WiFi vs 802.11b vs Blue Tooth

  • Thread starter Thread starter Devang Devani
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Devang Devani

Can someone please explain the difference and the pros and cons of each?

Thanks in advanced.
 
Devang Devani said:
Can someone please explain the difference and the pros and cons of each?
Click to expand...
Bluetooth is a short range wireless p2p networking where machines within a
distance of 10m (33ft) of each other can share their resources at a maximum
speed of 723Kbps (some manufacturers have flouted these rules with higher
power or higher speed devices). Security is very poor (no encryption).

WiFi is a generic term for wireless networking, technically 802.11b, a and
g. These were designed for speeds of 11, 22 and 54Mbps and a range of 100m
(330ft). They can operate in Ad-hoc (p2p) or infrastructure (central access
point controller) mode. Again some manufacturers are now flouting the
original rules with devices claiming to achieve over 100Mbps and a range of
20km (using high gain directional aerials). Security can be good (WEP 128
bit encryption) to very good with upcoming WPA standard.
 
Devang Devani said:
Can someone please explain the difference and the pros and cons of
each?
Click to expand...

They're somewhat apples and oranges if you equate "fruit" to
"wireless."

Bluetooth is a very short range sort oof thingee that's become popular
for having, say, headsets connect to cellphones without wires, or I
think some PDA's use it to sync to bluetooth enabled computers. Range
is very short--on the order of a few feet.

WiFi is a certification of wireless networking products. It's a
guarantee of interoperability among various vendors of 802.11b/g (and
I think a maybe?) gear. Theoreticaly, a Wifi certified Linksys
802.11g access point should talk with a Wifi certified D-Link 802.11g
card, for instance. Recently, WiFi certification added WPA (wifi
protected access) security to the certification criteria for new
products.

802.11b is a wireless standard in the 2.4Ghz band. ~11Mbps speed max.
802.11g is a newer wireless standard in the 2.4Ghz band. ~54Mbps max.
802.11a is a newere wireless standard in the 5GHz band. ~54Mbps max.


Here's a small glossary of terms that you might find useful:
http://www.wified.net/content/whatiswifi/glossary.html


Best Regards,
 
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