Wi-Fi & WiMAX: A Comparative Study

Abstract: Usually broadband wireless access networks are considered to be enterprise level networks providing us with more capacity as well as coverage. We have seen that in remote inaccessible areas wired networks are not at all cost effective. Wireless networking has offered us an alternative solution for such problem of information access. They have definitely changed the way people communicate and share information among themselves by overcoming problems nowadays associated with distance and location. This paper provides a comparison and technical analysis of alternatives for implementing last-mile wireless broadband services. It provides detailed technical differences between 802.11 (Wi-FI) wireless networks with 802.16 (WiMAX), a new technology that solves many of the difficulties in last-mile implementations.