Dan Jones over at Unstrung has a nice post that provides some details on CLEAR's backhaul and tower infrastructure. A link to the full article is below.

Ciena in the Clear by Dan Jones

The focus on Dan's post is around the use of Ciena's LE-311v service Delivery Switches and CN 5305 service Aggregation Switches. CLEAR is also using Ciena's Ethernet Services Manager software to manage the remote networks.

If you want to take a peek at what the tower install looks like. Sidecut Reports has a nice little post with pictures of a tower base install in Las Vegas. Hit the link below for the pictures:

Ciena and Clearwire: Together in WiMax

As for the technology at the top of the tower, CLEAR is using Motorola's WAP 400 and WAP 450 Diversity Access Point products. The WAP 400 and WAP 450 utilize tower top power amplifiers linked by their fiber optic cable with the base control unit housed in a small outdoor cabinet situated at the bottom of the tower, creating a very compact cell site configuration significantly smaller than traditional cellular infrastructure products.

Motorola wi4 WiMAX

Well, I know this post is a little tech-heavy but I do get a lot of questions from people that want to know more about how all of this works. I will update this post in the future with any updates or details I find on this topic. If you have a specific question, please leave a comment.

Sponsored by:

*** UPDATE ***
I just got word from an official Clearwire (CLEAR) press release that Mac support for the USB modem will be released on August 17th!!! The quote and link to the press release are embedded below.

Owners of Apple(R) Macintosh(R) laptops will be able to connect to the CLEAR network using a USB modem beginning August 17 with the introduction of the Clear Connection Manager software for Mac. The software is compatible with existing Clear USB 4G WiMAX-only modems and will be available for download from clear.com. Dual-mode Clear 4G+ mobile USB service is expected to be available for Macs in Q4 '09.

LINK: Clearwire Introduces CLEAR(TM) 4G Mobile Internet Service to Las Vegas

*** UPDATE ***

As a Clear WiMAX reseller, one of the most common questions I get about the service is, "Does it work on my Mac?" Sadly the answer is "Yes" and "No." Allow me to explain.

The residential "fixed" WiMAX modem, pictured to the left, absolutely supports Mac. In fact, it works with any OS that supports TCP/IP over Ethernet. The interface to this modem is Ethernet and not USB. This modem is made to connect directly to your PC or to a home router. The installation of this device is so easy because it does not require any software install. Most installations you plug this device directly into a WiFi router and thus your entire house can share the connection using WiFi like you do already. This type of installation does not require any reboot or for anyone to change a setting on their computer at all. It's very easy.

The mobile USB modem, pictured to the right, is a different story. This modem does require you to install a Connection Manager on your computer. As of right now, that software only works on Windows XP and Windows Vista, but not Mac. I am working on testing Windows 7 and will report on that very soon. The lack of Mac support with the USB modem is very puzzling. I have not been able to confirm if this issue is hardware related or if it is just a matter of software support. I am working on finding out the real story, so please follow this post for updates.

Current Workarounds
Now, there are a few workarounds for getting the USB modem to work with Mac. I have not tested this myself, but there are reports of people getting the modem to work on Mac by using Parallels Desktop for Mac. This allows you run Windows virtually inside Mac and hardware pass through is supported. When I find a good tutorial about this I will update the link in this post.

Another way to workaround getting the USB modem to work with Mac is to use the CLEAR Spot personal hotspot accessory. The CLEAR Spot is a battery powered WiFi router. In this case, you connect the USB adapter to the CLEAR Spot personal hotspot and then you connect your PC or Mac to the CLEAR WiMAX signal using standard WiFi. This is truly a workaround and not a very good long term answer for supporting Mac and the USB modem. For more information on the CLEAR Spot hit link below to watch a short video.

YouTube - CLEAR Spot - Personal WiFi Hotspot

Future Support
The good news for Mac users is that mobile WiMAX support is only 30 days away. It is my understanding that on August 1st a new hybrid 3G/4G (WiMAX) device will be available, and will feature Mac support. I do not know if this device will be attached to a different service plan or if you can simply buy this device to be used with an existing mobile plan you may already have. I am working on getting those questions answered and will update this post with any answers I can get.

I hope this post helps clarify questions around CLEAR and Mac support. I welcome comments and questions on this post, and I do plan on using this post to update any information I get on this subject.

Well CLEAR WiMAX has hit the big time because Channel 2's (Atlanta) Clark Howard has officially stated his endorsement of the service. Yes, there is a bit of sarcasm in my tone but to be honest Clark Howard has it spot on. Check out the video below to see what he says about the service.

Clark Howard on CLEAR WiMAX:
http://www.wsbtv.com/video/20054641/index.html

It's actually not a bad video. Clark points out that you can use CLEAR for just Internet and you don't need a phone line, cable TV or a Satellite dish. He goes on to point out that if you use CLEAR for your Internet service and dump your old land line you can save some money. That is true.

Clark also goes on to point out that anytime you add a viable 3rd competitor to any market the consumer wins! It is about time that AT&T and Comcast get put to a challenge.