“SOMETIMES TWO PEOPLE COULD LOOK AT THE SAME PICTURE AND SEE DIFFERENT IMAGES. POSITION DETERMINES PERSPECTIVE” – NIKKI TURNER
We are all living in this wireless world with devices untethered and data everywhere. Apps, gaming, web browsing, messaging, emails etc have become a normal part of most people’s daily routines. People usually have 2 choices to get their wireless data connectivity and that is either get on a WiFi network or get on a cellular data network. A big discussion point always seems to be is wifi a better option or is using your wireless carrier’s cellular network a better option? Well, to answer that question let’s understand what the different technologies are and what the differences are between them.
What is WiFi? WiFi is the name of a popular wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless high speed network connections using any of the IEEE 802.11x standards. The cornerstone of a wifi network is an access point or AP. The AP requires a hard line internet connection to it after which is broadcasts a wireless signal that WiFi enabled devices can detect and then connect to.
What is Cellular Data? Cellular data is a broad term covering 3G and 4G access technologies provided by the different wireless carriers. This could be LTE, UMTS, EVDO etc depending on your particular carrier. Data will be transmitted and received using the carrier’s data network which consists of multiple cell sites geographically placed and then connected back to carrier switch locations via fiber or copper cables.
Let’s look at the main categories and see the differences between wifi and cellular data:
Speed – (Winner =TIE) Both wifi and 4G technologies will deliver very fast speeds or slow speeds depending on the environment they are deployed. For example, cellular data service in busy areas in a city may be slower or the same as a busy public Wi-Fi hotspot, but it will be seem very slow compared to wi-fi at home with fast cable access to the internet. However, 4G cellular data may be much faster than public wi-fi or home wi-fi with a slow dsl connection to the internet.
Long Range – (Winner = CELLULAR) Cell sites have a pretty large range covering miles as opposed to wi-fi routers which have a range of a few hundred feet or so. There are enterprise grade access points available that extend the range to thousands of feet but in general typical macro sites cover a larger range. The major wireless carriers have covered most of the high population areas in the country so there is widespread availability of cellular data services.
Short Range – (Winner = WiFi) When it comes to providing wireless coverage inside homes, coffee shops, libraries and work places, wifi is ubiquitous. Wifi routers are easy to deploy and are mostly plug and play devices. Wifi AP deployments are slightly more complicated but still are easier to deploy than cellular data equipment installations. In addition to the coverage provided by carriers via their cell site network, carriers have made a lot of investment in building systems indoors at many venues and enterprise spaces that provide great cellular coverage. Wifi wins in this category due to its prevalent widespread adoption indoors.
Security – (Winner=TIE) If security is set up correctly on wifi networks it is as secure as the cellular data network. Public wifi networks definitely aren’t secure whereas overall the cellular data network is pretty secure. Due to the recent network breaches on even the cellular data network it makes sense to point out security is a big area of concern whether it is a cellular network or wifi network.
In conclusion, it comes down every individual’s unique and personal data needs. My personal opinion is that there is a need for both technologies. At home and work, wifi is a great solution for data needs and helps keep the cellular data bills low. However, if you are out and about and need to constantly access data, 4G cellular data networks are very convenient.
I would love to hear your opinion or comments on the article and if there are any topics I should elaborate on in subsequent posts!