Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Why is WiMax such a big deal?

To my knowledge I don't even think there is any coverage in my area (close to a major city). Its like having cars, but not roads : /

Does someone have some resources on WiMax coverage? Is it a subscription like thing? Who even offers it?

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

technically is its, but it seems some think of its as the big liberator as its not a mobile technology in a way. its wireless networking taken to the Nth degree.

so i guess some hope it will be as open as current wifi offerings at starbucks or other places...

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

I have no idea, i just want more RAM

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

The N810 WiMax edition has more RAM?

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

WiMAX can be used as a mobile service, or as a last-mile service.
In the US, on the mobile end, Sprint is the farthest along, with xohm (as they call their WiMAX service, for reasons best known to themselves). I know nothing of any last-mile plans in the US; that seems to be more popular in Europe.

The reason a lot of people are excited is that it eliminates the need for a mobile phone with voice plan and data plan and tethering plan. (Depending on provider, of course.)

With a WiMAX tablet you can:

• Eliminate the phone
• Skip the voice plan (if you use VoIP, why pay for voice?)
• Not worry about whether to spend more for a tethering plan or risk getting caught tethering with no tethering plan
• Hope that your area eventually gets solid coverage
• Hope that prices (I don't believe any solid pricing data is available) don't go through the roof

Naturally, by the time the N810W is actually for sale, the coverage and pricing data will have firmed up, but some people are naturally optimistic now and perhaps more excited than circumstances warrant (right now).

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

I think Nokia just wants to put its name next to WiMax.
Probably they won't sell a lot of units, but it for sure will give more light to this new type of devices.

That, to me, it's the main reason Nokia accepted to make a WiMax version of the tablet (and the reason why they did not come up with a brand new device).

My 2c :)

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

One of the exciting things about Wimax, at least in the way Sprint seems to want to market it as Xohm.. is that it's pretty much a wide-bandwidth "bit hose" for use with whatever applications we care to run, much like wired broadband services have mostly been to date.

The problems with mobile handset data services are that:
a) They aren't fast enough for the high-bandwidth apps we want to use
and
b) The system operators/carriers are stuck with this idea that they can "own the app" and wall us into their proprietary enclaves and applications.

The explosive growth of the early Internet largely refuted the contention in (b), but it's understandable that people expending thousands of millions of dollars on infrastructure buildouts wouldn't want to be stuck offering a low-cost commodity service.

There has to be a balance somewhere, and there's hope that Sprint gets the right idea.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

< devils advocate >
Couldn't you just do that with 3G anyway? Surely the differences you are describing are actually more political than technical reasons?
</ devils advocate >

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

I think 3g needs to have towers in a smaller radius wheras wimax towers have a comparitively larger signal radius ..... thereby needing lesser towers in rural areas and still having good coverage, unlike 3g which needs much more resources to achieve the same.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

can do today.

see above

no need to worry about it ;)

a valid problem no matter the technology in my experience.

[/quote]Hope that prices (I don't believe any solid pricing data is available) don't go through the roof[/QUOTE]

as above, not dependent on tech but on how greedy the corps are.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

not so. UMTS can make use of GSM frequencies. its just that you cant operate both on the same ones at the same time...

hell, 3G systems are, iirc, more frequency efficient then older tech, so in theory you do not need as many antennas to cover the same number of subscribers. but as currently used frequencies (at least in europe) have worse penetration then GSM ones, more are needed to get effective coverage in densely populated areas (reinforced concrete is a very effective signal blocker, go fig).

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

hmm. I got the NIT because I don't have a cell phone (or cable tv or landline). The pricing structure in North America is insane IMHO. I run my own VoIP PBX and IM server and can support my whole family and close friends with local numbers and cheap long distance for the cost of one cell plan. Plus WiFI is plenty fast enough. I give up the cell capabilities but WiFI is available where I need it, way way cheaper, and much faster. It is just simple data to me. The SIP and WiFI works very nicely on my N800.

But this WiMAX you speak of..... might be interesting if it is even available around here (Canada). However I have serious doubts that it will be as affordable as I want. No idea right now but worth a look.

Best news about a WiMAX is that the 800 & 810 might get really cheap soon. :)

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

One more advantage of wimax offered by sprint is that they are quoting that you need not sign a contract...... you can either take monthly or a daily service.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Canada has one of the best WiMAX deployments available, and it's much, much, much more reasonably priced than normal cellular data plans. WiMAX is the holy grail of data access for Canadians.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Well, you can replace the phone with a USB dongle, but there's no suggestion by Nokia of anything other than WiMAX for WWAN. USB dongle plans are generally data-only, of course, with no tethering issues. Cradlepoint is also an option, so you don't have another device hanging out the end of your tablet, but either way you have two devices.

