Wireless LAN

Wireless LAN solutions can provide users with access to real-time information anywhere in their organization. This type of mobility supports productivity and service opportunities not possible with wired networks. There are now thousands of universities, hotels and public places with public wireless connection. These free you from having to be at home or at work to access the Internet. Also, installing a wireless LAN system can be fast and easy and can eliminate the need to pull cable through walls and ceilings. While the initial investment required for wireless LAN hardware can be higher than the cost of wired LAN hardware, overall installation expenses and life-cycle costs can be significantly lower. Long-term cost benefits are greatest in dynamic environments requiring frequent moves and changes. Wireless LAN systems can be configured in a variety of topologies to meet the needs of specific applications and installations. Configurations are easily changed and range from peer-to-peer networks suitable for a small number of users to full infrastructure networks of thousands of users that enable roaming over a broad area.

There are a number of drivers for the proliferation of enterprise wireless LANs including the following:

Mobility required or expected: IT managers are finding that their mobile work force absolutely requires network access. That group includes salespeople, specialized professionals such as physicians, nurses, college professors and students, warehouse workers, manufacturing plant supervisors, etc. Also, corporate guests and contractors expect to be able to have Internet access available. Hospitals are finding that patients and their visitors expect Wi-Fi hotspot availability.

The availability of Wi-Fi-ready Devices: Most all organizations continue to adopt smart phones, laptops, tablets and other devices that allow their users to become more and more mobile in the workplace. These devices are equipped with built in Wi-Fi and the users want to connect to all business applications.

Higher bandwidth: It is true that early Wi-Fi equipment was very limited as far as throughput; the small size of early deployments kept performance from deteriorating. Today’s larger Wi-Fi deployments are based in part on the availability of higher speed 802.11a/g and 802.11n radios.

Less security concern: While IT managers often still list security as a major concern when it comes to purchasing Wi-Fi equipment, the 802.11i standard has greatly enhanced security because of the highest level of encryption.

Software improvement: While network management for wired networks is still more mature and provides more functionality than wireless network management platforms, the gap is closing. In fact, vendors who sell both wired and wireless network equipment are beginning to move towards integrated network management platforms to provide a single, uniform view of both networks.