Comparison of Different Wireless Media

Features		Wireless Media Type
		Infrared	Laser	Narrow-band Radio	Spread-spectrum Radio	Microwave
1.	Cost	Cheapest	Similar to Infrared	More expensive, may need FCC license	More expensive	Very expensive
2.	Installation	Easy, may require line of sight	Requires line of sight	Requires trained technicians and can involve tall radio towers	Requires trained technicians and can involve tall radio towers	Requires trained technicians and can involve satellite dishes
3.	Distance	Under a kilometer	Can span several kilometers	Can span hundreds of kilometers	Can span hundreds of kilometers	Can span thousands of kilometers
4.	Other issues	Can attenuate due to fog and rain	Can attenuate due to fog and rain	Lower-power devices can attenuate; can be eavesdropped upon; Can also attenuate due to fog, rain, and solar flares	Lower-power devices can attenuate; can also attenuate due to fog, rain, and solar flares	Can be eavesdropped upon; can also attenuate due to fog, rain, and solar flares

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