The Definition of Wireless
A few weeks ago I went over to my mother’s house to have dinner, and she started talking about how she was getting back into technology insurance, specifically wireless technology. So being in the mobile wireless space for 5 or so years now I asked her, “What is your definition of wireless?” needless to say she said you know…no wires. I was not surprised; the ambiguity surrounding the word “Wireless” can be confusing to both consumers as well as industry veterans. I will attempt to give you a breakdown of the three major groups of wireless, each warrants its own article. However I will not get into too much detail of each one.
The first major wireless group is what I call Cellular or Mobile Wireless. This happens to be the group that I work in. This group is comprised of major wireless phone carriers such as T-Mobile, Sprint, and Nextel. The wireless technology of this space is comprised of two-way phone to tower communication using several variations of protocols to communicate between the tower and the phone including CDMA, GSM, BSMAP, and many others. Compared to the other wireless divisions, Mobile Wireless is the most widely used; however, it’s the slowest and usually most expensive.
The second major wireless group is what I call WI-FI, which stands for “Wireless Fidelity”. WI-FI is what you are using if you have a wireless router in your home or office, or you if you use public hotspots at places like airports or Starbucks. The difference between Mobile Wireless and WIFI is you don’t have to sign up with a phone carrier to use WIFI and most of the time you are not being charged by the minute, all you need is some sort of card in your laptop, desktop or PDA and a wireless router which usually cost between $75 and $200. The router will connect to your ISP the same way your computer would. WI-FI is based on the 802.11x protocol which is put out by IEEE (Institute of Electrical Engineers) and is not “owned” by anyone. WI-FI is the fastest form of wireless and in most scenarios the most cost effective method of wireless communication.
The third major wireless group is what I call short-range wireless or Bluetooth. Bluetooth is a short range wireless protocol that allows devices very close to each other to communicate. Bluetooth is not the only short-range wireless protocol out there, but it is the most prevalent. These devices include, wireless keyboards, earpieces, mice, and other peripherals to connect to a main device without wires. Some car manufactures such as Toyota are pre-installing Bluetooth in their cars so drivers can use their steering wheel to answer calls and speakers in the car to listen in.
In summary, the major differences between the three major groups of wireless groups today are the range in which they work, the protocol in which they communicate, and the ownership of the individual protocols.
The first major wireless group is what I call Cellular or Mobile Wireless. This happens to be the group that I work in. This group is comprised of major wireless phone carriers such as T-Mobile, Sprint, and Nextel. The wireless technology of this space is comprised of two-way phone to tower communication using several variations of protocols to communicate between the tower and the phone including CDMA, GSM, BSMAP, and many others. Compared to the other wireless divisions, Mobile Wireless is the most widely used; however, it’s the slowest and usually most expensive.
The second major wireless group is what I call WI-FI, which stands for “Wireless Fidelity”. WI-FI is what you are using if you have a wireless router in your home or office, or you if you use public hotspots at places like airports or Starbucks. The difference between Mobile Wireless and WIFI is you don’t have to sign up with a phone carrier to use WIFI and most of the time you are not being charged by the minute, all you need is some sort of card in your laptop, desktop or PDA and a wireless router which usually cost between $75 and $200. The router will connect to your ISP the same way your computer would. WI-FI is based on the 802.11x protocol which is put out by IEEE (Institute of Electrical Engineers) and is not “owned” by anyone. WI-FI is the fastest form of wireless and in most scenarios the most cost effective method of wireless communication.
The third major wireless group is what I call short-range wireless or Bluetooth. Bluetooth is a short range wireless protocol that allows devices very close to each other to communicate. Bluetooth is not the only short-range wireless protocol out there, but it is the most prevalent. These devices include, wireless keyboards, earpieces, mice, and other peripherals to connect to a main device without wires. Some car manufactures such as Toyota are pre-installing Bluetooth in their cars so drivers can use their steering wheel to answer calls and speakers in the car to listen in.
In summary, the major differences between the three major groups of wireless groups today are the range in which they work, the protocol in which they communicate, and the ownership of the individual protocols.
posted by Ryan J Jones at 12:25 PM
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