Room to roam
WiMax puts citywide wireless broadband in sight
BROADBAND AND WIRELESS
How some wireless connectivity options stack up
PROS
CONS
802.11 Wi-Fi
Inexpensive, standardized.
Passive security makes it more vulnerable to breaches; 300-foot distance limitation.
802.16 WiMax
Metropolitan-area coverage, 20- to 30-mile line-of-sight reach, two to three miles for in-building coverage; built-in encryption, and quality of service.
Prestandard; expensive until it hits mass market.
Evolution Data Optimized (3G cellular)
Wide-area and international coverage; moderately priced.
May not be fast enough for some broadband applications.
Satellite
Global coverage.
Line of sight only; very expensive; scales poorly for workgroup applications.
Microwave
Widely available and moderately priced.
Line of sight only; prone to signal fading from rain, clouds and foliage.
NEXT STORY: Groove improves its virtual space