Difference between wireless networking and radio frequency
Answers
Specifications Wired network Wireless network
Speed of operation Higher lower compare to wired networks, But advanced wireless technologies such as LTE, LTE-A and WLAN-11ad will make it possible to achieve speed par equivalent to wired network
System Bandwidth High Low, as Frequency Spectrum is very scarse resource
Cost Less as cables are not expensive More as wireless subscriber stations, wireless routers, wireless access points and adapters are expensive
Installation Wired network installation is cumbersome and it requires more time Wireless network installation is easy and it requires less time
Mobility Limited, as it operates in the area covered by connected systems with the wired network Not limited, as it operates in the entire wireless network coverage
Transmission medium copper wires, optical fiber cables, ethernet EM waves or radiowaves or infrared
Network coverage extension requires hubs and switches for network coverage limit extension More area is covered by wireless base stations which are connected to one another.
Applications LAN (Ethernet), MAN WLAN, WPAN(Zigbee, bluetooth), Infrared, Cellular(GSM,CDMA, LTE)
Channel Interference and signal power loss Interference is less as one wired network will not affect the other Interference is higher due to obstacles between wireless transmitter and receiver e.g. weather conditions, reflection from walls, etc.
QoS (Quality of Service) Better Poor due to high value of jitter and delay in connection setup
Reliability High compare to wireless counterpart, as manufactured cables have higher performance due to existence of wired technology since years.