Wireless Internet access makes waves with options

All the electromagnetic waves that are bouncing around you may be cause for some concern: You may worry that they may harm you physically, causing illnesses and even tumors, as has been rumored.

If you're one of this camp, it may be disturbing to learn that the space around us will be criss-crossed with more and more of these waves as the digital world moves further into the age of wireless technology.

Do you still remember the first time we were able to beam data from one device to another without a physical connection? We were so thrilled by infrared technology, which is still used today. We became so amazed by the possibility of printing documents off our laptops without having to plug into a printer.

Then there were the infrared-based cordless keyboards and mice, although both the peripherals and the receptor had to be kept in the infrared's line of sight to function properly.

To increase the range of mobility, some peripheral makers like Logitech began using proprietary radio frequency transmitters in their devices.

Most cordless keyboards and mice today use radio frequencies, and can be used anywhere within the range of the transceiver.

Then we have Bluetooth, the wireless connection standard for devices that are within a 10 meter proximity to each other, which is sometimes dubbed the Personal Area Network (PAN).

Most mid-range and high-end cellular phones now come with Bluetooth, which allows us to transfer image files to other cellulars, laptops, Personal Data Assistants (PDAs) and even printers.

Next came Wireless Fidelity, or Wi-Fi, which got everyone excited, as it brought the dream of "Internet everywhere" closer to reality. One thing about Wi-Fi, however, is that it can only be used in hotspots, which provide wireless access points to the Internet. Nonetheless, being able to move from one cafe to another, connecting to the Internet and continuing to work is the ultimate in digital convenience.

Intel Corporation helped boost the proliferation of Wi-Fi with its Centrino specifications that required the addition of Wi-Fi capability, which were soon adopted by laptop makers. As you may have noticed, even mid-range laptop computers today already have a built-in Wi-Fi feature.

Early last year, Intel was involved in the setting of a new standard called WiMAX, or Worldwide Interoperability of Microwave Access. Now fully backed by Intel, this standard has received support from telecommunications infrastructure vendors, including Alcatel and Nokia.

Officially named IEEE 802.16, WiMAX has a number of features that make it a far more plausible standard than Wi-Fi for wide area wireless Internet access. While Wi-Fi can wirelessly connect your laptop or PDA from up to 100 meters away, WiMAX can cover a distance of 6 to 10 kilometers.

Furthermore, while the Wi-Fi 802.11b can transfer data at 11 megabits per second (Mbps), WiMAX can do it almost seven times faster at 75 Mbps.

The new technology will certainly cause a shakeout in the telecom industry, and operators may not embrace the new technology wholeheartedly.

Just imagine what WiMAX can do for other broadband Internet alternatives such as cable TV, XDSL and even 3G networks. However, for countries with underdeveloped telecom infrastructure, such as Indonesia, the new standard may offer yet another means to accelerate the establishment of an e-society.

Although WiMAX may still take several years until it is widely available, "Internet everywhere" is an eventual reality.

One thing is clear, though: Each type of Internet-access technology has its unique merits. The 3G technology, for example, serves those who need to connect to the Internet with mobile devices, such as cellular phones and PDAs, while Wi-Fi is a good choice for indoor use, including public hotspots and home networking.

What we may see in the future is a capability for devices to switch automatically from WiMAX to Wi-Fi to Bluetooth to find the least costly way to access the Internet.

Back to the question of those waves. If you feel dizzy all the time, could it be because there is so much electromagnetic radiation around you? Although there is a growing number of literature on the impact of these waves on living beings, including humans, no definitive results have been gleaned from authoritative studies as of today. -- Zatni Arbi