how 3G differs with wireless LAN?

[summer00]

is 3G part of the wireless LAN? how 3G differs with wireless LAN?thanks

[Danny]

there are many differences between 3G and wireless LAN. First, remmeber that 3G is meant to be used by cellular companies, so it employs sophisticated billing rules, as well as traffic analysis and all the usual overhead that comes with a cellular network such as hopping, hand over etc. A wireless LAN is basically a LAN that is connected using one of the 802.11x protocols. In fact, you can build your own wireless LAN at home by connecting 2-3 computers. This is quite different from a 3G cellular network.

[summer00]

Originally posted by Danny
there are many differences between 3G and wireless LAN. First, remmeber that 3G is meant to be used by cellular companies, so it employs sophisticated billing rules, as well as traffic analysis and all the usual overhead that comes with a cellular network such as hopping, hand over etc. A wireless LAN is basically a LAN that is connected using one of the 802.11x protocols. In fact, you can build your own wireless LAN at home by connecting 2-3 computers. This is quite different from a 3G cellular network.

so do you mean that 3G is actually wireless LAN for cellular devices?

[Danny]

In a way, every wireless medium is a wireless LAN. You can think about a pair of walkie talkie devices as a wireless LAN, too. In essence, a wireless LAN is an ordinary LAN, with security, authetication, login names, passwords, and well-defined premises just as a wired LAN is. The only difference is that instead of copper wires it uses a wireless protocol. 3G is a very specialized cellular protocol. I would consider it a wireless LAN in the sam way a keyboard and a typing machine are the same thing. They are somehow related but they are inherently quite different beasts.