Wireless networking has its advantages and disadvantages

Table of Contents

Wireless networking has its advantages and disadvantages

Wireless LANs have become very popular due to their cost efficiency, ease of integration and convenience. Most computers today are equipped with Wireless networking LAN technology.

Wifi’s Advantages

Convenience

These networks are wireless, meaning users can access network resources from any convenient location within their primary network environment.

(a house or office). This is especially important given the saturation of laptop-style computer models.

Mobility

Public wireless networks have made it possible for users to access the internet outside of their work environment. For a small fee, many chain coffee shops provide a wireless connection to the Internet for their customers.

Productivity

When users are connected to a wireless network, they can stay in close contact with their preferred network no matter where they go. This means that employees can be more productive if they can access their work from anywhere.

Deployment

A single access point is all that is required to establish an infrastructure-based wireless system. Wired networks have the added expense and complexity of having physical cables run to many locations (which may be impossible for difficult-to-reach places within buildings).

Expandability

Wireless networks can be used to service an unexpectedly large number of clients by using existing equipment. A wired network would need additional wiring to accommodate additional clients.

Cost

At worst, wireless networking hardware can cause a small increase in costs compared to their wired counterparts. This increased cost is usually more than offset by the labor and cost savings associated with running physical cables.

Wifi’s Disadvantages

Security

Some of the available encryption technologies can be used to counter this. However, there are weaknesses in some of the more popular encryption methods that can be compromised by an adversary.

The Range

The range of an 802.11g network that uses standard equipment is typical is in the tens of metres. Although sufficient for most homes, this range will not be enough to cover larger structures. Repeaters or additional access points may be required in order to obtain more range. These items can quickly cost a lot.

Reliability

As with any radio frequency transmission, wireless networks signals can be affected by a variety of interferences and complicated propagation effects. These are outside the control of network administrators.

Speed

Wireless networks typically have speeds of 1-54 Mbps, which is slower than common wired networks that can go 100Mbps to several Gbps. Sometimes, however, a wired connection might be required for specialized applications.

Wireless networking has its advantages and disadvantages