Those who chose not to prewire their new homes or those who didn't have the opportunity to do so will most likely turn to some form of wireless technology to network additional computers. There are also, of course, large numbers of people that either rent or live in older homes that didn't have any type of data wiring to begin with. Laptop computers, as shown to the right, are major users of wireless technologies especially for people that travel with their laptops. In this area, the public libraries have WiFi systems that allow laptop users to access the Internet at fairly high speeds.

Unlike simple plain Jane wired Ethernet, there are two major standards that currently define how wireless technology is used relative to computers. The first and older standard is the 802.11b/g WiFi standard. This is the standard most currently used for wireless connections. The second and much newer standard is the 802.16-2004 Wimax standard. The WiFi standard uses frequencies that are not protected by FCC license and can therefore be interfered with. The RF power levels are also quite low giving a range, with out special antennas, of only a few hundred feet at most. Cordless phones, microwave ovens and many other devices make use of the same frequencies and can therefore interfere with data transmission. The WiFi standard has gone through several levels of encryption in an attempt to prevent unauthorized users from accessing systems. Several manufacturers of cards and encryption schemes have been especially bad about revealing details of their designs. This has made things especially hard for users upgrading to new operating systems or changing to a new software operating system on their computers. Wimax, the second standard, represents a major technology upgrade. It allows for higher RF power and thus works at a greater range. It also uses frequencies that can be FCC licensed (protected) against RF interference. The data stream is quite a bit more intelligent as well. The standard supports several levels of Qos or service class markers. This allows different types of traffic such as telephone voice that cannot tolerate delays to take transmission priority over simple data for example.

Look for continuing changes in the wireless technology arena. Over time, Wimax should displace, to a significant degree, the simpler and less powerful WiFi systems. Look for increases in speed. WiFi speeds are currently in the 50 Mbit area. This should increase into the 100's of Mbits area as electronics become more sophisticated. In contrast, top wired Ethernet speeds are currently in the 1 to 10 Ghz range. Because the frequencies are protected and because of the projected much lower installation and operating costs of providing telephone service, look for Wimax to challenge land line wire based telephone service, especially in rural areas. Because high frequencies do not penetrate walls and tree foliage very well, look for systems that use lower frequencies in the 700-900 Mhz area.

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• WiFi Overview
• Wimax Overview
• Trendnet Wireless Accessories
• Typical Wimax Install
• Linksys Wireless
• Alvarion Radio Systems
• Canopy Wireless
• Proxim Wireless
• Wifi Forum
• Wimax Forum
• Intel Wimax Technologies