From dialup to Wi-Max, is WWAN the solution?
Have you ever cursed at your notebook’s Wi-Fi card over dropped and lost connections? Have you ever wondered when Wi-Max would ever be a reality everywhere and come to the rescue? Have you ever used your cellular phone to provide a dial-up Internet connection for your notebook? (I can’t even begin to imagine the pain caused by that last one).
Well, be thankful that there are some intermediary steps that can be helpful before Wi-Max fully arrives. I consider WWAN’s (Wireless Wide Area Networks) to be such a framework. It differs from WLAN’s (Wide Local Area Networks) because it uses cellular networks to transfer data. Using 3G technology such as EDGE networks will allow notebook users to have the benefit of broadband connectivity and cellular network coverage. Although you won’t get super high speeds like standard broadband connections (according to 3G specs, about 384KBps data rate for mobile systems, and 2 MBps stationary, but real life applications might vary depending on provider), it is definitely a huge leap from using dial-up.
To do so, you would either need a notebook pre-equipped with a WWAN adapter, or buy an external WWAN adapter. There are currently a few notebooks starting to hit the market with built in WWAN adapters, such as the Sony VAIO T-Series and the HP nc6400. Cellular networks such as Cingular, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile all provide coverage for such connectivity. If you’re on-the-go quite a bit and need Internet connection all the time, this might be something worth looking into.
Written by Darrick Rochili for Gadgetell, 2006. |
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Filed under Wireless, Laptops, Computers, Networking, Hardware, Communications, Mobile.
Categories: Gizmos and Gadgets reviews
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