WIMAX vs WiFi

WiFi at any range requires line of site to operate. WiMAX is able to function using second order diversity over large areas making it a true MAN or Metropolitan Area Network. Line of site is still a factor at large distances, but close to the transmitter we enjoy non line of sight performance and can reach into pockets we were never able to reach before. Also, because signals reflect off of buildings we can reach areas on the back and sides of a building allowing the use of window mounts for quick installation.

2. WiMAX is a scheduled radio service, WiFi is contention based.

Every packet in WiMAX is scheduled. Because of this scheduling WiMAX can provide highly granular Quality of Service QoS. This allows demanding applications like voice and video to have real-time and near real time access over such things as data and email. This ensures that your phone call will be heard even when the IT department is patching machines and downloading 125Mbs or larger files.

3. In contrast to WiFi WiMAX is more spectrally efferent.

WiMAX is spectrally efficient, making more service available in the same frequency space. Without getting in to technical information, improvements of 1/3rd to 1/2 in available resources are typical. As a specific example in 30Mhz of WiFi spectrum roughly 25Mbs of data can be processed, with WiMAX it is closer to 40Mbs. Using large channels WiMAX can handle up to 70Mbs in its envelope. There is a trade off between range and speed however, so as you get farther from the transmitter speeds slow down to 3G speeds.

4. WiMAX supports advanced Quality of Service (QoS).

Quality of Service is vital to all shared resource networks. Our equipment, manufactured from Alvarion is loaded with features that allow customers to rely on their data communications. CTC backs QoS in the radios up with equipment from Cisco, Extreme Networks, and Linksys all of which are tuned to provide first rate voice communications, video on demand, security video and prioritized security data.

5. WiMAX supports 2nd order diversity

2nd order diversity means that two transmitters and two receivers are used (both housed in a single enclosure). By this means and precise timing on radio transmissions, when the peak of one radio signal is received the valley of the other is. This radio combining makes radio fading a thing of the past and provides the additional redundancy that any single radio failure will not take you off the air.

6. WiMAX has greater power and therefore greater range.

FCC rules allow for more effective power in WiMAX frequencies so both range and diversity are improved. The additional power also results in smaller and more attractive building friendly antennas.

7. Diverse Entrance Redundancy

If you think of all the things that can spoil your day, equipment failures, power failures, floods, fire, human error, etc. it is very easy to see that if you want to stay connected you had better have two of everything. We can do that for you. Particularly when you want diverse entrance. Even if you are on fiber on a sonet ring and have diverse entrance thorough the ground; to cover flooding situations you had better have a feed coming down from the roof. Combine diverse providers and diverse entrance and most single failure senarios go away and disaster becomes manageable, with the possible exception of fire. Even in extreme situations we can help since our WiMAX can do emergency and remote office reallocations within a single day. We have even done Sundays when one of our good customers had a water pipe break filling the telecom room with enough water to take it off-line for a week.

8. Security Cameras

Sometimes where you want your security cameras to be is a place that is hard to get a wire two. We can solve the problem of getting those images back even without grid power. Additionally, traditional security camera feeds can be cut. Criminals will find Wimax fed cameras much more difficult to interrupt or stop. Call us to find out more.

Further information is available at:

Wikipedia.org/wiki/WiMAX

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