This is my second article in a series explaining how wireless networks work.  Today I want to share how the wireless systems provided by ATT, Sprint, Verizon, Clear, etc work.

You have undoubtedly seen the commercials for data cards/USB adapter that plug into your laptop and provide Internet access while on the go.  You may even have one of these devices and use it while on-the-road - which is great since you don't have to hope you are within range of a wireless signal to connect your laptop to the Internet.

Let's take a look at a simple model so we can understand how it works:

Internet <---> Cell Phone Tower <---> (Device/Modem) connected to Laptop

When you plug-in a data card/USB adapter to your laptop, it acts like an old-fashion modem (actually it is a modem) to connect your laptop to the Internet.  Here's the process:

1. It establishes a connection from your laptop to the closest cell phone tower
2. The connection is then carried from the cell phone tower to the Internet by wire, fiber optic cable or whatever the carrier has setup to connect your signal to the Internet

Step 2 is where the 3G and 4G come into play.

• 3G stands for 3rd Generation which is also the name of the standard used to make the connection between your Laptop and Cell Phone Tower.  It also correlates to the speed that these two can communicate which is around 14Mbps (that's megabits per second) but usually around 5Mbps.  Currently all providers are using 3G.
• You can probably guess that 4G stands for 4th generation.  It is the newest wireless standard which many carriers have only started to deploy.  4G promises rates of 100Mbps to 1000Mbps (1000Mbps = 1Gbps, gigabit per second) which is exceptionally fast.  Upgrading from 3G to 4G is a very expensive endeavor that costs wireless carriers millions of dollars. This is why 4G is not widely deployed in the US as of yet

By contrast, your DSL service or Cable Modem offers download rates around 7Mbps but can be as high as 20Mbps depending on the level of service you have.

You are probably thinking, "Wow! I should just dump my Road Runner or ATT DSL subscription with those speeds."  Well, before you cut the cord let me mention that you may not realize the full speed of 3G or even 4G connections.

This is because wireless communications are subject to a variety of interference.  For example, other radio signals, objects between your laptop and the cell phone tower, and even the distance to the closest cell phone tower are all factors that slow-down your actual speed.  The more of these factors, the slower your speed.

For the most part, the fastest and most reliable connection to the Internet is still through a network cable.

I hope my explanation provides some understanding about how this wireless network works.  Next week we’ll talk about Bluetooth wireless.

Did this tip work for you? Do you know of a faster solution?  Let us know.  Click on 'Add comment' at the top of this tip.