
by changes in electrical signals. As it travels along the shared cable, each
NIC checks its destination address to determine if the packet is addressed to
it. When the packet arrives at the proper address, the NIC copies it and gives
its data to the computer. Since each individual packet is small, it takes very
little time to travel to the ends of the cable. After a packet carrying one
message passes along the cable, another station can send its packet. In this
way, many devices can share the same LAN medium.

Each LAN has its own unique topology, or geometric arrangement. There
are three basic topologies: bus, ring, and star. Most LANs are a combination
of these arrangements.

In a bus topology all of the devices are connected to a central cable or

backbone.
In a ring topology the devices are connected in a
closed loop so that each device is connected to two
others, one on either side. This kind of topology is
robust; that is, one device's failure will probably not
cause total network failure.

In a star topology the devices are all connected to a

central hub, which forwards data towards its final
destination. The NCI-Frederick LAN infrastructure is
standardized on the star topology. If the data's
destination is within the local star segment, the hub
will forward data directly to the destination device; if
the data's destination is outside the local star
segment, the hub forwards the data to a router.

Depending on the topology and media that are used, as well as the protocols (formats for
transmitting data) that are implemented, a LAN can permit data transfer rates of up to
100 Million bps.

The following characteristics differentiate one LAN from another:

 topology : The geometric arrangement of devices on the network. For

example, devices can be arranged in a ring or in a straight line.

 protocols : The rules and encoding specifications for sending data.

The protocols also determine whether the network uses a peer-to-peer or
client/server architecture.

 media : Devices can be connected by twisted-pair wire, coaxial cables,

or fiber optic cables. Some networks do without connecting media
altogether, communicating instead via radio waves.
WAN
Definition: WAN stands for Wide Area Network. As its name suggests, it is a
computer network that covers a far wider area than a LAN (Local Area Network).
WANs cover cities, countries, continents and the whole world.

A WAN is formed by linking LANs together. For example, several major LANs in a city can
connect together forming a WAN.

When networks connect to form a bigger network (a bigger WAN), the resulting network is
called an internetwork, which is generically abbreviated to ‘an internet’. Now when all
WANs in the world connect forming a global internet, we call it The Internet, which
everyone knows! That’s why the Internet is always written with a capital I. It is the biggest
WAN we have.

OR

A wide area network (WAN) is a computer network that covers a broad area (i.e., any
network whose communications links cross metropolitan, regional, or national boundaries [1]).
This is in contrast with personal area networks (PANs), local area networks (LANs), campus
area networks (CANs), or metropolitan area networks (MANs) which are usually limited to a
room, building, campus or specific metropolitan area (e.g., a city) respectively.

WANs are used to connect LANs and other types of networks together, so that users and
computers in one location can communicate with users and computers in other locations.
Many WANs are built for one particular organization and are private. Others, built by
Internet service providers, provide connections from an organization's LAN to the Internet.
WANs are often built using leased lines. At each end of the leased line, a router connects to
the LAN on one side and a hub within the WAN on the other. Leased lines can be very
expensive. Instead of using leased lines, WANs can also be built using less costly circuit
switching or packet switching methods. Network protocols including TCP/IP deliver
transport and addressing functions. Protocols including Packet over SONET/SDH, MPLS,
ATM and Frame relay are often used by service providers to deliver the links that are used in
WANs. X.25 was an important early WAN protocol, and is often considered to be the
"grandfather" of Frame Relay as many of the underlying protocols and functions of X.25 are
still in use today (with upgrades) by Frame Relay.

Difference Between Lan AND wAN:

LAN (Local Area Network) is a computer network covering a small geographic area, like a
home, office, or group of buildings

Network in an organisation can be a LAN

Typically owned, controlled, and managed by a single person or organization

Typically owned, controlled, and managed by a single person or organization

LANs have a high data transfer rate

Wan-->WANs (like the Internet) are not owned by any one organization but rather exist
under collective or distributed ownership and management

WANs tend to use technology like ATM, Frame Relay and X.25 for connectivity over the
longer distances

WANs have a lower data transfer rate as compared to LANs

Have a large geographical range generally spreading across boundaries and need leased
telecommunication lines
Definition: WLANs provide wireless network communication over short
distances using radio or infrared signals instead of traditional network cabling.

A WLAN typically extends an existing wired local area network. WLANs are built by
attaching a device called the access point (AP) to the edge of the wired network. Clients
communicate with the AP using a wireless network adapter similar in function to a traditional
Ethernet adapter.

Network security remains an important issue for WLANs. Random wireless clients must
usually be prohibited from joining the WLAN. Technologies like WEP raise the level of
security on wireless networks to rival that of traditional wired networks.

Also Known As: wireless LAN

Examples:

For WLANs that connect to the Internet, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
technology allows Web content to be more easily downloaded to a WLAN and
rendered on wireless clients like cell phones and PDAs.

Benefits of WLANs

Wireless LANs offer the following productivity, service, convenience, and cost advantages over
traditional wired networks:

• Mobility-Wireless LAN systems can provide LAN users with access to real-time information
anywhere in their organization. This mobility supports productivity and service opportunities
not possible with wired networks.
• Installation Speed and Simplicity-Installing a wireless LAN system can be fast and easy and
can eliminate the need to pull cable through walls and ceilings.
• Installation Flexibility-Wireless technology allows the network to go where wire cannot go.
• Reduced Cost-of-Ownership-While the initial investment required for wireless LAN hardware
can be higher than the cost of wired LAN hardware, overall installation expenses and life-
cycle costs can be significantly lower. Long-term cost benefits are greatest in dynamic
environments requiring frequent moves, adds, and changes.
• Scalability-Wireless LAN systems can be configured in a variety of topologies to meet the
needs of specific applications and installations. Configurations are easily changed and range
from peer-to-peer networks suitable for a small number of users to full infrastructure
networks of thousands of users that allows roaming over a broad area.

