802.11 Wi-Fi is an industry standard developed by the IEEE for wireless network communication to provide wireless local area network (WLAN) services. It usually operates in the 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz spectrum and permits data transmission speeds from 1 Mbps to 54 Mbps.
WiMAX differs from Wi-Fi in various ways including service range, data transmission throughput, quality of service capability and security processes.
Outlined in Figure 1, 802.16 WiMAX and 802.11 Wi-Fi systems are designed to provide different capabilities. WiMAX systems are well suited for wide area networks that are managed by a service provider and Wi-Fi systems are a good choice for local area networks.
