Wi-Fi and WiMAX, Part 2

As mentioned in the previous post, WiMAX has some issues to deal with before it becomes widespread. One of these issues is compatibility with current computers. For this issue, consider the following:

These two technologies are like two sides of the same coin. WiMAX sends a signal out that covers large areas, but doesn't have the penetration to go through walls. Wi-Fi is a local area connection (LAN) network which covers smaller areas well, but doesn't have the signal quality to cover large spaces. In order to successfully install a WiMAX network, each building needs a Wi-Fi receiver to send the signal within each building. Without them, network users will get little to no connectivity.

Additionally, security is an issue with WiMAX. Even if people are able to get onto the wide area network (WAN), there is a limited amount of security available to protect those users. This broad signal is open, which limits the amount of security allotted to protect users from viruses, malware and other virtual attacks. By connecting through a Bountiful Wi-Fi access point, users are protected by the robust security afforded through this virtual local area network (VLAN).

In summary, WiMAX alone is not the solution that some make it out to be, but with the addition of Bountiful Wi-Fi's high-powered wireless equipment, WiMAX can serve a great public need for widespread wireless coverage for businesses and homes around the world.

Wi-Fi and WiMAX, Part 1

Special Note: Make sure to tune in next month, where the discussion will continue on WiMAX, and how Bountiful Wi-Fi can help with the issues mentioned below.

The wireless industry keeps talking about "WiMAX." It's the newest craze in wireless technology, but it's not the only wireless solution. There's 3G (a wireless phone and Internet solution), but soon there's going to be 4G; there's also Wi-Fi, the big player in the wireless computer market.

There are several hurdles that WiMAX must jump over before it can be widely accepted and used. First, there are problems with laptops and desktop computers. Most are now equipped with Wi-Fi capabilities, which is NOT the same as WiMAX. Some say that WiMAX is Wi-Fi on steroids, which is pretty much false, because even if a person has a Wi-Fi card in their computer, they can't automatically get on a WiMAX network.

The phrase should be, "WiMAX is 'like' Wi-Fi on steroids"; it's like Wi-Fi in that it's wireless, but it's on a different signal, and the signal needs to be converted into a Wi-Fi band transmission before individual, Wi-Fi-enabled computers can use it.

Secondly, the door is wide open for new players to enter this market. Cellphones - they seem more favorable to 4G - and PCs - thoroughly grounded in Wi-Fi - don't seem super-enthused about the technology, so other groups (yet unknown) are free to come into this WiMAX space to take root.

The third strike against WiMAX is really the most powerful one, and it has to do with businesses. Will business owners be in favor of a nationwide wireless network that their employees can use anywhere? You would think the answer would be a resounding, “Yes!" Unfortunately for WiMAX, businesses like privacy, and there have been no mentions of security over a WiMAX network. The idea of the technology is for a widely broadcast, open network. Wi-Fi, on the other hand, has multiple encryption methods to protect users.

The Take-away
That's three strikes, WiMAX, but people are holding on to their dreams of nationwide wireless coverage. This year has been a critical developmental time for the idea of wide area coverage.

WiMAX may fail miserably for now, but may emerge as a viable solution in another three to five years. The country, right now, is too well-rooted in 3G and Wi-Fi as the preferred solutions for cellular phones and computers. The need for WiMAX is not where it needs to be; the solution is currently being covered well enough by the other two. It must offer a unique set of advantages before businesses will accept it as a standard.

Wi-Fi on Steroids: What can 1 Watt do for you?

Consider the following comparison:

Most routers and access points put out a signal that's between 100 and 500mW. The signal strength of Bountiful® Wi-Fi's signature products is 1000mW; that's one full Watt of power! Plus, it isn't just the out-going signal strength that's blasted; the receive sensitivity is amplified to 1000mW, too!

With that kind of power, what could YOU do?

First of all, it means you will need less equipment to cover the same OR MORE area. For example:
- a two story, 7500 square foot house with ONE router or access point.
- a three story, 192 unit apartment building, leasing office and club house with 14 access points.
- send signal from one building to another up to a mile away.

Secondly, less equipment means you can spend less time maintaining an installed network and use that time to do other money-making jobs. It effectively boosts the return on your investment in time and money.

Also, if you manage the networks you install, Bountiful® Wi-Fi has the perfect solution for you: the controller. For any install with more than two access points, this manages everything from a central location. Just plug all of them in and the access controller will do the rest of the work setting up the access points. Then, this unique device will allow you to remotely monitor, control and change what you want to on the network. For more information on the BWRACWALL Series access controller, go to www.bountifulwifi.com.

In summary, Bountiful® Wi-Fi's powerful suite of 1 Watt products will allow YOU, the integrator or VAR, to:
- set up networks more quickly and with less hassle.
- monitor installed networks with ease from anywhere in the world.
- save money on equipment and installation time.