Range/Coverage
The distance over which RF waves can communicate is a function of product design (including
transmitted power and receiver design) and the propagation path, especially in indoor environments.
Interactions with typical building objects, including walls, metal, and even people, can affect how
energy propagates, and thus what range and coverage a particular system achieves. Most wireless
LAN systems use RF because radio waves can penetrate many indoor walls and surfaces. The range
(or radius of coverage) for typical WLAN systems varies from under 100 feet to more than 500 feet.
Coverage can be extended, and true freedom of mobility via roaming, provided through microcells.

WWAN - Wireless Wide Area Network

Meaning of WWAN - "Wireless Wide Area Network", enables users to establish wireless
connections over remote private or public networks using radio, satellite and mobile phone
technologies instead of traditional cable networking solutions like telephone systems or cable
modems.

These connections can be maintained over large geographical areas, such as cities or
countries, through the use of satellite systems or multiple antenna sites maintained by
wireless service providers.

Schools or a businesses in rural areas benefit from Wireless WANs because it is more cost
effective than laying long cable or fibre links. The same can be said for institutions in built up
urban areas. Installing cable into an existing location could be very disruptive, so a wireless
alternative is more cohesive.

Examples of Wireless WANs are Digital Cellular Phone and Data Services, Satellite Modems
or a computer hooked up with a wireless WAN card and used in a city or geographical area
that has WWAN deployed. There are cities that offer wireless internet services to the anyone
who lives within it's reach. Some universities offer WWAN services to students who can
hook up to the school network from outside of the building or across town.

The main WWAN technologies are GSM (Global System for Mobile
Communication), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), UMTS (Universal
Mobile Telecommunication System), and CDMA (Code Division Multiple
Access).
WiMAX Wireless Network
In practical terms, WiMAX would operate similar to WiFi but at higher speeds, over greater distances
and for a greater number of users. WiMAX could potentially erase the suburban and rural blackout
areas that currently have no broadband Internet access because phone and cable companies have
not yet run the necessary wires to those remote locations.

Photo courtesy Intel

WiMAX transmitting tower

A WiMAX system consists of two parts:

• A WiMAX tower, similar in concept to a cell-phone tower - A single WiMAX tower

can provide coverage to a very large area -- as big as 3,000 square miles (~8,000 square
km).
• A WiMAX receiver - The receiver and antenna could be a small box or PCMCIA
card, or they could be built into a laptop the way WiFi access is today.
A WiMAX tower station can connect directly to the Internet using a high-bandwidth, wired connection
(for example, a T3 line). It can also connect to another WiMAX tower using a line-of-sight, microwave
link. This connection to a second tower (often referred to as a backhaul), along with the ability of a
single tower to cover up to 3,000 square miles, is what allows WiMAX to provide coverage to remote
rural areas.
What this points out is that WiMAX actually can provide two forms of wireless service:

• There is the non-line-of-sight, WiFi sort of service, where a small antenna on

your computer connects to the tower. In this mode, WiMAX uses a lower frequency
range -- 2 GHz to 11 GHz (similar to WiFi). Lower-wavelength transmissions are not as
easily disrupted by physical obstructions -- they are better able to diffract, or bend, around
obstacles.
• There is line-of-sight service, where a fixed dish antenna points straight at the
WiMAX tower from a rooftop or pole. The line-of-sight connection is stronger and more
stable, so it's able to send a lot of data with fewer errors. Line-of-sight transmissions
use higher frequencies, with ranges reaching a possible 66 GHz. At higher frequencies,
there is less interference and lots more bandwidth.
WiFi-style access will be limited to a 4-to-6 mile radius (perhaps 25 square miles or 65 square km of
coverage, which is similar in range to a cell-phone zone). Through the stronger line-of-sight antennas,
the WiMAX transmitting station would send data to WiMAX-enabled computers or routers set up
within the transmitter's 30-mile radius (2,800 square miles or 9,300 square km of coverage). This is
what allows WiMAX to achieve its maximum range.
The final step in the area network scale is the global area network (GAN). The proposal for GAN
is IEEE 802.20. A true GAN would work a lot like today's cell phone networks, with users able to travel
across the country and still have access to the network the whole time. This network would have
enough bandwidth to offer Internet access comparable to cable modem service, but it would be
accessible to mobile, always-connected devices like laptops or next-generation cell phones

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 usingencrypted 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 (SeeHow OSI Works)

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?
Logo courtesy Intel
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.
On the next page, we'll discuss how WiMAX can work for you.

WiMAX Technology at Home

Network Scale
 The smallest-scale network is a personal area network (PAN). A
PAN allows devices to communicate with each other over short
distances. Bluetooth is the best example of a PAN.
The next step up is a local area network (LAN). A LAN allows
devices to share information, but is limited to a fairly small central
area, such as a company's headquarters, a coffee shop or your
house. Many LANs use WiFi to connect the network wirelessly.
WiMAX is the wireless solution for the next step up in scale,
themetropolitan area network (MAN). A MAN allows areas the size
of cities to be connected.

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.
For more information on WiMAX, wireless networking and related topics, check out the links on the
next page.