 funchordsHelloPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA
kudos:5 | I don't see the Vision What's the difference between this and the Wi-Fi home network? |
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openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Alexandria, VA
kudos:2 | Nothing much from what I'm reading, except for the need to purchase new radios for everything that you want to communicate with. |
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2 edits | reply to funchords
What Comcast might do though is setup these WiMAX repeaters on top of apartment/condo buildings so that they don't have to wire up every unit. They can't do that with WiFi as reliably today for large buildings. They could even cover entire neighborhoods with one repeater.
And then you could have a WiMAX/WiFi router to cover all your devices. |
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 RobIn Deo speramus, God Bless the USAPremium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
kudos:2 | reply to funchords
said by funchords:What's the difference between this and the Wi-Fi home network? Wi-fi networks operate in unlicensed spectrum, wheres femtocells do use licensed spectrum. |
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funchordsHelloPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA
kudos:5 | reply to xenophon
said by xenophon:What Comcast might do though is setup these WiMAX repeaters on top of apartment/condo buildings so that they don't have to wire up every unit. Yeah, but it did say "femtocells" ... maybe that's only be half of the idea above.
If that's the case, I could see this vision as Comcast could also extend its footprint by 25 miles. It could deliver TeeVee on a Switch Digital basis (no "always on" broadcast) and still have room to spare for HSI and Phone.
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Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon
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4 edits | I think that's what they ultimately want to do. As part of the Sprint/Clearwire deal, they specifically wanted 5Mhz (out of 100Mhz+ per market) set aside for femtocells. While they may want these inside customer homes, the real application will be to cover entire building complexes or even neighborhoods.
Perhaps in return, Sprint/Clearwire/Xohm users will be able to roam on the Comcast femtocells without having to setup a separate account. And those with a Comcast account can roam as well.
If cities are willing to spend bucks to get into muniWiFi, they may as well offer free rent to WiMAX carriers to place WiMAX repeaters/femtocells on city streetlight poles. |
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 wifi4milezBig Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY
1 edit | reply to funchords
said by funchords:What's the difference between this and the Wi-Fi home network? According to the article, Comcast has heavily invested in the new Sprint/Clearwire endeavor. What this will allow then to do is offer a Comcast branded wireless service to their customers. Since the service operates in the 2.5 Ghz range, it will experience similar building penetration issues that wifi has. By providing their customers with a femtocell, Comcast customers will be able to roam on the Comcast (really Sprint/Clearwire) 4G network seamlessly. This will benefit those users who will have branded phones and laptop cards, as the service will work everywhere they go.
EDIT: It appears that Comcast also might offer the femtocells in the 5GHz spectrum, and then soley use their cable network for the backhaul. This would mean however, that the cards/devices used would need to be dual mode (2.5/5) in order to roam seamlessly.
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If history teaches us anything, it teaches that simple-minded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly.
-Ronald Reagan-
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wifi4milezBig Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY | reply to xenophon
said by xenophon:What Comcast might do though is setup these WiMAX repeaters on top of apartment/condo buildings so that they don't have to wire up every unit. They can't do that with WiFi as reliably today for large buildings. They could even cover entire neighborhoods with one repeater. And then you could have a WiMAX/WiFi router to cover all your devices. I dont think Comcast will do any kind of equipment/antenna placements on building. Since they invested in Sprint/Clearwire, they will only (as of now at least) be doing resale. By providing femtocells to their end users, they can give them a seamless experience both in their homes (via the Comcast femtocell) and outside (via the Sprint/Clearwire network).
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If history teaches us anything, it teaches that simple-minded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly.
-Ronald Reagan-
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 tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Saint Clair Shores, MI | reply to funchords
said by funchords:What's the difference between this and the Wi-Fi home network? Lets see.. for starters, distance. Take a wifi card, walk away from the router and see how far you get. Now, do it with wimax. We are talking miles. Once the network is over lapped, well, I think you get it. |
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