Wi-Fi 101: Understanding WiMax and Other Network Options

For plenty of typical world wide web users, the various options that are actually available as far as having networking choices are concerned don't immediately seem apparent. After all, most people are not as aware of the fact that they actually do have the potential to choose something beyond the typical broadband or cable DSL that is available at home, and those people who have actually figured out that they can mirror their signal via router and develop Wi-Fi networks at home often are disappointed with the outcome. If a shoddy signal that doesn't carry far is a problem that is occurring, then it makes sense to look into the fact that there are actually other options, as well as to figure out how these things actually do accomplish what they do.

For a typical wireless internet network, there are a few factors in play. The signal that is being picked up through the modem is actually then magnified by the router, which is able to beam it through the air for those who have the proper password or whose computers can see the network to pick up. And that's an incredibly helpful for those who are going to be getting online from a particular fixed point, meaning that they are just going to be surfing the net for basic needs and not be moving far from the actual router.

The trouble is that not everyone who wants to have an at-home network wants to stay close to a router or be concerned about whether or not other members of the family are going to be able to enjoy speedy access as well, considering the fact that it becomes difficult for those who are sharing networks to be able to upload or download large files or stream video content if multiple people are all using the same thing at once. And the limited signal is definitely a killjoy for those who actually want to venture further away from the router, since it will suddenly drop off. That's why so many people these days are switching to other networking options, like the world of WiMax.

With something like WiMax, it then becomes possible to actually be free of the confines of a local network. The reason that this is the case is because the service that powers this type of actually mobile service is national, and it is built on a network of towers that can carry signals upwards of 30 miles, meaning that those customers who are traveling around will be able to simply have their data be carried from tower to tower, with no interruptions. This is completely different than the typical Wi-Fi experience because of the fact that it is far better at being widespread, and that is definitely something that attracts people to the notion of upgrading to something that will deliver better.

So for those who want the kind of reliability that comes with being able to have access to the world wide web from anywhere without actually having problems associated, then there is no better solution than an upgrade from typical Wi-Fi power to something else entirely.

Iran, The Internet And Network Equipment

As tensions continue to escalate in Iran and with Iran and the rest of the world I couldn't help but thinking how a vibrant online world would work in Iran. After all, many technology products are banned from sale to Iran and they would need these products to have an online presence.

Interestingly, our company received an online inquiry about one month ago through our Live Chat feature from a person requesting to purchase some network equipment. I asked where he was located and where he wanted the equipment shipped. He said that he wanted the equipment shipped to Abu Dhabi. What he probably didn't know is that our plugin has the ability to reference the sender's location and his showed as Iran. When I confronted him (in my text back to him) about this he said he was a businessman who traveled and did business all over the Middle East and was at a business meeting in Iran and was contacting me while he had some free time.

This got me to thinking about how many banned products were shipped, knowingly or unknowingly, to "friendly" countries and then on-shipped with new documents to Iran. After all, I'm no international super sleuth but it doesn't seem possible to police the world against that many shipments that are neither scanned nor physically inspected at the point of shipment. Nor does it seem unlikely that these banned products could be carried by land through various routes to Iran.

With that said it seems like more of problem for users of network equipment once they get it into Iran. Censors in Iran literally block? thousands of websites, including Facebook and YouTube. Even with a large educated population that includes the Middle East's highest number of web surfers, last month Iran instituted an? Internet police unit to counter the growing popularity of web-based social networks. It is estimated that 32 million people of Iran's almost 74 million population are regular net surfers.

Internet restrictions, enforced by content-control software, are being used to block access to what the Iranian Government considers "immoral and destructive" material, which includes everything from pornography to news websites critical of Iran.

Network equipment and computer hardware experts claim that the monitoring and restricting of Internet access tightened after the controversial June 2009 Iranian presidential election, and has gotten even more restrictive with the flood of? Arab world uprisings beginning in Tunisia in December.

Iran, like some other countries that ignore intellectual property rights, has zero copyright laws. This allows pirated versions of movies, games and computer programs to become available in Iran within days of their release in the United States, and elsewhere. Plus they are sold at a fraction of their list or discount US sales price. As an example, an Adobe CS5 master collection sells for $2,359 on Amazon.com, yet it costs a only $5 in Iran.

To combat Internet censorship Iranians have adopted various solutions like free service Freegate and paid services using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).? Restrictions imposed by sanctions are not a problem for Iranian internet users. The real problem is internal government? filtering, and extremely slow download speeds.

The Iranian people seem to be quite adaptable to circumventing Internet restrictions. So, even a government shut down of ISPs (Internet Service Providers) might only spur its citizens to set up alternative methods to surf the net.

Hal Stevens
CEO

LTE Network commercially launched even in Republic of Tatarstan. India still struggling to launch 3G services

Russian WiMAX to LTE network operator, Yota has announced the launch of an LTE network in Kazan, capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan - having installed the citywide network in just two months. Yota has invested $20 million in building the Kazan network, which covers the city's whole population of over one million people with 147 base stations. Kazan is Russia's third city and host to the Universiade (the world university games) in 2013.

Since commercial launch only 14 months ago, Yota already has almost 600,000 customers and recently reported 2010 half-year results of US$66 million. Yota runs successful operations in Russia and Nicaragua and will soon launch its services across Belarus and Peru.

Staying Connected With Friends on a 4G Network

People are becoming used to having constant communication with their friends and family. You get online and check your e-mail regularly and probably also update your Facebook so everyone knows where you are and what you're doing. However, how often can you really update your Facebook and check your e-mail when you don't have a connection to the Internet outside of your house or office? You can get online using a high-speed 4G network connection to the Internet to stay for your connection with your friends.

It is often important to people to know that they can reach someone when they want to via various forms of communication. You want to know that you don't just have to call the person to talk to them, you can e-mail or message them instead. Sometimes you just don't have time to make a phone call or you want the person to be able to respond in his or her own time. That's when it's important to have a connection to the Internet so you can send them a message and still be available to receive it when that person writes you back with his or her response. Being confined to your house or office waiting for a response is not logical or possible. That's why you need to have a wireless Internet connection to keep you online whenever and wherever you need to be.

If you get online using WiMax technology, you can stay connected to the Internet and your friends from virtually anywhere in the city. You can get online while you're outside of your house and office to check your e-mail or update your Facebook status. You may think you are already able to do this with a WiFi connection at your favorite restaurant, but can you do it outside of the restaurant? Being able to get online virtually anywhere in the city also includes outside locations.

You can get online using mobile WiMax while you're riding in the back of a cab across town to meet your friends. Maybe you suddenly forget the address where you're meeting your friends and need to refer back to your e-mail from earlier that day. You don't have to turn around a go home because you can use your wireless Internet connection to get online and find the address. You'll be able to find it quickly since you're connecting with a 4G network that is significantly faster than the 3G network or dial-up connection you may be used to. And then your friends won't have to be upset with you for being late because you had to turn around and go all the way back to your house or office to get the address!

Using the high-speed 4G network to stay in communication with your friends and family will not only make communicating easier, but it could also make it more fun. You can get online and message your friends and they will think you're still at your house or office!