Yeah, 3G in-device is technically feasible, but Nokia's not doing it.

If you want a raw network comparison, without regard to device availability, of mobile WiMAX vs. 3G, it boils down to: WiMAX is faster.
But I'm not sure the extra speed is of any practical use in an N810; CPU usage may limit throughput anyhow...

Tso, I realize those aren't tech dependent, but we know what 3G costs and what its coverage is like, because it's already deployed. I was just pointing out that some excitement may be on account of optimistic assumptions that optimists make when they don't have facts.

I guess I interpreted this thread as being more N810W aligned, while some of you are speaking more of WiMAX in general. My remarks should be understood in that context.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

And knowing the rapacious greedy phone companies the only problem is WHERE you take it.
I hope they use lubricant.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

OK now I am actually curious. I checked the Wikipedia description and see that the tech fills the gap between WiFI and Cell. If it can approach cell coverage at a cheap rate I'm going to look at it. I'm happy with my DIY SIP/IM/Email/yada systems so if I can get what WiMAX promises without the constraints of all the service providers I'm having a serious look. I've been hoping for wireless that simply gets me to the net. WiFI works great considering what all the providers have to offer thus far. I'm not loving the WiMAX name however but that is a small bone to pick.

However this goes against what I thought was the best news (dirt cheap WiFI units). I'd still have to wait until the new units come down in price. I'm perfectly happy with the geeky nature of these NITs since I run my own services and find the N800 much more suited to my needs than any closed system I've seen including the fashionable iDevices et al.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Until I can find two open wifi hotspots in the areas I travel, basic wifi less the max stuff is so close to useless as to be so.

As someone said, lots of cars and no roads...

Fortunately the n800 makes a decent ebook reader :).

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

OK, you live in a crappy area for Wifi access. I'm sorry to hear that, but what does that have to do with WiMAX? :\

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

It must be a matter of usage needs or where you go but I can find WiFI where I need it more often than not. I use my SIP phone on the N for business and personal and it does a good job. I can thank all the 'consumers' for the frequent availability. I can roam several blocks in the area around my home and office but I'm lucky to have control over the APs. Public space is sometimes a challenge but rarely a major problem. Sometimes I long for cell availability but WiFI is far from useless for me. MaXY just might be the cat's meow but we'll see, until now I had little hope for anything better.

It will come down to who offers the service. The cell/broadband incumbents are so far off from my needs that I no longer even look at the products (perhaps why I didn't know that anyone offered WiMAX here). I'm very happy that Nokia has taken the design stance it has on these NITs. Linux + WiFI with *no* cell function was a good move for the niche market that I am. Brilliant move in fact. I saw a TED.com speech that nailed the problem as I see it and Nokia has shown some promise with these things so far. I just have to find out more about it and see real world reviews (both WiMAX and the nMAX).

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

When WiFi access is hit or miss, the IT suffers in comparison to vaguely similar devices that offer 3G cellular access. Since the IT will not have 3G absent a major corporate earthquake (not the routine triannual reorganization), WiMax is (perhaps was) the only hope for IT lovers not wanting to be dependent on WiFi.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

You're kidding, right? :rolleyes: 3G access works great for me (with fall-back to EDGE when I'm out of 3G coverage areas).

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Augh! Why did you have to tell me this? :eek: I figured WiMAX was another one of those things Canadians had to hear about but not have available or affordable. Now I see there is extensive coverage in my area! Cheap! (Rogers Portable Internet and Sympatico Internet Unplugged $25-$60 per month, depending on bandwidth) Now I need a new gadget. And I was so happy with my existing one.

Well, it seems you have to have their modems for the time being. We'll see if you can get to it from third party devices soon.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Don't assume your example defines the whole. ;)

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Personally, I don't see the point, either.

I mean, right now, I pay ONE monthly access fee and can use that data stream on either my N95 or my N810 (tethered to the N95). That's HSDPA, and as was pointed out, falls back to EDGE, which means that for one price I have what's basically a nationwide coverage area.

