ValleyShadow

WiMAX's Role in Untangling Traffic Problems

In this week's column for WiMAX.com, I tackle another interesting application of WiMAX technology that is gaining momentum -- traffic synchronization. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the trend of people utilizing WiMAX technology as the ideal solution for video surveillance networks, and with this traffic synchronization post I continue to highlight another of the many interesting applications for WiMAX (both licensed and unlicensed) and other point-to-multipoint technologies beyond the typical utilization for deploying broadband wireless access (BWA). 

Here's an excerpt, followed by a link where you can read the full article at WiMAX.com:

We've all seen the cameras at busy intersections, looming atop the traffic lights, ready to catch us if we dare to run a red light. These cameras are part of the now well-known "Red Light Running" program, where sensors detect red light violators and quickly snap a photo of both the license plate number and the driver. While nobody seems to appreciate the program when they receive their ticket in the mail, the program definitely works - some cities have seen as much as a 90 percent decrease in red light running-related accidents. 

Until recent years, the only realistic option for connecting the cameras at these intersections was to run a dedicated leased line to each camera at every intersection a city wished to deploy. This was not only an extremely costly solution, with leased lines running as much as $2,000 (in some cases more) per month, but installing a new dedicated wired line for each camera also required a great deal of labor, further driving up the cost and impeding the scalability of these systems. 

Today, however, cities and counties are turning to WiMAX technologies to remove the cost and complexity roadblocks that have prevented greater rollout of these programs. WiMAX, originally designed as a backhaul technology, has proven ideal for the increased bandwidths required by HD video cameras. And since today's wireless radios can not only backhaul the traffic from multiple cameras while (in some cases) powering co-located cameras directly from the radio via Power over Ethernet (PoE), WiMAX and other high-bandwidth point-to-multipoint technologies are ideally suited to drive down the cost of traffic camera connectivity while greatly easing deployments. 

READ the full article on WiMAX.com. 

Why the WiMAX vs. LTE Battle Isn't a Battle

For this week's WiMAX.com column, I decided to focus on the ongoing debate about WiMAX vs. LTE as the dominant 4G technology. This is a topic that the industry, press and analysts have been debating for quite some time, and the general trend is to pit WiMAX vs. LTE in a battle for 4G supremacy. Sure, it's a fun angle and adds a tinge of sensationalism to the story, but the simple fact is that there is no battle between these two technologies. Neither of them will "win" and squash the other. Instead, they will both have a distinct place in the 4G future. 

This column breaks down my thoughts on this so-called battle, and explains why the 4G future is not an either/or proposition. Here's a quick excerpt, followed by a link to the full article on WiMAX.com:

If you do a quick Google search on the term "WiMAX vs. LTE" it returns well over 3 million results, a clear sign that there is no shortage of opinions on the so-called battle that exists between these two next-generation (4G) technologies. You don't have to look hard to find a breakdown of the carriers and vendors that have pledged their support to one technology over the other, and analysis on how these organizations' support will affect the future of these technologies. Everyone is pitting the two technologies against each other in what they would have you believe is an epic battle for the future of wireless networks - but there's just one problem.

The WiMAX vs. LTE "battle" isn't a battle at all. 

Neither of these technologies will emerge as victorious over the other, and neither will be forced to accept a role as the "also-ran" in the annals of tech history. In fact, both WiMAX and LTE can and likely will play equally important roles in the future of wireless networks. At one point I hypothesized that those roles would be "access" and "backhaul" - with LTE providing the access technology of choice and WiMAX providing an ideal backhaul technology for 4G networks. But I no longer think that WiMAX and LTE need to be pigeonholed into those exclusive categories.

Today, it seems as though both technologies will become viable 4G access technologies, while WiMAX still maintains its position as an ideal backhaul technology as well. Now, some will claim that either WiMAX or LTE must win from an access perspective, but more and more, that does not seem to be the case... Read the full article at WiMAX.com.

Verizon Mi-Fi = Kick-Ass Portable Wi-Fi

First of all, I should be honest up front and admit that I have somewhat of a gadget addiction. And by somewhat, I mean that I freakin’ love me some gadgets. I currently own a Blackberry, an iPhone, a Palm Treo, and a Motorola Q9 – those are just the smartphones. I also have a Sony Mylo, an SMC Wi-Fi phone, and several other Skype-enabled Wi-Fi devices.  Add to all of that the laptops, my Amazon Kindle, digital cameras, my Flip Mino HD mini camcorder, etc., and I could fill a couple backpacks with all my gadgety goodness.

With that said, I can honestly say that just this week I picked up what is probably the best gadget I’ve played with in years. That gadget is the Verizon MiFi 2200. The Verizon MiFi is, quite simply, a portable hotspot that connects to Verizon’s cellular network and then converts that connection to Wi-Fi, enabling up to 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices to connect to the Internet via this tiny, portable device.  It is manufactured by Novatel, and it contains both an EVDO Rev-A radio (to connect to Verizon’s cellular network) and an 802.11 b/g radio (to provide Wi-Fi).  

Now, I love wireless connectivity as much as I love gadgets (kinda goes hand in hand). I also work in the wireless industry, so I love my Wi-Fi, and can’t wait until WiMAX service comes to the Bay Area.  I spend a lot of my time talking about the proliferation of Wi-Fi, and how we can utilize other complimentary wireless technologies to spread Wi-Fi to more and more places. And, depending on where you live, you might get the feeling that Wi-Fi truly IS everywhere.  Whether I’m in San Francisco or the Silicon Valley, it’s hard to walk into a restaurant, coffee shop or bar and not find an open Wi-Fi network that I can connect to.

But, the fact of the matter remains that Wi-Fi simply is NOT readily available everywhere today. Even in busy metro areas, many of the open networks that people used to connect to could be chalked up to unsecured personal Wi-Fi networks within range of the establishment you were in – not necessarily the establishment itself. But these days, people have become much more aware of Wi-Fi security risks, and it is rare to find an open personal Wi-Fi network to connect to. And more and more establishments are offering Wi-Fi through paid hotspot providers such as Boingo, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc. as opposed to offering free Wi-Fi to patrons (not unsurprisingly, because we’ve all seen the “patrons” who buy one cup of coffee and then turn the coffee shop with free Wi-Fi into their office for the entire day).