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Wireless is Ethernet

2 (18.2%)

Wireless is not Ethernet

9 (81.8%)

Total Members Voted: 11

[John Gateley]

JimH and I have a bet on whether Ethernet and WiFi are different.

I say they are because they are distinct data link layer protocols in the network stack. Ethernet is a protocol for transmission over ethernet cable, and 802.11b is a protocol for transmission via radio waves. They have different packet formats and collision detection algorithms. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethernet

JimH says they are the same because googling "wireless ethernet" gives a lot of results, even if the terminology is not accurate:
http://www.google.com/search?q=wireless+ethernet&num=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Help us decide who wins the bet (it's for a whole quarter, so it means a lot to us).

j

[Matt]

I say it's a tie.  JimH and Gateley should cage match for the quarter.

[IlPadrino]

Sorry, JimH, but I think you'll lose the bet.

The definitive answer comes from the IEEE 802 Standards Committe.  The 802 Working Groups deal with various implementations of the OSI's Physical and Data Link layers.  802.1 is Bridging and 802.2 is Logical Link.  [Edit:  Most of] The rest (802.3, 802.11, and 802.16 are perhaps the most well-known) describe various Media or Physical Layer (PHY) and Media Access Control (MAC).

802.3 is the CSMA/CD (aka Ethernet) PHY and MAC while 802.11 is the Wireless LAN PHY and MAC.  Wi-Fi is an alliance that certifies interoperability of 802.11 products.

"Wireless ethernet" seems to currently be a descriptive rather than presecriptive marketing term.  I think it probably predates the 802.11 working group (1997?).

For more information, take a look at the strandards themselves.  See http://www.ieee802.org/ for details.

What's the bet?

[JimH]

What's the bet?

I paid the quarter already.  I can see the writing on the wall.

[TimB]

Mr. Gateley is pretty darn smart about this stuff, I'll go with whatever he says.

-=Tim=-

[loraan]

Not the same. 802.11 is completely different from 802.3 in every way that matters. Uses CSMA/CA instead of CSMA/CD; uses completely different physical layer modulation techniques (DSSS with Barker coding/CCK/BPSK/QPSK, etc... vs. Manchester); uses a different data link header format; defines data link protocols that don't exist in 802.3 (Association packets, RTS/CTS packets, etc...); is reliable (packets are ACK'ed) vs. unreliable (packets are not ACK'ed).

Like all IEEE 802 protocols, 802.11 and 802.3 share the same Logical Link Control layer, but that's 802.2, and arguing that that made them the same would be like arguing that Token Ring (802.5) was the same as Ethernet because they share LLC.

"Wireless ethernet" is a marketing term, created to make it easier for "dumb consumers" to understand what they're buying; it has no technical merit.

[JimH]

"Wireless ethernet" is a marketing term, created to make it easier for "dumb consumers"

Hey!  Who you calling dumb?

BTW, I want to thank the person who voted with me.  That was an act of courage.

[JustinChase]

BTW, I want to thank the person who voted with me.  That was an act of courage.

Matt says "you're welcome, boss"

[loraan]

Hey!  Who you calling dumb?

Nobody, nobody! It was just a figure of speech.