WiMAX Tutorial

WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a form of broadband wireless Internet access standardized by the IEEE in its 802.16 series of standards.  WiMAX can support rates of 15 Mbps and even higher, but commercially offered speeds are generally only up to 6 Mbps. There is a distance/data rate tradeoff with WiMAX, and subscribers closer to a base station potentially can receive higher WiMAX rates.  WiMAX-m, standardized by the IEEE as 802.16m, pushes the maximum rate of WiMAX to 1 Gbps, but it maintains compatibility with previous versions.

The IEEE produced the WiMAX standard as 802.16 in 2004 and 802.16e in 2005.  The original standard was created by the 802.16d working party and is sometimes called 802.16d.  802.16e adds, among other things, support for mobility in WiMAX networks, and the original 802.16 standard provided only fixed operation.  Interoperability and certification of products is furthered by the WiMAX Forum, which has the goal to increase acceptance of products based on WiMAX 802.16 standards..

Subscribers can use WiMAX service with either an indoor (typically integral to the WiMAX modem) antenna or with a separate outdoor antenna as shown above. Indoor antennas place greater demands on the carrier’s network because of additional losses experienced within a structure.  To support indoor antennas, a carrier typically requires more base stations for ubiquitous coverage or has limited coverage where indoor antennas can be used.   Asus, Acer, Dell, Lenovo, and Toshiba have built laptops with integral WiMAX.  The following is an image of a WiMAX USB adaptor from Motorola followed by images of two stand-alone WiMAX modems (Alvarion and Motorola).

An outdoor antenna provides better reception over longer distances from a base station and higher possible data rates.  The following is a picture of a WiMAX outdoor antenna on a subscriber’s house.

Prominent vendors of WiMAX base station equipment include Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Cisco, Huawei, Motorola, NEC, Nokia Siemens Networks, Samsung, and ZTE, among others.  Japan Radio Company, Ltd. (JRC) provides the integrated mobile WiMAX base station shown below.

Clearwire is a major provider of WiMAX services in the US and offers downstream rates of up to 2 Mbps.  Serving almost 50 markets, Clearwire offers service for as low as $29.99 per month according to the Clearwire website, which provides information on service  plans.  The following is a recent Clearwire WiMAX coverage map.

Clearwire Coverage Map

And Intel, a big supporter of WiMAX, has this video on WiMAX.

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