Wireless Broadband Solutions Available Today

WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) -. Wi-Fi is the short form for Wireless Fidelity. Wi-Fi is a simple, cost-effective way to connect to the Internet, to other Computers and to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices (such as high-end Mobile Phones), without the need to physically connect wires between the two Computers/ devices. WiFi is working on unlicensed spectrum at 2.4 GHz. In today's wired WiFi has a lot of advantages. Wireless networks are easy to set up and inexpensive. It do not need for long Network Cables, it also does not need a Network Socket for every Computer. There is less implementation cost. The disadvantages are cant go more distance with in wifi zone and three are lot security factors.

Microwave Links - Microwave links are fixed-wireless broadband systems and were around long before the term wireless broadband was coined. It is the point-to-point LOS wireless transmission method for up to 155 Mbps with a range of up to 50 km. Basic advantages of microwave links are no cables needed, multiple channels available and can have wide bandwidth. And disadvantages are Line-of-sight will be disrupted if any barrier, such as new buildings, signal absorption by the atmosphere, microwaves suffer from attenuation due to atmospheric conditions and towers are expensive to build.

WiMAX – WiMAX is called as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. And it is the latest wireless broadband technology which is designed to deliver WiFi type connectivity over a much greater range and thereby compete as a point-to-multipoint last-mile broadband wireless access solution. It provides capacity up to 40 Mbit/s. The current WiMAX is based upon IEEE Std 802.16e-2005. advantages of Wimax is single station can serve hundreds of users, Much faster deployment of new users comparing to wired networks,  speed of 10Mbps at 10 kilometers with line-of-sight, and also  It is standardized and the same frequency equipment should work together. And disadvantages are Line of sight is needed for longer connections, Weather conditions like rain could interrupt the signal, other wireless equipment could cause interference and multiplied frequencies are used. WiMAX is very power intensive technology and requires strong electrical support and big installation and operational cost.

Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) – Direct Broadcast Satellite is a normal satellite system used for communication. The satellite s which is position in same space station related to the earth. Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) services also provide two-way high-speed data transmission services. Satellites are operating in the Ku band with a 12 GHz downlink and a 14 GHz uplink. Major drawback is that satellites being 22,300 km from the earth’s surface introduce a 250 ms delay into the network. In this method companies mainly supply satellite TV for users with more choice. And the advantages are rural availability, high capacity, and reliable service and can get digital picture & sound. 

FSO (Free Space Optics) - This is the technology uses the light propagating in free space to transmit data between two points. This system uses infra-red sources or lasers to support free-space data transmission rates of between 10Mbps and 1.25Gbps between a transmitter and a receiver over distances of up to 4km. The main advantages of FSO systems are the low installation costs and avoidance of radio spectrum licensing requirements as FSO systems use a light signal instead of a radio wave. The disadvantages are beam dispersion; atmospheric absorption of the signal, if there is a rain hard to transmit and opens the signal to environmental disturbances (Rain, Fog and Snow).

Wired Broadband Solutions Available Today

DSL technology - DSL technology uses the existing copper telephone infrastructure to facilitate high speed data connections.DSL equipment achieves this by dividing the voice and data signals on the telephone line. There a number of different DSL technologies, the key ones are ADSL, RADSL, HDSL, SDSL, and VDSL. The advantage of this technology is we can go for higher capacities with low implementation cost. And some types of DSL technologies give capacity according to requirement. The main advantage is the capacity will goes down when we increase the length of the line from the DSLAM to customer.

Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC); Cable TV - Digital cable TV networks are able to offer bi-directional data transfer bandwidth in addition to voice and digital TV services. The advantage of this technology is that where the coaxial cable is in good condition and RF amplifiers exist (or can be installed) to extend the network reach, relatively high bandwidths can be provided to the end user without distance limitations. The disadvantage is this network is shared network. If the customers increase the bandwidth will be shared.

Broadband Power line (BPL) - Broadband Power line systems allow for high speed data transmission over existing power lines. BPL system, the data is transmitted over the existing power line as a low voltage, high frequency signal which is coupled to the high voltage low frequency power signal. The advantage of this solution is a cost-effective way to service a large number of subscribers with broadband. The disadvantage BPL is, it requires a high investment cost, to upgrade the power transmission network and bypass transformers, to support high speed and reliable broadband services.

And also we can’t use it with power transformers.

FTTx - FTTx is a generic term for those technologies which bring fiber, a step closer to the subscriber. It has many technologies related to ‘x’. They are FTTN - Fiber-to-the-node, FTTC - Fiber-to-the-cabinet, FTTB - Fiber-to-the-building, FTTH - Fiber-to-the-home ect. Using FTTx we can get fast Internet access with simultaneous delivery of high definition IPTV and voice over IP. But the disadvantage is high implementation cost of fiber.