Difference between Wi-Fi and LTE

What is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is a wireless networking protocol that allows devices to communicate without internet cords. It represents a type of wireless local area network (LAN) protocol based on the 802.11 IEEE network standard.

Wi-Fi is the most popular means of communicating data wirelessly, within a fixed location. It’s a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, an international association of companies involved with wireless LAN technologies and products.

Wi-Fi is commonly mistaken as an acronym for “wireless fidelity.” It’s also sometimes spelled as wifi, Wifi, WIFI or WiFi, but none of these are officially approved by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi is also used synonymously with the word “wireless,” but wireless is actually much broader.

The main requirement for Wi-Fi is that there’s a device that can transmit the wireless signal, like a router, phone or computer.

A router transmits an internet connection coming from outside the network, like an ISP, and delivers that service to nearby devices that can reach the wireless signal. Another way to use Wi-Fi is a Wi-Fi hotspot so that a phone or computer can share its wireless or wired internet connection, similar to how a router works.

Wi-Fi produces wireless signal that lets other devices connect to the main transmitter for communication, like to transfer files or carry voice messages.

What is LTE?

LTE stands for Long Term Evolution and is a 4G wireless broadband standard. It is the fastest wireless network for smartphones and mobile devices.
LTE offers higher bandwidth, meaning greater connection speeds, and better underlying technology for voice calls (VoIP) and multimedia streaming. It is better suited for the heavier and bandwidth-hungry applications on mobile devices.

You only need a mobile device that supports LTE in order to access LTE. You can find this in the specifications of the device. Normally, the naming comes as 4G-LTE. Also, not all devices showing LTE in their specs are reliable since this acronym has unfortunately become a tool for marketing and often misleads. Some manufacturers fail to live up to the expectations when supplying LTE hardware. Therefore, before buying your smartphone or any other devices, read reviews, check testers’ verdicts, and put some attention to the actual LTE performance of the device.

You also need a service provider that has solid coverage in the area where you circulate. It is no use investing on LTE devices if your area is not well covered.

LTE is a 4G technology and is the fastest one around so far. Its strength lies in several factors. It uses radio waves, unlike 3G and WiMAX, which use microwaves. This is what causes it to work on existing hardware. This also causes LTE networks to have better penetration in remote areas and to have greater coverage span. LTE uses partly fiber optic cables, better codecs for encoding signals, and it enhanced for multimedia transfer and data communications.

Now that we have an idea of what Wi-Fi is and what LTE is, let’s dive right into the comparisons.

Background

Released in 2008, LTE is technically designated as 3GPP technology, and is designed to work with mobile computing devices, such as mobile phones and tablet computers. At the time of publication, LTE technology is available on a selected number of phones that offer access to the 4G network.

Wi-Fi technology came on the market in 1999 with the release of the 802.11b standard, and was intended to provide wireless networking functionality to computers and mobile devices. Unlike LTE technology, the Wi-Fi standards require a router to provide wireless network connectivity.

Types

At the time of publication, LTE technology is available in various release versions, including Release 12, which is the technology’s current version. The Wi-Fi protocols include the 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11 n standards. The LTE standards are produced by the collaborative efforts of electronics manufacturers and wireless service providers, including Samsung, Sony, AT&T and T-Mobile. The Wi-Fi standards are built to the specifications established by the Wi-Fi Alliance, an international organization comprised of several of the same companies that belong to the 3GPP.