WiMax, the future of moble internet..

[Mickey Ptak]

I found this artical very interesting and I know some of you will also.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/10/1...band/index.html

Mick

 

[Bill Hamilton]

That would be great for chasers and wifi users in general but the trickle down time until it is widespread and cost effective for users is still some time away. I don't doubt it will get here but the costs for access is my question. Is it going to be like cell phone charges or are they working to make a "free access" wireless community.

 

[Tony Laubach]

It definately sounds as if this would be very nice for chasers to have. Especially those who use laptops are their primary source of data while on the road. Once the price gets to an area where the average net user can afford, I'm sure it'll add some options for those who can't afford the likes of WX, Baron, and those types of specialized services. Even if access is limited to cell phone coverage, the ability to get that kind of information on the fly as opposed to having to stop at a WiFi station would definately make for good results; especially for people like me who may spend a great deal of time on interstates getting to the day's target (driving from Denver or far off places to get to other far off places).

Obviously cell phone service is severely limited in rural areas, and obviously this type of service may have different bounderies, but the prospect of having on the fly WiFi-type internet on the road would be an incredible tool for us budget chasers!

 

[Shawn Rutherford]

Great concept

but some industry analysts are cautioning that Intel is pushing this without solid "proof of concept"...

Some other concerns....

will it operate while in motion... EV-DO from Verizon is exhibiting some problems with continuous connection while driving.

distance to transmit... reception is fine, but what will it take to transmit? High-speed data over distances of miles will require a bit of a "punch" of power to send data... EV-DO is great for downhill, but SENDING anything is at a much slower speed.

It would most likely give distance/performance that is similiar to current cell communications... but the problem would be that if there isn't a demand for cell communications in certain areas, they are going to remain "dead spots"... cell companies only put towers where they feel coverage is "Needed"... as in... if I put a tower here, it will bring in customers from that area.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I really think WiFi is the future of chase data. Cell phone data
is spotty, slow and the equipment to receive it is not standardized.
Services like WxWorx will be history.

Mike

 

[John Erwin]

I really think WiFi is the future of chase data. Cell phone data
is spotty, slow and the equipment to receive it is not standardized.
Services like WxWorx will be history.

Mike

While I agree somewhat about what you're saying about cell-phone connections and the value of WiFi type technology, I have to disagree with your assessment of Satellite-based services such as WxWorx. We're only just starting to explore what satellite delivered services can offer. Why do you think XM and Sirius are gaining so much popularlity? It's only a matter of time before we see low-profile satellite based internet services widely available for those that want to pay (it's already here, but still a little ungainly).

 

[Scott Taylor]

Agreed John. I'm certainly interested in the WxWorx system, but for me, chasing only a couple weeks out of the year hardly warrants the cost of the system and subscription. Otherwise I would be all over it.

I'll have to stick with the available laptop setups available today.

 

[John Gnuechtel]

The most recent stuff I've read about WiMax is not quite as optimistic as CNN's article.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20041...41012-4301.html

 

[Jeff Snyder]

As with almost all new technology lately (ala HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray wars), it's important to realize that there are two different protocols here --- WiMAX (802.16) and the Mobile-Fi (802.20) standard. While the official stance is that these two standards are not competing, it seems that the target audience is quite the same. The advantage of Mobile-Fi over WiMAX? 802.20 is being built around high-speed mobility... In other words, people will be able to use an 802.20 connection while traveling up to 155mph, while the WiMAX standard was origninally developed for fixed-point access (the rural, "last-mile" internet access solution, as in broadband connectivity for rural locales). That said, there is 802.16e, which is supposed to deal with the whole motion bit, but still...

Refer to http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/columns/article.php/3072471 and http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA403412