The Present and Future of Wireless



The Present and Future of Wireless

Wireless networking

The term wireless networking refers to technology that enables two or more computers to communicate using standard network protocols, but without network cabling. Strictly speaking, any technology that does this could be called wireless networking. The current buzzword however generally refers to wireless LANs. This technology, fuelled by the emergence of cross-vendor industry standards such as IEEE 802.11, has produced a number of affordable wireless solutions that are growing in popularity with business and schools as well as sophisticated applications where network wiring is impossible, such as in warehousing or point-of-sale handheld equipment. Wireless networking hardware requires the use of underlying technology that deals with radio frequencies as well as data transmission. The most widely used standard is 802.11 produced by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). This is a standard defining all aspects of Radio Frequency Wireless networking. (Molisch, Andreas 2005)

Present of the Wireless Networks

Performance of wireless networks

Wireless networks operate on a number of standards, which vary in facilities - mainly speed.

802.11b was the first standard to be widely used in WLANs.

The 802.11a standard is faster but more expensive than 802.11b; 802.11a is more commonly found in business networks.

The newest standard, 802.11g, attempts to combine the best of both 802.11a and 802.11b.

A wireless network operating on the 802.11b standard theoretically has a maximum speed of 11Mbps. This is approximately the same as traditional Ethernet, which has a maximum speed of 10Mbps. 802.11a and 802.11b networks operate at maximum speeds of 54Mbps - half the bandwidth of wired fast Ethernet. Like ADSL, wireless is a distance-sensitive technology, meaning the further away a computer is from the access point, the more the performance will degrade. Performance also degrades as more users utilize the network simultaneously. Wireless networking components are not a great deal more expensive than wired. However, wireless networking should be considered if flexibility is an important aspect of how the business operates. If staff are going to remain in one office on the same desktop every day of the week, spending money on a wireless network is not needed. However, if a large amount of employees use a laptop and would like the option of moving from one office/room to another easily, a wireless network should definitely be considered. (Molisch, Andreas 2005)

Each computer already owned by the company will be ready for wired networking, as they will all be fitted with a 10/100 Network Interface Card. If the company wishes to invest in a wireless network, each computer will have to be fitted with a wireless network card (preferably 802.11g) at an approximate cost of £30 each. For 50 employees this works out at an extra £1500 initially. However, implementing a wireless network saves costs on installation and network medium - wires do not need to be purchased, engineers do not need to spend time wiring, holes do not need to be drilled in walls and the network will be ready to use in ...