Wireless wide area network (WWAN), is a form of
wireless network.
The larger size of a
wide area network compared to a
local area network requires differences in technology.
Wireless networks of different sizes deliver data in the form of telephone calls, web pages, and video streaming.
A WWAN often differs from
wireless local area network (WLAN) by using
mobile telecommunication cellular network
A cellular network or mobile network is a communication network where the link to and from end nodes is wireless. The network is distributed over land areas called "cells", each served by at least one fixed-location transceiver (typically thre ...
technologies such as
2G,
3G,
4G LTE
LTE may refer to:
Science and technology
* LTE (telecommunication) (Long-Term Evolution), a telephone and mobile broadband standard
** LTE Advanced, an enhancement
*** LTE Advanced Pro
* Compaq LTE, a line of laptop computers produced by Compaq
* ...
, and
5G to transfer data. It is sometimes referred as
Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is the marketing term for Wireless broadband, wireless Internet access via mobile networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a Tablet computer, tablet/smartphone (possibly Tetherin ...
. These technologies are offered regionally, nationwide, or even globally and are provided by a
wireless service provider. WWAN connectivity allows a user with a laptop and a WWAN card to surf the web, check email, or connect to a
virtual private network
A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. The be ...
(VPN) from anywhere within the regional boundaries of cellular service. Various computers can have integrated WWAN capabilities.
A WWAN may also be a closed network that covers a large geographic area. For example, a
mesh network
A mesh network is a local area network topology in which the infrastructure nodes (i.e. bridges, switches, and other infrastructure devices) connect directly, dynamically and non-hierarchically to as many other nodes as possible and cooperate wit ...
or
MANET with nodes on buildings, towers, trucks, and planes could also be considered a WWAN.
A WWAN may also be a low-power, low-bit-rate wireless WAN, (
LPWAN), intended to carry small packets of information between
things Things or The Things may refer to:
Music
* ''Things'' (album), by Uri Caine and Paolo Fresu, 2006
* "Things" (Bobby Darin song), 1962; covered by Ronnie Dove, 1975
* "Things", a song by Joe Walsh from '' There Goes the Neighborhood'', 1981
* "Thi ...
, often in the form of battery operated sensors.
Since
radio communications systems do not provide a physically secure connection path, WWANs typically incorporate encryption and
authentication methods to make them more secure. Some of the early GSM encryption techniques were flawed, and security experts have issued warnings that cellular communication, including WWAN, is no longer secure.
UMTS (3G) encryption was developed later and has yet to be broken.
See also
*
Private Shared Wireless Network
*
Wide area network
*
Wireless LAN
*
Wi-Fi
*
Satellite Internet access
Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through communication satellites. Modern consumer grade satellite Internet service is typically provided to individual users through geostationary satellites that can offer relatively high dat ...
References
{{reflist
Wide area networks
Wireless networking