Why Clear is leading the way
by Dave Johnson
Wireless networks are improving, competition is fierce, and prices are coming down. At some point, all of us will be using wireless technology in our day-to-day business. I’ve been using Clear Wireless and will share my personal experience with their service later in this article. First, however, it’s important to understand the different types of networks available to small businesses and the technology behind them.
Types of Wireless Networks
Wireless, or WiFi technology, is a way of connecting your computer to a network using radio frequency and no network cables. It works in similar fashion to cordless phones; they transmit data from one point to another through radio signals. Wireless technology, however, also requires that you be within the wireless network range area to be able to connect your computer. There are three different types of wireless networks:
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN): WLAN are wireless networks that send radio waves. The backbone network usually uses cables, with one or more wireless access points connecting the wireless users to the wired network. The range of a WLAN can be anywhere from a single room to an entire campus.
Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN): These are short-range networks that use Bluetooth technology. They are commonly used to interconnect compatible devices near a central location, such as a desk. A WPAN has a typical range of about 30 feet.
Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWAN): WWAN are created through the use of mobile phone signals typically provided and maintained by specific cellular service providers. WWANs can provide a way to stay connected even when away from other forms of network access. Additional charges are often associated with the usage of WWANs in some locations.
Cellular Internet Options
3G or 3rd Generation is a family of standards for mobile telecommunications (cellular). 3G allows the simultaneous use of speech and data services and higher data rates (up to 14.0 Mbits/second on the downlink and 5.8 Mbits/second on the uplink). As a result, 3G networks enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. As more people use 3G in crowded urban areas, where there is no room to expand a 3G network, more calls are being dropped because too many people are trying to access limited network capability.
4G or 4th Generation will address this issue and will enhance existing communication networks. It is expected to provide a comprehensive and secure IP-based solution, where facilities such as voice, data and streamed multimedia will be provided to users on an “anytime, anywhere” basis and at much higher data rates compared to previous generations.
If you are interested in getting connected wirelessly using your cell phone without incurring big carrier bills, give me a call at 503-241-3499 and I will share a secret with you that has allowed me to get high bandwidth connections for my notebook with my cell phone that did not increase my phone bill by a penny.
Clear Wireless
Clear Wireless uses technology co-developed by Intel called WiMAX. Think of it as WiFi on steroids. It has superior range, and a greater ability to handle large quantities of high-speed traffic than an office or home WiFi. WiMAX also has the ability to pass your connection seamlessly as you change locations. It was designed to move IP-based network traffic instead of moving it through a network designed for low-bandwidth and intermittent voice traffic (cellular).
Clear Wireless is not the first company to offer this kind of service—not by a long shot. AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint have been in competition for years, leveraging their cellular infrastructures to provide consistent, highly-available, and fast bandwidth to their subscribers, who are willing to pay $45-$69 per month. I have tested a number of them over the years and have been unimpressed. At one Sprint store (mind you, we only use Sprint for our office mobile phones, and I am very happy with them), they had a Dell notebook with their wireless card in it for customers to test. I spent a good 15 minutes with the thing, and could only get 2X modem speeds from it, with dropouts galore—not very good.
How Well Does Clear Wireless Work?
Very well. There are no areas where I have not been able to get a connection. However, the building you are in can impact the reliability of the connection. While at my doctor’s office in Lake Oswego, I could not get connected from where I was sitting. When I moved 20 feet to my right (close to an open floor plan in the atrium), the connection snapped to life and I was getting 5 Mb/second (for you non-techies, that is plenty fast) and life was good again.
Other Features and Options
Clear Wireless offers a wireless receiver designed to support a small office when connected to a WiFi router or hard-wired network. We use this for an Internet connection for our clients and guests. This solution allowed us to replace our DSL service that we had just for this purpose.
Clear also offers a ClearSpot “portable hotspot,” which is about the size of a deck of cards, allows up to 8 devices to connect to it and share the bandwidth. I would love to test one out (are you listening Clear?). Notebooks and NetBooks are now shipping with WiMAX support built in, so look for that feature if you are in the market for a new machine. (See NetBooks article pg. 5) ∆