With WiMax (the same argument could be used against adding a SIM slot to the Tablets) I now have to pay for ANOTHER data access point. I highly doubt that I'll be able to use the same data stream on my cellphone AND my Tablet. Also, I'm now limited to the WiMax carriers (being Sprint and Clearwire, basically), whereas with BT tethering, I could use AT&T for HSDPA, Sprint for EV-DO Rev A, Verizon for EV-DO, or whoever else.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

What is more interesting to me, if the WiMax is feasible replacement for my home internet connection? (To do so I'd like to have ~2Mbits/s or better speed... Currently I have 5Mbits/s FiOS, but that is more speedy that I really need...) The benefit I'm looking for is one bill to pay for mobile and home high speed internet access.

This is how it (should?) work: Once at home, I'd have WiMax receiver (or how do you call these units?), and hook that up to Wlan router. That is to connect my home PC computers, SIP-phone, as well as the N8x0 devices.

When on the go, I just turn off (if even needed?) the home WiMax receiver and enable the N810W WiMax radio to "transfer" the service over there. Then I'd have the same high speed internet coverage on the go, and only pay one monthly bill!

Is this possible or just a dream?

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Has anyone here actually used a WiMax service? My Dad used to have Clearwire (Ohio) and it was horrible. I could bluetooth tether my macbook to my sprint moto q and pull up pages faster than he could.

Also, does WiMax handle handoffs, etc? With the 3G network, I can drive home from work (25 miles) and never have a hiccup in my streaming radio :)

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Ahh, but for folks like me I CAN do everything on one line. With WiFI I do everything since I don't have a cell phone and will not get one until prices come down by at least 1/3 or more and then maybe never since my SIP costs almost $0. What this promises is reasonably high speed access that can roam much easier than WiFI. However I doubt I would replace my home internet with this so I'm not yet sold on the idea.

But Rogers/Sympatico/Bell? These are the people that I won't buy *anything* else from so I'm still doubtful about their Max products. I see there is Millennium Data Services in Canada offering WiMAX. Oh, they call it 'pre-WiMAX'. Like so called N-WiFI, I'm not touching it until it is final and more mature. By then the IT lineup will have matured and priced nice.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

I've actually had quite a bit of experience with Clearwire, both in Abilene, TX for a year and a half (one of their initial launch cities) and more recently, in Waco, TX, to livecast my wedding:

http://www.flixwagon.com/wedding/ over Nokia N82's.


I found the service to be pretty stinkin quick, and having 2 cellphones continually streaming video over it is pretty impressive.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

In fairness, you could always tether your phone to the tablet for the tablet's data connection... that probably is not trivial, though, as I'd bet it's not a use case the phone s/w designers looked at.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Potentially, but I suspect it'll fall apart where every other cellular data system has fallen apart—latency*.

While this is probably fine for browsing and email usage, anybody who games is gonna suffer a lot.

*In my tests, EDGE is usually in 100-200 range and HSDPA is about 150-250.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Now, now, internet hearts will work just fine...

Guess that (latency) is another suggestion for Tex to test on his beta.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

I know nothing of the technical merits of either technology. (Not that that stops me from commenting on other matters. :-)

But I found this tidbit interesting from Nokia (in January):

Nokia Siemens Networks won a deal with Sprint Nextel to become an infrastructure provider for its 4G WiMAX network

See, WiMAX is 4G and that must mean it's better than 3G, right?

Case closed, at least from the marketing standpoint.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

More 'G' (generation) just means higher bandwidth and less/later (it's the same) coverage, from the consumer end.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Yes, 3G is great. I was kindly answering your question about why a NIT w/ WiMax is preferable to Wifi only. No sarcasm needed.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

I wasn't asking that question. I was addressing the fact that all wv9k seems to contribute these days is to complain about lack of wifi access and state that he only uses his N800 for ebook reading.

I thank you for your concern, though. :)

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

As a person with two free WIMAX networks in their area, I just hope that out of the 70 plus protocals that a network can have, that some standardization can take place so when I go to DC or Chicago, my N800 (yes, the N800 is WIMAX capable) will be able to access something other than static. Proposed pricing plans that I have seen are between 30-60 per month for one service and the other is looking at ad supported/city subsidized free WIMAX. Only thing we all can do is be patient and see what is happening because it is exciting.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Oh, really? Explain, please.

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

WiFi maybe?
if WiMax, then more importantly....
how
me thinks you speak of WiFi still

Re: Why is WiMax such a big deal?
 

Oh yeah, I can't wait to see this one. ;)