Compare and contrast the capabilities of Wi-Fi and 3G wireless networks?

Answer 1

3G is a fixed speed (5-15mbit/s) and has almost total coverage (as opposed to other services such as EDGE, which is slower and has spotty coverage at best). Wifi network speed can be 11 mbit/s (802.11b), 54 mbit/s (802.11g), or 600 mbit/s (802.11n), depending on the router. However, the internet connection will more likely be tied to the internet connection of the router rather than the actual network strength - ie you may be connected to an 802.11g network, but only be able to browse the web at 4mbit/s because that's the speed of internet connection that is available to the router. The internet connection may also be capped by a poor choice of router - ie, you may connect to a wifi network with a 50 mbit/s internet connect, but be restricted to 11 mbit/s because it's an 802.11b router and not 802.11g or 802.11n. Either normally has around the same speed, but you would normally be able to get a better connection to a Wifi signal than a 3G signal, since 3G connects to either a phone mast or a satellite, and connecting to a Wifi signal normally just means connecting to a router a few metres away from you.