Keeping up with jargon can be tough in any field, but when it comes to technology, things get even more confusing. After all, it seems like something new is getting rolled out every couple of months, each new device is branded as being superior to what was around before, and often, the differences are unclear. Things get even trickier when it’s something that is actually new, like a first generation device or new communications method.
However, it’s important to remember that everything you use on a daily basis was once something confusing and new. Therefore, there’s no reason to get completely overwhelmed by new gadgets and developments. Instead of resigning yourself to a life of cell phones and wireless internet, it is possible to push things forward without getting too confused.
One of the biggest developments of the past couple of years has not been a particular device, per say, but rather, a faster means of sending and receiving data. Cell phone companies around the United States rolled out their respective 4G networks in select cities, seeing how people everywhere from Seattle to Boston found the fastest network in existence. With reception extremely positive–mostly because it was now possible to do just about anything online through a cell phone, including stream video–cell phone companies went ahead and expanded their new networks to wider coverage.
Meanwhile, the development of WiMax meant that wireless actually became wireless. Instead of depending on a router attached to a single modem to create a wireless network, this new technology–its name is short for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access–depends on towers that mirror signals, allowing for a solid and dependable network that spans not just a college campus or coffeeshop, but entire cities and states. With the technology primed and ready to expand beyond a single country, there is even potential in the future for a global version of wireless, where people are able to travel with their enabled laptop and never have to configure a network for a moment.
The combination of better, faster technology and the swiftest network around is the reason that WiMax is such a big deal. Since it is also operating on the world’s fastest currently-existing network, this means that data is being sent over a 20 Mhz wide channel, usually at speeds comparable to non-mobile broadband. With that much space for data, it is possible to accomplish things that would never be possible with coffeeshop wireless, like sending huge files or live streaming of video content. Business travelers are particularly in luck, because this development means that it’s possible to videoconference from just about anywhere without concerns about delays.
More than just connecting people to the internet, WiMax also has the capability of using those very same towers to connect people to the same content, no matter where they are. Consider what it means to have your own network within a network, meaning that information that would only be accessible in the office or on a college campus can now travel with its users no matter where they are, even if it’s not stored on their hard drive. This makes everything, from business to keeping up on college classes, significantly easier for all parties involved. After all, innovation is about a whole lot more than just who has the fastest network that can handle the most data in the most locations.
The fastest way to get online is with 4g wireless internet. Now that there’s clear chicago internet, the midwest just got a lot more high-tech.