Instructor: In this lesson,
we're going to talk about fixed wireless
and how it's used with different networks.
Now, fixed wireless goes beyond your standard wifi
or 802.11 networks.
When we're talking about fixed wireless,
we're really talking about four different types of networks.
The first is of course wifi or 802.11.
The second is cellular with cellular hotspots,
specifically stationary cellular hotspots
that we're going to talk about in this lesson.
Third is microwave links,
and fourth is satellite connections.
Let's take a look at each of these.
First, we have 802.11 or wifi based networks.
Now, when it comes to 802.11 fixed wireless networks,
normally we're going to use this
to be able to create point to point connections
from one building to another
over a relatively short distance
of a couple of hundred meters.
Now, in general,
when you're using a fixed wireless network
based on 802.11,
you're going to be using directional antennas,
and this will allow you
to point the antennas at another building
where there's a receiver to be able to collect that signal.
By using directional antennas
instead of omnidirectional antennas,
you're going to point the signal in only a single direction,
and that will allow you to have higher speeds
with less interference from other networks.
The second type of fixed wireless that we have
is what's known as cellular.
Now, in addition to having cell phones and mobile hotspots,
we also have what's known as fixed cellular.
Now, fixed cellular uses a larger antenna
and a larger hotspot
that's going to be powered by a standard power outlet
within your office or home.
Now, because of this larger size of fixed device,
it can use a larger antenna
and allow it to receive higher amounts of speed
when using a cellular connection
than your normal mobile hotspot or smartphone
would be able to.
For example, with the continual rollout
of 5G internet across the nation here in the United States,
we are seeing a lot of companies
like AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon
selling what's known as fixed wireless services
that are relying on a 5G hotspot
using one of these fixed cellular modems.
The third type of fixed wireless we have
is known as microwave.
Now, I'm not talking about the microwave
you use to reheat your burrito,
but instead I'm talking about microwave frequencies.
And these microwave frequencies
can be used just like we use wifi
as a point to point connection
between two or more buildings.
The benefit of using a microwave connection
instead of a wifi based connection
is that microwave signals
actually can travel further than a wifi based signal.
By using fixed transmitters and receivers
in the microwave spectrum,
we can have higher amounts of speed
to be able to transmit our information across
inside of that network,
as well as being able to cover more distance.
With a traditional microwave link,
you can cover about 40 miles,
as long as you have a good line of sight
between those two buildings.
The fourth one we have is known as satellite connections.
Now, satellite connections
are another form of fixed wireless,
and this is really a long range fixed wireless solution
that can go thousands of miles.
Now, when you're using a satellite connection,
you're going to have a ground station,
which is a fixed wireless asset,
pointing up towards space
to be able to locate that satellite out in orbit.
That satellite can be either in low earth orbit
or it can be in geosynchronous orbit.
Now, when you're using satellites
that are in a low earth orbit,
such as Inmarsat or Starlink satellites,
they're going to have to have a lot more satellites
to be able to cover the entire planet
from that lower perspective in low earth orbit.
But this does give you lower latency speeds,
which can give you a better performance for your end users.
Conversely, we also have satellites
out in geosynchronous orbit.
The benefit of a geosynchronous orbit
is it is further away from Earth,
which means one satellite
can cover a large portion of the Earth.
In fact, with geosynchronous,
you only really need
about three or four satellites out in orbit
to be able to cover about 90% of the earth.
Now, compare this with the Inmarsat constellation
that sits in low earth orbit
and requires about 60 to 70 satellites
to be able to provide worldwide coverage for people on earth
using those 60 to 70 satellites.
And that's one of the big differences
between using a low earth orbit satellite constellation
and one out in geosynchronous.
But for every benefit,
there is a drawback.
When you're using a geosynchronous orbit,
you are dealing with a longer distance to cover,
which means you have higher latency
and therefore a lower quality of service for your end users
when you're relying
on a geosynchronous satellite connection.
So with that being said,
remember there are four types of fixed wireless
that you're going to come across.
The first is 802.11 wifi
when you're using it in a point to point configuration.
The second is cellular connections,
the third is microwave connections,
and the fourth is satellite connections.
When you're using 802.11 or wifi,
this is considered an unlicensed part of the spectrum
and you can use any of the frequency
that is allocated to the 2.4 or five gigahertz bands
for 802.11.
But when you start using cellular or microwave or satellite,
those are all highly regulated
and they tell you how much power you can use
and which frequencies can be used
because those are all used under license from the FCC
through the ISP that you select.