.FLYINGHEAD WIRELESS INFRASTRUCTURE
.TITLE Understanding wireless mode
.AUTHOR Humayun Bakht
.SUMMARY So you want to install a wireless network for your home or small business. What should you consider before making a purchase? Is one wireless standard better than the other? Is a wireless network really better? In this article, Contributing Editor Humayun Bakht answers these questions that will be sure to help you determine if a wireless network is right for you.
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Wireless networking is an advanced alternative to traditional wired networking that uses copper or fiber-optic cables between network devices. For example, communication in a wired network is limited normally within a specific boundary or in a region. On the other hand, a wireless network covers a wide area and offers freedom from wired cables, thus reducing the overall cost of deploying a communication infrastructure.
One of the main challenges of a wireless network is to overcome interference during wireless communication, which could occur because of weather, different radiating devices, and some other obstructions in radio waves.
At present, there are four different standards of wireless networking. These standards can be categorized as 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g. We’re also starting to see mention of an 802.11n standard, mentioned on most products as "PRE-N". We’ll talk more about that in future articles.
What’s the difference between the various letters? For starters, 802.11 is known as the first wireless local area standard, created in 1997. It can support maximum bandwidth of 2Mbps, which is considered relatively slow for most wireless applications.
802.11b was introduced in 1999. It’s an enhanced version of 802.11. 802.11b can support bandwidth up to 11Mbps and uses the frequency range of 2.4GHz. Its performance can be affected with the interference of different electronics and other devices using the same frequency range. These would include cordless phones and microwaves. Interference in 802.11b can be avoided by installing 802.11b gear a reasonable distance from other appliances.
One other version of 802.11 which was created at the same time as 802.11b is 802.11a. In comparison to 802.11b, 802.11a is known for its faster speed and is regarded as a suitable technology to support a wireless network in your home. This standard can support bandwidth up to 54 Mbps with signals in a regulated 5 GHz range. One drawback of 802.11a is that the use of a higher frequency in means that the signals might have more difficulty in penetrating through walls and other similar obstructions.
The final standard of wireless network is 802.11g, which is the combination of 802.11a and 802.11b. It can support bandwidth up to 50Mbps and uses the 2.4GHz frequency for greater range. Depending on the specific requirements, a wireless network can be used both in an office and in a home environment. Once the network is established, we can utilize wireless network for sharing files, printers, and an Internet connection. Before you buy the equipment to build a wireless network, there are number of factors which you should consider:
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.BULLET Cost: Depending on your budget and needs, the selected technology should be low in cost. As with most small businesses, average consumers have limited financial resources.
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.BULLET Scalability: The technology should be able to support scalability. It should be able to respond to any size incident and simultaneous incidents. It should also be able to change or improve the coverage over time.
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.BULLET Standard interfaces: The technology with standard interfaces makes the transition to new versions that much easier. It will also be help save costs in testing and integration. Standard interfaces also tend to help you avoid being tied to one manufacturer or technology as the needs of the application changes with time.
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.BULLET Bandwidth: The selected technology should be able to support multiple simultaneous applications at a constant data rate. The use of these applications are common in places like government offices or large businesses.
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.BULLET Protocols support: The technology must be able to support standard Internet protocols to enable standard features such as IP multi-cast and data encryption. This also makes it able to use the existing frame of other related features, such as data transmission reliability, user authentication, and encryption.
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Wireless technology is considered to be one of the advanced network technology offers wider and more modern benefit as compared to a wired network. As wireless networks can be used either in your home or in your small business, there are several factors which can help you to decide whether or it not it makes sense to replace your wired network with a wireless one.
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