What Is a Wireless Network and What Are Its Advantages?
A wireless network is a network that uses radio waves to connect devices without using any cables. Devices that commonly use wireless networks include laptops, desktop computers, notebooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, tablets, and pagers.
A wireless network works in the same way as a wired network; however, a wireless network must convert information signals into a suitable form for transmission over the air.
Wireless networks serve many purposes. In some cases, they are used to replace wired networks, while in others, they are used to provide access to corporate data from remote locations.
They allow external devices to connect seamlessly, whether those devices are just a few meters or kilometers away. All this without having to tear down walls to lay cables or install plugs. This made the use of this technology very popular and caused it to spread very quickly.
There are many different technologies that differ in the transmission frequency used, the transmission speed, and the transmission range. On the other hand, there are also some problems in the legal regulation of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Electromagnetic waves are transmitted through many devices, but they are susceptible to interference. Therefore, all countries need regulations that define the frequency range and transmission power allowed for each technology.
Also, electromagnetic waves cannot be easily contained within a limited geographic area. Therefore, hackers can easily spy on the network if the transmitted data is not encrypted. Therefore, all necessary measures must be taken to ensure the privacy of data transmitted over wireless networks.
Wireless Network Typification
Depending on the field of application and the range of the signal, wireless networks can be divided into four special groups:
- Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN): Wireless personal area networks allow communication over very short distances (about 10 meters). Unlike other wireless networks, connections over WPAN typically involve little to no infrastructure or a direct connection outside of an established connection. It provides small, cost-effective, and low-power solutions that can be deployed on various devices, such as smartphones and PDAs. An example is Bluetooth.
- Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN): A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is designed to provide wireless access to an area with a typical range of up to 100 meters and is primarily used at home, school, conference room, computers or office. It allows users to move around the local coverage area and stay connected to the network.
- Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN): It is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard known as WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). WiMAX is a point-to-multipoint communication technology designed to provide high-speed data transmission in a metropolitan wireless network. This allows smaller WLANs to connect via WiMAX, creating one large WMAN. Therefore, inter-city networks can be created without expensive cabling.
- Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN): Wireless wide area networks extend over 50 km and typically use licensed frequencies. This type of network can be maintained over large areas, such as cities or countries, using multiple satellite systems or antennas operated by an ISP. There are two main technologies available: mobile phone and satellite.
Wireless Network Popularity
In everyday life, we often find and use wireless networks on the following devices: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, etc. Wireless network is very popular all over the world and its use is increasing day by day, due to the fact that wireless network technology is efficient and cheap.
The popularity of wireless networks is primarily due to their convenience, cost-effectiveness, and easy integration with other networks and network components. Wireless networks have become an important technology. With the onset of the pandemic and the introduction of remote work, wireless networks have become a very useful tool for remote workers and business continuity. Learn the pros and cons of using such a network while considering your business needs.
Advantages of Using a Wireless Network
Currently, connecting devices is one of the most important needs of people and companies, since it can be used to maintain a stable and secure constant communication at different times of the day.
Cables often limit people’s ability to establish a stable network connection from any device and at different distances, reducing the ability to create a stable or even comfortable workplace.
Thanks to the integration of wireless networks, many companies already have the ability and opportunity to expand their presence and visibility in various media, simplifying most of their processes and tasks, and additionally reducing the costs that wired connections usually incur.
The main characteristics that make a wireless network a technology that provides a reliable connection are:
- Agility and connection speed: You can get access to the network on one device by entering a password once.
- Greater range of connections: Unlike cables, the connection range is much greater, so people can access the network without being too close to cables, which can be an annoyance.
- Adaptability: If you need to move the connection source to another place, it is enough to disconnect and reconnect in a few seconds. In contrast, in some cases, wiring requires reinstallation of the wiring system, which can take weeks.
- Easy to install and maintain: Wireless networks are relatively more convenient and cheaper because the installation process is less complicated and there is also less need for modification, monitoring, or maintenance procedures that are generally required for systems that use cables and communication devices.
The Difference Between a Wireless Connection and a Wired Connection
To begin with, the difference is significant compared to connecting via wires; at the same time, wireless networks allow businesses to create strong, stable, and even more secure connections, which are essential for the continuity of most business operations.
Ensuring a stable and reliable connection is one of the most important priorities for a company today, since many operations depend on an internet connection, even between devices from the same company.
Therefore, wireless network technology is the most cost-effective and efficient way to access the Internet quickly and securely.
Wireless Internet Connection
Wireless connections excel at longer range and simplify internet connections for different devices
- WiMAX wireless standard: It is a wireless network that uses radio waves with a frequency of 2.5 to 5.8 GHz and has a range of up to 70 km. It is designed for hard-to-reach areas and can operate at speeds of up to 1 Gbps when conditions are good.
- WiFi wireless standard: This is another type of wireless network that is currently the most common. It operates at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, the former with the widest range and the latter with the highest range.
- LMDS System (Local Multipoint Distribution System): Another wireless communication system based on radio waves, but at higher frequencies (28 GHz-40 GHz). They have a short range (around 35 km) and are built in a mobile way, providing coverage for a specific sector based on fixed antennas located in a specific area.
- Mobile connection: We have different types that differ in terms of the performance and technological advances that they offer. The oldest is GSM because it was the first to offer mobile data. It uses radio waves to transmit, and the speed can reach 10Kbps. Then came 2G, 3G, etc., which improved the transmission speed. We currently use the 4G LTE standard, which is capable of peak download speeds of over 1 Gbps, and are transitioning to 5G, which can reach up to 20 Gbps.
- Satellite connection: A connection that we can consider as a last resort. It is used to cover areas where an Internet connection cannot be established using other, simpler options. They require a lot of equipment to work (antenna, special modem, noise reduction converter and special software). It is mainly used in ships and airplanes.
Wired Internet Connection
Today, the fact that both wired and wireless connections have advantages and disadvantages has allowed each one to continue to have its place in the world, and the use of both has persisted at both general consumer and professional level.
- Switched Telephone Network: It’s outdated, but it played an important role in the early days of the Internet, so it’s worth including in this article. It uses the telephone network for analog transmission, provides a bandwidth of 56 Kbps and cannot process voice and data simultaneously.
- ISDN digital network: It is also outdated, although it is still very popular at a professional level. It follows the basics of the above connection type, but broadcasts digitally instead of analog. Instead of using such a modem, it uses a specific network adapter and requires a special infrastructure.
- ADSL: Currently the ADSL connection (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is one of the most popular connections. It combines the advantages of the two types of connections above and allows very high speeds, although they may vary depending on the location of the client.
- Optical fiber: There are two great versions, pure and mixed. The first is the use of fiber optics for high-speed, high-quality Internet connections. In these cases, it is the fiber optic connection that reaches our homes or businesses, and the latter is provided with fiber and coaxial connection. In the second case, we will have a worse connection and the cables will deteriorate over time. This type of connection provides very high speeds, significantly higher than ADSL.
You can find more information as well as related articles related to this subject on our website noticiasdiarias24.com