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Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Wireless Networks

This new wave in technology has probably gotten you excited and interested in just how you can perhaps implement it in your home and/or office. Yes, that’s right, the kind of high-frequency radio waves that is used by wireless networks. Imagine all your computers at your office or home interconnected together with no wires and giving you the freedom to relocate a computer with the flick of a switch. How convenient is that?? Well, this article will attempt to familiarize you with the wireless terminology used and perhaps give you an idea of what you are looking for. The world of information technology is ever changing and constantly evolving in the direction of better and faster successors. Wireless network technology is no different and it too has been pushing towards higher speeds. As you probably already know, speed is very important in any network environment and in the realm of wireless networks, speed is measured in Megabits per second or Mbps. This speed is more commonly referred to as Bandwidth. Bandwidth is defined as the amount of information that can be carried in a given time period and in this case measured in seconds. A few years ago the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) set a standard for wireless technology and called it 802.11b or commonly referred to as “Wireless-B” networks. This standard delivered speeds of up to 11Mbps. Today, there is a new standard out called 802.11g and it operates at speeds of up to 54Mbps and it is more commonly referred to as “Wireless-G” networks. If you are someone who has already implemented wireless-B networks at your home or office and was wondering if this new technology was compatible with your existing network, the answer is yes. Both of these wireless standards share the same radio frequency band of 2.4GHz. So just how beneficial will wireless networks be for your office or home? Ever considered having all the computers share the same high-speed Internet connection via cable or modem and not to mention the reduction in cable clutter? How about using the new 802.11g standard to maximize speeds and continue using the existing 802.11b hardware, a great cost saving feature since you will not be required to upgrade any of the existing 802.11b hardware you already have? Are you someone who just moved into a new home or perhaps a new office and the wiring for a computer network was not something that was considered by the builder? Why not implement a wireless-G network? Before you do just that, you will want to consider the security of these high-speed radio frequency waves and as well as what might be some of the interferences that play a factor in determining the performance of your wireless network.

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Posted by Webmaster at 9:55 AM
Edited on: Wednesday, April 06, 2005 2:36 PM
Categories: Computer News and Technology