A new report compiled by wireless services consulting and analysis firm Novarum ranks Wi-Fi, WiMax and third generation (3G) cellular networks in 16 North American cities, based on performance, service availability, ease of use and overall value.
The report includes ratings of wireless networks in Tempe, Ariz., Portland, Ore., Rochelle, Ill., Philadelphia, Pa., Mountain View, Calif., Madison, Wis., St. Cloud, Fla., and Toronto, among other locales. Novarum’s data was collected between June 2006 and June 2007.
What follows are lists of the top 10 wireless broadband networks overall, as well as the top five networks based on performance
Top Ten Wireless Broadband Services
Mountain View, Calif.; Google (tested with high power [HP] Wi-Fi client)
Toronto; One Zone HP
Mountain View, Calif.; Google Ruckus Wireless
Mountain View, Calif.; Google 802.11n Ext
Philadelphia, Pa.; Feather 802.11n
St. Cloud, Fla.; CyberSpot (tied with Toronto)
Toronto; One Zone (tied with St. Cloud)
Philadelphia, Pa.; Feather HP
Rochelle, Ill.; Rochelle Municipal Utilities (RMU) HP
- Mountain View, Calif.; Verizon
Top Five Wireless Broadband Services Based on Performance
Toronto; One Zone HP (tied with Rochelle Ill.; Rochelle Municipal Utilities [RMU] HP)
Rochelle, Ill.; RMU HP (tied with Toronto; One Zone HP)
Rochelle, Ill.; RMU 802.11n
Toronto; One Zone
- Mountain View, Calif.; Google HP
Additional notable findings include:
Metro Wi-Fi networks took all of the top ten performance ratings; metro Wi-Fi delivers twice the performance of 3G cellular data services, on average
Fifteen cellular services had 100 percent availability in Novarum’s tests
Verizon’s service in Mountain View, Calif. is the best overall cellular data service
Toronto’s One Zone network is the best overall Wi-Fi service
“True” 3G cellular service had only 60 percent service availability in the cities tested
Use of the new wireless IEEE 802.11n standard drastically improves overall metro Wi-Fi network performance
- St. Cloud, Fla.’s network is the only metro Wi-Fi service that delivered 100 percent service availability in tests
Information on the Novarum Wireless Broadband Review can be found on the company’s website, and reports on Wi-Fi and 3G cellular networks in individual cities are also available for purchase.