| Who knew that the world wide web would come so | | | | knowing that their employees are just as capable of |
| far in such a little amount of time? For all of those | | | | getting work done on the road as they are back in |
| software companies and computer manufacturers | | | | their cubicles. But as much as Wi-Fi in its traditional |
| who used to engage in battles for the business of | | | | form might look good on paper, in reality, it is still |
| consumers, this wild card is making it impossible to | | | | lagging behind. |
| predict the direction that technology will go. After all, | | | | The trouble with Wi-Fi is that it is limited to a specific |
| it seems like having net access is changing how | | | | area. This is due to the fact that people need to |
| people use their home computers. While it might have | | | | have their computers physically close to the router, |
| not made sense even a couple of years ago to | | | | the device that magnifies the signal from the modem |
| count on a computer as your main source for news, | | | | and makes it possible to sit away from an Ethernet |
| music, and media, today it is possible to watch videos | | | | cable. With Wi-Fi, the router can often only deliver a |
| streaming from tens of thousands of miles away, | | | | signal for a few feet, meaning that if you're in the |
| tune into live news coverage of major world events | | | | far corner of a room, you're completely out of luck. |
| in a different hemisphere, or simply have a video | | | | The other setback of Wi-Fi is that when multiple |
| conversation with friends and family who are far | | | | people are on a network, it's likely to slow down |
| away. | | | | considerably. There's not much of a point in being |
| From the dial-up modem to wireless internet, one of | | | | online in this situation, and you might as well plug into |
| the other bigger changes with the net is how people | | | | a cable at that point. |
| are able to access it. And while this might not be an | | | | But the world of WiMax is considerably different than |
| obvious crucial element, it is one of the most | | | | typical Wi-Fi, even though the names are surprisingly |
| important aspects to the world wide web. After all, if | | | | similar. With this new form of getting online, |
| people are using a slower connection to get to | | | | computer users are able to access a signal that is |
| websites, they aren't going to be able to truly | | | | being transmitted from tower to tower, not from |
| experience the net the way it is meant to be seen. | | | | router to router. And since these towers are |
| The business of making sure that people are able to | | | | designed to let a signal fly for upwards of 30 miles, |
| see the web the way it needs to be viewed is just | | | | users can rest assured that they are going to be |
| as important as all of the technology and design leaps | | | | connected no matter where they are. Furthermore, |
| forward. | | | | towers can bounce signals from one to another, just |
| For anyone who needs to be on the go while staying | | | | like those powering cell phone service. This means |
| in the loop, the world of wireless internet has | | | | that you could be heading from one end of town to |
| changed the way that things can be done. | | | | another, or even crossing state lines, and not worry |
| Freelancers are able to take a break from working at | | | | about whether or not your signal was going to |
| home, instead pulling up a chair in their favorite cafe | | | | disappear. |
| or coffee shop. And businesses can rest easier | | | | |