This paper traces the development of wireless computer networking technology over the past several decades, beginning with the limitations of dial-up modems and early hard-wired routers and progressing through DSL, cable modems, and the first generation of wireless hardware. It examines the IEEE 802.11 frequency standards that defined early wireless networking, the security and performance trade-offs businesses faced, and the practical challenges of early configuration. The paper concludes by evaluating modern wireless options, including specific hardware recommendations, and identifies the remaining contexts in which hard-wired networks retain advantages over wireless alternatives in terms of speed, security, and multi-user capacity.
Within the last fifty years, computer technology has evolved from room-sized machines whose total computing power was less than that of a modern programmable calculator or wristwatch to powerful processors capable of transmitting data and accessing the Internet wirelessly. Computer technology began to trickle down from the cutting-edge systems used by NASA and the military to professional business use in the 1980s, and within a decade, computers were ubiquitous to virtually every element of modern business and administration.
By the time the World Wide Web first came online in 1995, business computer systems and networks had already begun the transition from cumbersome software that made it difficult — if not impossible — to link multiple data terminals to a single network, toward a seamless connection between multiple computer terminals and other peripherals such as printers and scanners.
Only in the last decade have computer hardware and software both evolved and become standardized sufficiently to allow for the development of seamless wireless communications, including full-scale wireless networking, within the budget of most businesses and individual private computer users.
Initially, Internet connections relied on ordinary telephone lines through dial-up modems and hard-wired routers with very limited capacity by today's standards. Large enterprises used T-1 lines at the time, which offered tremendously increased connection speed compared to dial-up modems. However, the technology was impractically expensive for many businesses, with monthly fees often exceeding $1,000.
Cable modems began to replace dial-up modems and hard-wired routers on a more widespread basis in 1999, offering the advantages of greatly increased speed — by approximately a factor of five — as well as the interconnection of multiple computers within a single network sharing one high-speed Internet connection. The first generation of wireless computer connection hardware was introduced by 3Com, but the technology was still too expensive for many businesses and individuals considering the upgrade from hard-wired connections to wireless networking (Briere, 2003). At that time, the price of a router was approximately $1,000, with Ethernet cards required for each remote computer terminal adding approximately another $200 each.
The hardware of the era was also very difficult to configure with its corresponding software, placing it far beyond the technical capabilities of non-expert users for installation and maintenance. As a result of the high cost and complicated, temperamental nature of early wireless networking equipment, most users opted instead for digital subscriber lines (DSL), which boosted speeds considerably over the fastest data transfer rates then achievable through dial-up modems (Franklin, 2007). DSL lines offered the advantage of a continuous Internet connection that shared the telephone line without interfering with regular telephone use over the same line simultaneously.
When wireless technology first debuted, the IEEE assigned several specific radio wave frequencies for wireless computing, each with different specifications, standards, and capabilities. The primary frequencies used by business networks were designated 802.11b and 802.11g, with a third frequency, 802.11a, considered more suitable for personal computing because of its greater compatibility with personal computing hardware of the time.
Transmission reliability and signal strength varied across the three systems depending on structural interference from walls and other obstacles. In many cases, businesses were better served by choosing the less sophisticated and slower 802.11a systems, because it was somewhat less susceptible to external interference from structures and other electrical systems, such as fluorescent lighting in close proximity to network hardware (Briere, 2003).
In some cases, wireless technology was insufficiently developed to accommodate certain types of business, because the advanced encryption necessary to safeguard sensitive and proprietary information was not yet supported by the 802.11 series-based technology. In such situations, networking through electrical wiring offered some of the advantages of eliminating traditional hard wires without compromising information security against electronic interception (Briere, 2003).
Wireless networks replace the traditional hard-wired router — which connects individual terminals to a single high-speed dial-up modem, DSL line, or cable modem — with a wireless router performing the same function. Fixed network stations such as desktop computers connect through a USB port adapter, while laptops generally employ a wireless PCMCIA card at a nominal cost. In recent years, these components have been replaced by many laptop manufacturers with internal wireless capabilities included as standard equipment in higher-end models.
Modern wireless computer technology transmits data at 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, at speeds of 54 Mb/sec to 108 Mb/sec, enabling much larger volumes of data transfer than the frequencies employed by cell phones (Wilson, 2007). Still, wireless data transfer rates are limited compared to the fastest hard-wired connections, which can now transmit data as fast as 1,000 Mb/sec. Even within these limitations, wireless computing technology is now a viable option for most business applications, with certain specific exceptions.
Industries that routinely handle extremely high volumes of data may overload wireless networks, particularly where many remote computers share the same network. Other industries require security levels beyond ordinary encryption. Wireless networks can now be made relatively secure from external intrusions, to the extent that all but the most sensitive data may be safely transmitted. However, because wireless connections lack the physical barrier of hard wires, they cannot match the highest security levels achievable with hard-wired networks, which cannot be passively infiltrated by intercepting radio waves. In addition to higher security, T-1 lines allow hundreds of different users to share a network without slowing transmission rates, except where users must download extremely large files (Franklin, 2007).
For all but the most sensitive data, the Linksys Business Series WAP4400N Pre-802.11n Wireless Access Point is a suitable unit, making use of one of the very latest IEEE frequency assignments. Likewise, the Apple AirPort Extreme Base MA073LL/a employs 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. Both pieces of equipment are affordable, at approximately $100–$155 and approximately $120 per unit, respectively (Wilson, 2007).
Perhaps one of the most meaningful changes in the latest generations of wireless networking equipment is that installation and configuration are now within the capability of most moderately proficient computer users without expert assistance. Instead of the cumbersome software of the earliest available versions, today's wireless networking equipment features built-in web browsers with straightforward Internet connection and configuration guides that make setting up a wireless network as simple as other program installation procedures familiar to most computer users (Franklin, 2007).
Where wireless technology still falls short of comparable hard-wired networks is in the relationship between published performance ratings and actual performance in use. Manufacturers' ratings pertain to ideal conditions and do not account for the practical limitations of real-world environments. Physical barriers such as walls and office equipment that emit electromagnetic waves may decrease the published maximum transmission distance of 300 feet to 150 feet or less, depending on the environment. For this reason, a survey of signal strength on location is a necessary step before selecting wireless networking over the best available hard-wired alternatives.
"Range, security, and multi-user capacity still constrain wireless"
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