WiFi is the most popular wireless technology in which radio waves are used to provide wireless high-speed internet and network connections.
On the other hand, CBRS stands for Citizens Broadband Radio Service is an LTE wireless network, which means long-term evolution, which is a standard for wireless broadband communication that increases speed and capability using a different radio interface and core network improvements.
The term WiFi means IEEE 802.11x, and WiFi is not actually short for “Wireless Fidelity”, despite common perception.
WiFi networks are used to provide a connection between sender and receiver through a radio frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum associated with radio wave propagation.
In WiFi no physical wired connection is used . WiFi is a WLAN network, which means a local area network distribution method for two or more devices that use high-frequency radio waves.
CBRS was created by the FCC for shared wireless broadband use of the 3550-3700 MHz band. CBRS is beneficial for the defence agencies and industrial applications and improved indoor applications where there is a shortage of reliable frequency.
And when we compare CBRS and WiFi, it’s recognized that CBRS provides greater performance than WiFi because CBRS is a licensed spectrum and not shared.
Main Differences between CBRS and WiFi:
| Parameters | WiFi | CBRS |
| NETWORK | WiFi is a wireless network used to deploy only in homes and small offices. | CBRS was built for the large-scale industrial and commercial use and to fulfil the shortcomings of WiFi. |
| SECURITY | WiFi can be easily targeted by hackers because WiFi is a wireless shared spectrum that is much more open to eavesdroppers than private networks. | CBRS is a Private Network which is much more secure than a shared network. To gain access to the network CBRS requires a SIM card. |
| TRAFFIC | WiFi can’t differentiate different classes of traffic. Either it’s a critical video feed or low-priority file download. | CBRS has built in Quality of Service(QoS), which is used for prioritisation based on the application. |
| SPECTRUM | WiFi operates at either 2.4 or 5GHz. Both bands are a shared, unlicensed spectrum. | CBRS runs in the 3.5GHz band. CBRS is a licensed spectrum that recently became available and offers a robust mechanism. |