How can your small business benefit from wireless networking? Wajih Halawa plugs in and finds out.
All tied up
After months of saving and investing in new networking infrastructure for your business, you are finally done.
The servers have been purchased and set up, the routers and switches are in place, and weeks of wiring and installing are finally over.
But as you step back and take a look at the end result, you let out a sigh of discontent. There are just too many wires in your offices, and as your business expands, adding RJ-45 jacks and extra network switches is becoming a real pain and stretching the limits of your electrician. Any change in the network configuration can involve extensive rewiring. Last, but not least, wires are just plain ugly.
Now, you can go wireless thanks to technologies that allow computers to communicate in a networked environment using radio waves. Imagine being able to sit in a meeting with your wireless laptop and have access to all your virtual resources - folders, documents, contracts, presentations and images. Some action items can now be started, and even completed, on the spot. Meetings can be conducted in different locations without having to worry about wiring or bringing along extra Ethernet cables.
Your work space no longer has to be defined by where you are seated in the company. You'll even save money on installing hundreds of meters of Ethernet wiring as your network expands, and changing the network configuration can be completed very rapidly. Moreover, a whole new world of possibilities is created for working in groups quickly, easily, and cost-effectively. And the best part: a drastic reduction in tripping over wires.
Can I afford it?
Of course! If the average home can afford a wireless network, then so can your small business. A basic wireless setup for a small- or medium-sized business can cost as little as JD500. Depending on your company's size, however, you might end up spending several thousand dinars to make your wireless network a reality for the number of people in your organization. You must prepare a detailed plan and calculate how much you will need to spend to sever the wires from your office computers. The odds are that wireless will enter your already-wired network, so you have to weigh the costs and benefits of replacing equipment that has already been paid for with brand new, wireless equipment.
Costs primarily include equipment like wireless routers for setting up access points, and wireless LAN cards (internal or external) for computers which do not come with wireless technology already built-in. You may also need to purchase accessories like metal brackets and screws to install your access points in locations that are convenient and effective.
How it's done
There are several standards for wireless networking today. The original 802.11 standard was too flexible in terms of which parts of the standard could be applied, and thus resulted in too many interoperability problems between different manufacturers. Since 2000, the 802.11b standard has been the most widely accepted, with its long range of 120 meters and its fast speed of 11Mbps (megabits per second). 802.11a came later and offered five times this speed, but required a clear line of sight between devices, which led to its failure in being accepted.
The next step up is 802.11g also known as Wireless-G which takes the range of 802.11b and the speed of 802.11a, creating the next generation of wireless networking well in advance of the connection speeds available to most broadband users. Wireless-G operates at speeds of up to 54Mbps with the same range of 802.11b.
Here's the important part when purchasing equipment: stay away from everything that is labeled 802.11a or just plain 802.11 without letters - those are two standards which are not backwards compatible and hardly used today. If you must be tight about your budget, you will find many 802.11b devices that are conveniently priced.
The two main elements of a wireless network are the access point (typically a wireless-enabled router) and the wireless LAN-enabled client. Usually, your client PCs will require wireless LAN cards to be plugged into them in order to access the wireless network. These are usually installed internally, but some can be plugged into USB ports.
Keep in mind that you are no longer restricted to just desktop or laptop PCs when you are on a wireless network. Printers, scanners, digital cameras, handheld Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), print servers and even some mobile phones have wireless access built-in, so these can instantly become part of your network.
It is important to install the access point in a central location, preferably in an open space so that you have the smallest number of obstacles between clients and the access point. Also, your computers should definitely be using Windows XP with the latest updates. It is a bit of a headache to configure Windows 2000, ME, or 98 with wireless connectivity.
The challenges
At the end of the day, even wireless networks have limitations. Many fall into the trap of thinking that, just because they can access data wirelessly in the office, that they can do so away from the office.
This is not necessarily true. A wireless-enabled laptop computer can access any wireless network that allows such access, as long as it is within the wireless router's range of around 120 meters horizontally. If your wireless device is working in an area that is far away from your office networking, then you are probably sucking bandwidth from someone else's unsecured network.
This brings us to another problem, which is security. Think about it for a moment: your data is traveling through the air. Although a wireless network operates just like a regular wired network, it requires additional security and integrity measures to protect data as it travels between clients and access points.
First of all, the equipment you purchase should support Media Access Control (MAC) addressing, which allows you to restrict access to authorized devices. This prevents outsiders from hopping onto your network.
The safety of your data itself can be assured to a degree using Wireless Encryption Protocol/Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), though this will eventually be replaced because hackers are learning to break through WEP. Last but not least, standard Virtual Private Networking (VPN), which is now mature and sturdy after being around for several years, can create a sturdy virtual gate to your wireless network. External users are required to log on to the VPN before being permitted to access the network itself. Purchased equipment should be upgradeable using software updates to allow for evolving security technologies.
A wireless network can be the best thing that happens to your information technology infrastructure.
However, make sure you plan carefully and ask plenty of questions in order to maximize the benefits of this wonderful innovation. Then, once your network is secured, you can go around saying, "Look, Ma, no wires!"
© Jordan Business 2006
