You have to hand it to the folks from wireless industry for their yawn-inducing list of protocols and standards.
Not only do their specifications run a long list of mind-boggling digits prefixed 802, they leave people wondering about the relationship between teeth and short-range connections.
To help you unscramble the sea of wireless brouhaha, here's a list of explanations for common jargon in an increasingly wire-free world.
Bluetooth
A short-range wireless technology commonly used by cellphone users to connect headsets to their device. It is also used by handheld owners to move data between various devices and the PC.
The technology was introduced by Ericsson in 1994, and now governed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group which was set up in February 1998. Because the technology is designed to connect different devices, it was named after Danish King Harald "Bluetooth" Blatand who was known for uniting the warring factions of Denmark and Norway.
IEEE 802.11a/b/g
Conjured up by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the 802.11 family of standards refers to wireless network connectivity options that vary according to access speeds and frequency bandwidths.
802.11a provides connection speeds of up to 54Mbps (megabits per second), and because it operates in the less crowded 5GHz bandwidth, there is less interference and users enjoy better connection quality. The drawback: shorter coverage range compared to the "b" and "g" standards.
The 802.11b standard offers speeds of only 11Mbps and operates in the 2.4GHz bandwidth, which is also used by digital cordless phones and some wireless loudspeakers. While it covers a wider area than the "a" standard, it is easily subject to interference.
802.11g is a beefed up version of the "b" standard, operating on the same 2.4GHz bandwidth with speeds of up to 54Mbps.
Because the "b" and "g" standards are compatible, a "g" wireless router can accept connections from devices equipped with the slower "b" wireless network cards.
Wireless Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax)
As its name suggests, this wireless broadband technology operates in the microwave spectrum of between 2GHz to 66GHz, providing access speeds of up to 2Mbps today.
Most WiMax service providers are typically required to apply for a spectrum license from their local government. This rule is an exception if they are riding on unlicensed spectrums, which can be anything between 2GHz to 11GHz in most countries.
WiMax is governed by IEEE specifications, namely the 802.16d and 802.16e standards.
The 802.16d standard is known as fixed WiMax, which does not support mobility--so it cannot provide seamless connection from one access point to another. Its use is primarily restricted to last mile connections, especially in areas under-served by existing Internet service providers. Almost all WiMax deployments in the world today are based on fixed WiMax.
Mobile WiMax is defined by the 'e' standard, such as 802.16e, which was only ratified last December. The specification allows users to move from across access points within the coverage area, without
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