VARSense makes sense

How much money does the average VAR make off of wireless networking equipment? Many add an automatic 30% to what they paid so that they can make any money at all from the equipment. It doesn't seem fair, does it? Now imagine a wireless networking solution that gives you 2 to 4 times more coverage, and then imagine your business paying 20%-30% less than what anyone else is getting it for. Where could you find such a thing? The answer is the VARSense program at Bountiful® Wi-Fi.

Additionally, VARs and integrators receive the following benefits:
- price protection to ensure that you have the best price on every project you bid on.
- an exclusive VARSense community on Bountiful® Wi-Fi's website to get ideas, tips and tricks from other members of the program.
- training from the staff at Bountiful® Wi-Fi on how to install, optimize and market your offering.

Here's how it works:
1. You choose from our list of distributors (Synnex, D&H, Ad Hoc, Insight or Zones).
2. Order a Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Bountiful® Wi-Fi BWRACWALL demo kit.
3. Read the information included in the demo kit, try it out, then go online to apply for VARSense membership.

It's that simple, and you'll receive an additional 20%-30% savings for using Bountiful Wi-Fi's products as a VARSense member. You'll already be buying the most affordable wireless networking solution on the market, and if you sign up to be a part of this special list of integrators and VARs, you'll be saving even more!

Go to www.bountifulwifi.com for more details about the VARSense program.

Senior care facility unifies patient care with Bountiful® Wi-Fi

Background
Before implementing the Bountiful® Wi-Fi solution, their sites were disorganized mixes of various wireless network equipment. This mix of products never covered more than the administration office in each facility.

The owners had been looking for a solution to completely cover their sites in order to incorporate BlueStep®’s software, installed using existing network products. BlueStep® recommended Bountiful® Wi-Fi.

Site Overview
Guardian Angel Homes’ sites have between 4 and 6 wood-framed buildings, with each structure having between 40,000 and 70,000 square fee. They are a mix of single- and two-story, rectangle-shaped facilities. One building has an elevator. All are equipped with Ethernet connections that run back to the main building’s office space.

Solution
Bountiful® Wi-Fi’s powerful BWLWAPG1000 series wireless access points provide a signal that is 2 to 4 times more powerful than that of the competition, allowing for a quicker, less costly and simpler installation process. The multi-faceted Bountiful® Wi-Fi access controller, BWRACWALL series, provides an opportunity for Guardian Angel Homes to implement BlueStep®’s mobile medication tracking software at their facilities. They needed the network to do the following things before they would be willing to install the equipment:
• VPN tunneling to provide a secure connection for patient records.
• Auto-detect access points for hassle-free setup and use
• Connect the data pipe directly into an access controller’s WAN port and have it act as the DHCP server to avoid adding additional pieces of equipment
• Provide firewall and NAT capabilities to create a secure network
• Central management to create one place from which to manage the network

BlueStep® recommended Bountiful® Wi-Fi for its powerful networking solution and excellent customer service. Bountiful® Wi-Fi has worked with the company in other installs and has found that it offers a unique solution to senior care centers that are looking to mobilize their medical delivery and tracking systems, as well as, in some cases, offering Internet access to residents by utilizing Bountiful® Wi-Fi’s quad-SSID-capable BWRACWALL series access controller and BWLWAPG1000 series access points.

Implementation
Each Guardian Angel Home has a BWRACWALL series access controller and, depending on how many buildings are in the complex, between 4 and 8 BWLWAPG1000 series lightweight, 1000mW access points. The integrators installed one BWLWAPG1000 series lightweight access point in each single story building (40,000 sq. ft.) and two access points in each two-story building (70,000 sq. ft.). All were connected with CAT-5 cable directly to the BWRACWALL series access controller, located in the office space in the main building.

Result
The previously spotty, single building coverage was turned into a full, complex-wide solution with Bountiful® Wi-Fi.

The full coverage is exactly what Guardian Angel Homes’ was looking for. They are now able to reliably and affordable centrally manage each location.

Comparisons
Option 1
2.4 GHz AP (18) at $280.00 each
Controller (1) at $2,100.00
Switch (4) at $162.99 each
Cabling (4) at $200.00 each
Grand Total $8,591.96

Option 2
2.4 GHz AP (18) at $225.39 each
Router (1) at $159.99
Switch (4) at $84.99 each
Cabling (4) at $200.00 each
Grand Total $5,356.97

Bountiful® WiFi
BWLWAPG (8) at $289.00 each
BWRACWALL16 (1) at $1,491.84
Switch (1) at $150.00
Cabling (1) at $200.00
Grand Total $4,153.84*

In every instance, Bountiful® Wi-Fi beats the competition in cost savings. With Option 2, no controller is quoted because the ability to manage, control and change the network from one central location is not offered. With Bountiful® Wi-Fi, the integrators provide so much more than just a cost benefit. They have complete control and remote management of the network.

Option 1 has a centrally-managed controller with some of the same features as the Bountiful® Wi-Fi BWRACWALL series access controller, but the solution provided by Bountiful® Wi-Fi is 106% less than Option 1.

*Further discounts are available for VARSense® members.