Keeping in touch with people is crucial in today’s interconnected world, both for personal and professional reasons. Wired networks and cellular networks are two common ways to connect to the internet. There are basic distinctions between the two, despite the fact that they both serve the same objective of facilitating communication and data transfer. If you want to make smart choices about your network setup, you need to be aware of these differences. In this in-depth blog, I’ll compare and contrast wired and wireless networks, discussing the benefits and drawbacks of each. By the end, you’ll know the ins and outs of each network type and be prepared to make an informed decision.
Wired Network
A network which use physical media for transmission is wired network. Mostly in wired networks we have the Ethernet networks, and also some other wire networks in today era we used physical media as Fiber optics which carry the light signals on the path A wired network is one where the devices in the network are connected using cables.
In the case of wired networks most of the end devices are connected to the switch with the use of cable and usually the cables are UTP which is immune to the interference the cable is challenging to maintain and may have safety threats for the users.
Cables are usually clipped at the home which is usually a small network while in case of the office we run cables inside the plastic called trunks and also can be done using the ceiling cavities in the roof and it is difficult to manage the cables in case of reposition or relocating scenarios.
The speed of the wired network is mainly dependent on the wire used for the transmission for example in LAN network we usually use CAT5 cable for the transmission of data and information in which we have four twisted pair cables of different colors which are inserted in different kind of switch interface card or simply called as Network Interface Card.
On the other hand we have cellular network which doesn’t require any specific physical media. The main attributes of the cellular network will be discussed in the article.
Cellular Network
The cellular network is named due the property that in this network, where we have divided the area in some specific location which are called cells.
Basically, the cellular network doesn’t have any physical media for transmission, but it is the composition of different devices in which we have Base Transceiver (BTS), Mobile Switching Center (MSC), location registers and also the public switch telephone network known in short as PSTN. The cellular network uses the GSM network for its transmission. Here the BTS make able the devices to have direct communication with the mobile phones and other connected devices. The BTS acts as the intermediate between the communication towards the BSC and the that BSC further coordinates with the MSC and MSC open an interface towards the PSTN and also have the VLR and HLR which help in routing calls between different base stations.
The cellular networks support information for tracking the location of subscriber for the specific area in the cell. In that tracking we support the cellular devices for the response of the appropriate channels and give information to the cellular devices for it use. There we use different kind of channel in which one is the Strong Dedicated Control Channel which is used to transmit the information in digital format to the cellular phone from the base station. Also, we have Strong Paging Channel that is used for mobile phone tracking by MSC whenever the call is routed.
A typical cell site provides nine to 21 miles of geographic coverage. When a call is placed from a mobile phone, the base station oversees analyzing the strength of the signals. The signal strength may decrease when the user leaves the base station’s geographic coverage region. The occurrence known as handover might result in a base station asking the MSC to give control to another base station that is getting the strongest signals without informing the subscriber. Environmental disruptions like a moving tower crane, overhead power lines, or the frequencies of other devices often occur in cellular networks.
Conclusion
Both wired and wireless networks have their benefits and drawbacks, but they serve different purposes. For fixed devices that need consistent and quick data transfer, wired networks are the best option because of their reliability, speed, and low latency. For bandwidth-intensive tasks like video streaming, online gaming, and huge file transfers, these connections are reliable and private. Cellular networks, on the other hand, allow users to maintain constant connections regardless of where they may be. They are adaptable, mobile, and have a large service area, so you can use the internet and your phone practically everywhere.
In places without wired Internet access or while on the go, cellular networks become invaluable. However, there may be bandwidth, latency, and stability issues on cellular networks, especially in spots with poor service or heavy traffic. When people and companies are aware of the distinctions between wired and cellular networks, they are better able to make informed decisions about which connection solution is best for them. Both wired and wireless networks contribute to our interconnected world and allow for easy communication and data transfer, depending on the user’s needs and preferences.
